A Greek-Cypriot scuba diving instructor has died following an incident at the Zenobia, one of the Mediterranean’s most popular wreck-diving sites, off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus.
According to local media reports, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Larnaca received a distress call at around 09:40 on Saturday, 7 March, that a diver was in difficulty near the wreck.
Local sources report that the instructor, identified by local media as 67-year-old Giorgos Nikolaou from Paralimni, was conducting a training dive with two students when they noticed he was in difficulty.
The students surfaced and called for assistance, and rescue services were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Nikolaou was recovered by a patrol boat from the Port and Marine Police, and brought ashore where paramedics from the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY) were waiting.
He was transported by ambulance to Larnaca General Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead.
Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, and a post-mortem examination is expected to determine the cause of death.
The Zenobia, a Swedish-built roll-on/roll-off ferry, sank off the coast of Larnaca in June 1980 during its maiden voyage from Malmö to Syria after problems with its computerised ballast system caused the vessel to list heavily.
The crew abandoned ship safely and there were no fatalities in the sinking.
Today, the wreck lies on its port side at depths ranging from around 18m to 42m, roughly 1.5km off Larnaca harbour, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier wreck dives, attracting thousands of recreational and technical divers each year.
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