Zenobia diver missing - Cyprus

[DandyDon]

Diver missing in shipwreck off Larnaca coast

A diver who had descended to explore the shipwreck of the

knews.kathimerini.com.cy

A diver who had descended to explore the shipwreck of the "Zenobia" in the maritime area of Larnaca has gone missing since this morning, prompting a search and rescue operation by the Larnaca Search and Rescue Coordination Center (KSERC).

According to a statement from the center, at around 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 26, KSERC Larnaca received information regarding a missing diver who had descended to the shipwreck "Zenobia" in the coastal waters of Larnaca Bay.

The center immediately activated the National Search and Rescue Plan "NEARCHOS," mobilizing rescue divers and teams from the Republic of Cyprus E-D System, as well as volunteer rescue teams.

According to the statement, "the search efforts are ongoing, with no results achieved as of yet.

 

[MB NZ]

I have dived the wreck hundreds of times. It's big and there are a few places to get lost, plus hazards such as floating paint and oil are present in some compartments. While it's not a difficult dive site if you stay within your training limits, it does catch a lot of people out. I know someone personally who died on the wreck. I think the clear water and lack of current can lead to complacency in some instances. I hope we have a good outcome here.

 

[Jake 10]

hope for a good outcome

 

[CaptainChris]

Unfortunately not a good outcome and RIP. See Missing Zenobia diver found dead - Financial Mirror
I have dived Zenobia many times, single tank NDL and twin/deco and although I have not been into the engine room as it does not interest me, I know full well it's a very challenging area to dive. Pitch black, full of machinery and since the wreck is lying on the port side everything is 90 degrees out of whack. I spent many years at sea working on large cargo vessels of different kinds and an fairly used to the layout of ships, however when I first starting diving Zen I found it very disorientating and after 100 dives there now I still do on occasion.
MB NZ made some very good comments which I agree with. I do around 20 recreational dives per year on the Zen with customers whom most are only AOW, therefore max 30 metres, 15L air tanks (occaisionally Nitrox) and NDL and use the 2 standard routes that most DC's tend to use. These dives are not particularly difficult or challenging as there is limited wreck penetration such as the bridge, canteen / passenger spaces, which are easy in/out and filled with light. However the challenges really begin when entering the upper and main cargo decks and engine room where there is no natural light, no current flow to remove fine particles and a couple of wrong fin kicks can kick up silt/rust particles very quickly and I understand how easy it could be to become disorientated and completely lost.
I was diving on the Zen yesterday with a customer and we surfaced at 10am after a 40 minute dive and were told by the boat captain a diver was missing. Various volunteers of whom some I personally know volunteered to search and all had very intensive experience of the cargo decks and engine room and had twins and deco available. Unfortunately they could not locate the diver in the limited time they had available. The police SAR teams arrived and began searches based on the assumption the diver may have been in the engine room but this was not certain. A police helicopter and search boat were also on scene checking the sea surface. Anyone not involved in the SAR was taken back to shore at 2-30pm by another boat. As reported the search continued today. I have now been informed by a reliable source that the divers entered and exited the engine room and it must have been after the exit the diver became lost/disorientated or perhaps OOA as its in the region of 30-35m deep. He was finally found under the ramp (pic attached) in the main cargo deck and apparently that particular area is difficult to access due overturned trucks. I was also told that the buddy surfaced low on air and was sent to the chamber and the two were performing a single tank (probably 15L) "fun" dive and as far as I am aware this was not a Tech dive.
The incident is a real tragedy, as is any other, and I hope that some lessons can be learnt that wreck diving and especially penetrating deep into a wreck is extremely challenging for any diver and not to be taken lightly (not that I am saying this dive was as we don't know the full story of events), however knowing from first hand experience diving the main cargo deck area where the ramp is located it is pitch black and restricted movements due to overturned trucks and stuff lying around and not a place to become "lost".
I have written quite a missive here but think if I can contribute to events/facts it may help avoid pages of speculation and hopefully raise awareness to anyone who wishes to dive the Zen, that the interior spaces are not as easy as may seem from online video's and the risk factors increase exponentially the further you penetrate this wreck and getting lost is the main cause of fatalities during wreck penetration diving. I would like to think there will an incident investigation report that will become available for the diving community to improve safety.

 

[PR_SMITH]

Well said, Chris.
Condolences to his family.

 

[DandyDon]

Former RUC/PSNI inspector dies in scuba diving tragedy in Cyprus

A former police inspector who left Belfast to set up a new life in Cyprus has died in a diving tragedy off the coast of Larnaca.

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[CaptainChris]

Well said, Chris.
Condolences to his family.

Thanks a lot.