AMAZING Diving in Larnaca, Cyprus
Despite most of the island having beach, Larnaca is famous for beautiful, turquoise waters, pristine beaches, parties, resorts, and amazing diving!
Logistics:
In Cyprus, there are two major tourist cities and all travel blogs tend to recommend to stay in either city as they have the airports. Paphos is no different! There are plenty of hotels, AirBnBs, and luxury all-inclusive resorts.
By Public Transportation
From the airport, there is a great cheap bus to reach city center. For only 1.5, Bus 612 takes less than 30 minutes to reach city center. Times can be a little sporadic so do check the website here.
By Private Hire
However, if you want to really explore the island or perhaps go to the other side, I highly recommend renting a car. Known for the bright red license plate tags for rentals, there are plenty of options here. Because we wanted to go to Larnaca, we rented at the last minute and found a fantastic deal with Budget for 7 days for only €57! And the car was an automatic!
Driving in Cyprus wasn’t as terrible as I was expecting. While the roads can be a little narrow in the cities, the highways and normal roads are perfectly fine. However, beware American drivers, they drive on the left similar to the UK! Since we are use to this style, it wasn’t an issue but easily could have been!
Lodging
Because our main goal in Larnaca was scuba diving, we decided to stay at an AirB&B. When we booked our stay, we had no idea where it was in relation to popular activities, but it turns out that we stayed in a more locals only area than the tourist area. From our scuba folks, they said north of Larnaca town was the main tourist drag because the beaches were better. Then, our wine tasting guide said Larnaca town was better. Either way, the beach is always close!
Our AirB&B was located in a holiday apartment complex complete with a pool. While the pool and surrounding neighborhood was a little sketchy, the apartment was nice yet basic. We had two rooms complete with air conditioning and a nice kitchen. While it wasn’t the nicest accommodation, we enjoyed having our own space and kitchen for cooking!
Travel Tip: I relied on booking.com because most hotels are listed on this site. Plus, it offers better cancellation and good discounts.
Food & Drinks
In Cyprus, we relied on a handy blog called Fork and Foot for most of our Cyprus research, especially in food and drink! In Larnaca, we also received really good recommendations from our diving folks and wine tasting guru.
Lush Beach Bar: On Mackienzie Beach, Lush Beach Bar cannot be missed. Our scuba guide recommended this hot spot for sushi and Lush certainly came through with great sushi! We ordered a normal California roll, then two special rolls each of them very tasty. While sushi was a little bit more expensive than other meals, we enjoyed a different cuisine!
Stou Roussia: In an alley behind random streets, Stou is a classic hole in the wall. While a reservation is normally needed, Stou has excellent food! We went there twice, although MF does not remember the first time! The restaurant serves terrific lamb, humous, halloumi, and chicken kebab. Everything they serve is very tasty and very affordable. If you don’t have a reservation, eat early and you will find a table.
Militzis Restaurant: Located in the middle of Larnaca town and the harbor, Militizis has great meat meze and meat options. After a dive, we went to feast here. We split a huge portion of lamb and potatoes and it was quite tasty! We also shared a “village” salad - aka Greek salad. I would recommend!
Although we were in Larnaca for over 7 days, we mostly cooked in our AirB&B to save money and to eat really healthy. While we were hungry after dives, we cooked really fresh Cypriot food and quite enjoyed it!
Click here for our Cyprus Google map pins for all of our hard research of the top food and drink spots!
Activities
There are a host of things to do in or near Larnaca - as long as you don’t mind the beach. Read Fork and Foot’s guide here for more details.
- Dive, Dive, Dive! Because Larnaca is within a 5 minute boat ride of one of the top 10 dives in the world, the Zenobia Wreck, diving here is unparalleled in the Mediterranean. The waters are also very warm compared to other Mediterranean countries so it is very easy to dive here! Because there are only two 5 star dive shops, we went with Viking because they had great customer service and highly rated online. We highly recommend them as they are very kind, nice, and love to dive!
- Wine Tasting: On one of our final nights in Larnaca, we sampled fine Cypriot wine with a local wine shop. Although we booked via AirB&B, we had a great two hour experience. We only wished we ate beforehand!
- Beaches: There is no shortage of great beaches in or outside Larnaca. Here are a few we went to and quite enjoyed!
