The MV Elpida was submerged in 2019 within in Larnaca’s Marine Protected Area to create the region’s first artificial reef. The Elpida was used as an active cargo vessel in Greece until she was sent to Cyprus specifically to be repurposed as an artificial reef.
The vessel quickly attracted a diverse array of marine life which continues to grow and thrive. Divers can commonly spot amberjack, blue-spotted cornetfish, cardinalfish, damselfish, grouper, long-spined urchin, octopi, parrotfish, pearl oyster, squirrelfish, thorny oyster and yellow spotted pufferfish. On rare occasions Dolphins have also been sighted at the reef.
The size of the Elpida makes it an ideal introduction into wreck diving with long bottom times. The cargo containers and all decks are fully accessible to divers; the main deck starts at 20 metres, whilst the masts start at 10 metres. Divers can also access the large container area of the ship, the engine room, and the bridge. There are several decks suitable for confined diving and wreck penetration – with a torch advisable to explore and fully enjoy the darker crevices.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Dive Experience: All divers must have a dives logged and signed within the past 6 months, If you don’t then we would like to undertake a local shore dive with us so that check on buoyancy, trim, weighting etc. This is for your safety and enjoyment.
- NITROX: This is a huge wreck and there is loads to see so it is preferable to get NITROX certificates to get the most out of your dive. So let us know if you would like to undertake the NITROX speciality course as part of this dive at a discounted rate.
- OW Divers: Diving within your limits means that OW Divers can only see the mast of the Elpida. As such if you were keen to undertaken this dive we would strongly recommend enrolling on the Advanced Open Water (2 day) course. With this you will get to explore the Elpida on your Deep Adventure dive as well as improve your general skills.
