MS Zenobia

The Zenobia managed to become one of the world's most celebrated wreck dives without a single life lost. The brand-new Swedish RO-RO ferry was on her maiden voyage to Syria in mid-1980, loaded with more than a hundred articulated trucks, when her computerized ballast system began pumping water where none belonged. Listing badly, she was brought into Larnaca, patched attention failed to cure the fault, and she was towed out of the harbor as a risk to the port; in the early hours of 7 June 1980 she rolled onto her port side and sank, cargo and all. Insurers swallowed a colossal loss, conspiracy theories flourished, and Larnaca acquired an accidental treasure. She lies on her port side from about 16 to 42 meters, close enough to town that dive boats reach her in minutes. The upper hull suits any advanced diver; deeper, the cargo decks hold her signature spectacle — trucks still chained in ranks, hanging from the now-vertical deck, festooned in sponges. Interior routes from the accommodation block to the machine spaces are world-class technical tours that have also, over the years, killed the unprepared. Groupers, barracuda and turtles complete a wreck routinely listed among diving's top ten.

How she sank: Capsized and sank off Larnaca on 7 June 1980 during her maiden voyage, after a ballast-system fault repeatedly flooded her to port.

Condition: Substantially intact on her port side; lorries, deck fittings and accommodation recognizable, with slow collapse in the upper works

Penetration: Full With Training. Upper canteen and passenger areas are standard guided-wreck territory; the lower cargo decks and engine room are advanced technical penetrations with a documented fatality history — never improvise inside. Entering any overhead environment requires specific training — a wreck certification at minimum, technical wreck training for full penetration.

Recommended certification: Advanced Open Water for the exterior; wreck and technical training for interior routes

Current: Mild · Visibility: 15–30 m

Marine life: Dusky groupers own the companionways, barracuda ball over the hull in summer, loggerhead turtles visit, and the trucks wear a decade-count of sponges and bryozoans.

Hazards: Depth range invites accidental overstays; chained cargo and cables create entanglement points; interior spaces are genuinely dangerous without training

Cargo and fittings are part of the wreck's fabric — nothing may be lifted.