- Cape Greco
- Sea Caves
- Finikoudes
- Mackenzie
Fixed Costs:
- 8 dives including equipment and guide: €300 per person
- AirB&B for 6 nights: £213 (£36 per night)
- 7 Day rental car: €57
- Flight from Crete: €60
Green Bay (ala Cape Greco) Dive
For our first dive since Santorini, we drove 40 minutes north to the famous Cape Greco. Known for shallow, clear waters, this site is famous for beginners and for turtles! Instead of a full wet suit, we were able to wear “shorties” and we definitely enjoyed it more than a full wetsuit.
Cape Greco
We struck gold on our first dive as we saw two turtles as well as loads of ocean life! The dive was very easy as we exited with almost 100B left in our air tanks. It was a great way to start our Cypriot diving adventure!
Cave and Tunnels Dive
For our second dive, we drove another 20 minutes to the “caves and tunnels” site. As the name implies, there are loads of tunnels and caves, ending with “whale hole” that you can exit!
Dive site
Our dive was fairly easy and more adventurous than the first one as we dove throughout the caves. At times, we could barely see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we managed just fine! I think I preferred this dive over the first one because there was more “to do” here! For the grand finale, we swam through a hole at the end.
Elpida Dive
On our second day, we spent our morning at the Elpida Wreck, located within a 3 minute boat ride of Larnaca. At 30 meters, the Elpida was recently sunk in 2019 for diving. Thus, the ship eerily sits on the ocean floor as it was when we approached it. Compared to other wrecks, it does not have much ocean life surrounding it because it is a recently sunk ship. Nevertheless, it was fun diving in a wreck!
Our dive was really good, although I developed a slight ear problem on the dive due to me rushing my equalization!
Reef Dive
For our fourth dive, Mary Frances went solo at the reef. Because of my slight ear problem, I declined to chance it with the Zenobia looming in the future. However, Mary Frances said I did not miss much activity! If you’re an experienced diver, I would skip the reef and head to one of the wrecks!
Zenobia Wreck
Although we only planned on one day on the Zenobia, we quickly realized we needed more time on the famous ship!
Zenobia History (sourced from Cydive)
Rated one of the top ten wrecks dives in the world, the Zenobia is a real treat for the experienced diver. The Zenobia lies on her port side with 104 articulated lorries which can still be seen alongside the wreck. MS Zenobia was a Swedish built Challenger-class RO-RO ferry launched in 1979 that capsized and sank in the Mediterranean sea, close to Larnaca, Cyprus, in June 1980 on her maiden voyage.
The seabed is at 42m and the highest point is at 16m with visibility reaching 40m, few currents and warm water it makes an ideal site for all qualified divers whether it is your first wreck dive or you want a series of technical penetration dives. The marine life in and around the wreck is unique in Cyprus, nowhere else will you get the chance to see grouper, barracuda, tuna, turtle and trigger fish… the list is endless and all at the same dive site.
Whilst diving around the outside of the Zenobia you can see a wide variety of fish life from large Groupers to barracudas and tiny nudibranchs that make the Zenobia their home. The cargo of trucks and their contents have never been salvaged and so are there for you to see lying on the seabed and chained to the decks.
First Two Dives
For our first day on the famous Zenobia Wreck, we simply went around the Zenobia exterior. Most dive shops want you to gain your bearing and get use to the deep dive. Because of my previous ear issue, we kept it nice and slow on our first dives.
Similar to most divers, we were amazed at the ocean life surrounding the wreck. We saw so many fish, including sea beam, grouper, and other fish! The coral reef on the boat is well develop leading to this unique culture. We loved it!
At the deep levels, we saw the lifeboats, crushed vehicles, and other items that were initially on the boat’s flatbed. Despite all the hype, the Zenobia met or exceeded our expectations!
Day Two Dives
Because we had two Zenobia dives under our belt, we were now “allowed” inside the wreck!
For our first dive, we went through the captain’s deck and galley. Because the Zen sits on the side, it is very eerie to swim “down” to see the entire place. In the galley, we could still see the red Turkish carpet in surprisingly good condition. Going inside the wreck is definitely more exciting than swimming around the outside!
