MS Zenobia Wreck

MS Zenobia is a sunken roll-on/roll-off ferry lying on its side in 42 metres of water off Larnaca, and it is one of the best dive sites in the Mediterranean. The ship went down in June 1980 on its maiden voyage, having listed and then capsized at anchor just outside Larnaca harbour. All passengers and crew were evacuated before the sinking; 84 trucks went to the bottom with her.

The wreck is intact and enormous — 172 metres long — and the warm, clear eastern Mediterranean water keeps visibility at 20 to 30 metres most of the year. Divers can penetrate the cargo decks, still loaded with trucks, and explore the passenger areas. The site is accessible to divers of intermediate level and above; dive operators in Larnaca run trips most days from spring through autumn. It is considered one of the top wreck dives in the world.

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A story
The Zenobia capsized on her maiden voyage, just three days after leaving Sweden. She was carrying 84 trucks in her hold and on her vehicle decks when she went down, and divers still find them standing upright in the wreck today, some with their cargoes intact. The reason for the capsize was eventually traced to a fault in the computer system controlling the ballast water — the captain pumped ballast to correct a list but the system overrode him and flooded the wrong tanks.

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