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tilski
02-07-2009, 21:10
Hello

I'm off to North Cyprus. I found a few dive centres in the main resorts but was hoping for something slightly further afield. Has anyone got any experience diving in North Cyprus. Hints and tips would be great.

Thank you.
Eddie Clamp
02-07-2009, 21:51
Hello

I'm off to North Cyprus. I found a few dive centres in the main resorts but was hoping for something slightly further afield. Has anyone got any experience diving in North Cyprus. Hints and tips would be great.

Thank you.

You may find these interesting:

http://www.bsac.com/diverreports.asp?itemid=1702&itemTitle=Cyprus+%2D+Diving+Northern+Cyprus+from+V illa+Rockheart&section=1247&sectionTitle=Southern+Europe+%2F+The+Mediterranean

http://www.bsac.com/diverreports.asp?itemid=1706&itemTitle=Cyprus+%2D+Kyrenia%2C+Northern+Cyprus%2C +April+2007&section=1247&sectionTitle=Southern+Europe+%2F+The+Mediterranean

http://www.bsac.com/diverreports.asp?itemid=1690&itemTitle=Cyprus+%2D+Kyrenia%2C+Northern+Cyprus&section=1247&sectionTitle=Southern+Europe+%2F+The+Mediterranean

http://www.bsac.com/diverreports.asp?itemid=5582&itemTitle=From+the+Sublime+to+the+Ridiculous&section=1247&sectionTitle=Southern+Europe+%2F+The+Mediterranean

Enjoy your trip. I dived a number of times around the Kyrenia area when I lived in Cyprus 1988-90.

HTH
tilski
02-07-2009, 22:00
Thank you, Eddie.

I'll feed back to the forum if there's anything of interest to report - which I hope very much there will be.
Eddie Clamp
03-07-2009, 09:00
Thank you, Eddie.

I'll feed back to the forum if there's anything of interest to report - which I hope very much there will be.

You are welcome. Forward any such report along with photos (to be sent separately) to either myself or Allie B. For which you will be richly rewarded with a £15 BSAC e-voucher. :cool: :eek: :)
Alison Boler
03-07-2009, 09:18
Hi Tilski
I've dived Northern Cyprus a few times (and Southern) and I wrote some of the reports on our site. Basically, you will find that the north offers some really nice diving - more varied than the south, because there are reefs and some small wrecks just off the coast. Quite a few reefs actually and for the Med, well populated with fishlife. You can expect to see some biggish schools, plus sponges, starfish, octopi, lobsters etcetc. It isn't the Red Sea, but it is a lot better than other areas of the Med which have been over fished. You can also take longer day trips either down to the South, to dive the Zenobia (well worth it) or a safari trip to the Karpas Peninsula which is the bit of Cyprus sticking up to the east. It is a nature reserve and completely undeveloped so the sites are really virgin.
I would recommend diving with Amphora Diving - they are on Escape Beach. They offer both sport diving and tek diving and they have two really nice ribs and a gorgeous location, literally steps from the water. Their hire kit is very good and they are just very very nice guys who have been there a long time and know what they're doing. Prices are cheap by other resort standards.
They dive 3 times a day and the more you dive, the cheaper it is.

Don't know when you're going, but in the summer months it is extremely hot. The water is really warm too. You can expect the water to be around 30C right down to about 20m when it will "plummet" to 21C. You can see the thermocline and you really do need a wetsuit to cope with it. The first time I dived out there, it was so very hot above the water and the water felt so hot on the surface, I didn't want to put my wetsuit on, but boy, I could have kissed the dive guide for insisting I did. :)

Let me know if I can help with any other North Cyprus info - we have a house out there so know lots of restaurants and things to do etc.
All the best
Allie
cris
03-07-2009, 09:22
I've dived out of Kyrenia (Girne if Turkish speaking) quite a few times, Amphora diving (based about 8km west of town) is excellent. Be aware that there can be quite strong currents at times and they do follow a square profile.

Grouper are quite friendly and good sized, we saw turtles on about 20% of dives, water about 25 degrees in Summer.

Be aware that infratsructure not as European as it appears on web/info (dive centres around Eastern part of Turkish-controlled areas are v run down) but I think it is among the best diving in the Med. Amphora can organise a trip over the UN crossings to dive the Zenobia as well if you feel the desire.

PM me if you want more, but the trip report by Sarah says it all.