On our second (and final) dive, we went back inside the Zenobia to the accommodation section ending again in the galley. Compared to the first dive, this one was much harder as we had to dive up and down in the cabins. It was also much darker and slightly more creepy in the accommodation. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it a lot!
In the end, we almost wish we did our PADI wreck specialty on the Zenobia because the wreck is so nice! However, we still do not know if diving in complete darkness is really what we want to do!
Wine Tasting
Because we love tasting and trying new types of wine throughout the world, we obviously had to attend a Cypriot wine tasting! On AirB&B, we found a delightful tasting located in Larnaca city center organized by a local wine expert! For two hours, we joined another British couple and explored the great wines of Cyprus!
- 2019 Rose: Tastes like strawberries yet acidic. Pairs well with sushi and Chinese. We found it to be not bad, but too sweet.
- 2019 Rose: This is an organic wine. Pairs with simple food. But too sweet for us
- 2019 dry white wine. This is a local varietal that grows at high altitude. Tastes like flowers but acidic. Matured in steel tanks then to bottle. We really liked!
- 2019 dry white wine. This tastes more aromatic, acidic like citrus, and even fizzy. Pairs well with Fruit platter or oysters. A little fruity, but we really liked it.
- 2019 Sauvignon blanc. This is a classic taste, but a little bit more mild than other types.
- 2019 chardonnay. This is aged 6 months in oak. It has a vanilla and buttery taste. We didn’t mind it since we don’t like chardonnay.
- 2018 Blend of international and Cypriot varietals. Easy wine and drink by itself. Great with pizza and pasta.
- 2018 shiraz. The wine has a medium to full body. It is young, light earthy. Pairs really well with red meats and Indian food. We really liked this one!
- 2014 Red: Full of tannins. This red good aging potential and comes from old vines. Pairs really well with steak and is very smokey. MF really likes this one!
- 2016 Red: With only 3-4K bottles, it is 100% Mourvèdre. Aged 12 months in French oak. Full of tannins. Could easily be aged for 10-15 years. Pairs really well with nice meal. Because it is a good earthy red, we really like!
- 2016 Commandaria: Classic Cypriot dessert wine, it is aged for long. Pair with salty or blue cheese. Wine has a nice caramel taste.
- Orange liquor from orange peel and alcohol. It is very nice!
Exploring Larnaca Town
Because we were scuba diving until 2pm everyday, the only time we could explore Larnaca town usually was at sunset or at night. Either way, the town center does not have a lot to see so it is very easy to see it all in a day!
On the beach, there is an excellent promenade overlooking the water and beach. By far, it was my favorite place to walk because the views changed daily and it was more lively than city center. Inside the center, there is a lovely church, but not much else to see. Either way, we did not come for the city, we came for the beach and diving!
A Day at Mackenzie Beach
While the beaches near Larnaca town are touristy, Mackenzie Beach is more “locals only” according to our scuba guides. Thus, we spent our last day in Cyprus here!
We enjoyed our day under the sun! The sand is exceptionally soft with the water being warm, but not that cold! Compared to other beaches, in Larnaca, the beach is very shallow which makes it very nice to cool off! I particularly enjoyed the beach because I could watch the planes land at Larnaca Airport. MF didn’t enjoy it as much as I did though..
Beach life
Travel Tip: Beach chairs and umbrellas are ridiculously cheap at 7.5E especially if you’re here all day!
Aphrodite's Rock
Located between Limmasol and Paphos, Aphrodites’ Rock is famous for the birth of Aphrodite. For us, we just wanted the great views! As the description implies, the location is famous for a very large rock surrounded by the beautiful ocean. Normally, the spot is very popular but we were one of the only people there.
Travel Tip: Swim right if you want beauty, swim left if love at Aphrodite’s Rock.
The UnChartered Summary
If one comes to Cyprus for diving or beaches, then Larnaca is an excellent base compared to Paphos! Although we stayed in Larnaca much longer than Paphos, we definitely preferred this beach haven!
- Learn to scuba dive! There are so many interesting things to see beneath the waves!
- Zenobia is worth the top 10 rating! There is so much to see that we would have to move there to dive the entire wreck!
- Check out the wine tasting before a tasty meal at Stou Roussia!
- For the best beaches, head north of Larnaca! Cape Greco and the surrounding area is amazing!