Cyprus 2005

Cyprus - April 2005
By Finbar Taylor


The Build Up

When Mark initially proposed the idea of a long weekend in Cyprus, I was a little skeptical of flying for 5 hours each way for 6 dives, and so dismissed the idea as a trip to read about but certainly not for me! Then a second date was proposed and I thought well why not do both dates, and stay with my friends who moved out at Christmas, and make a week or so of it? This would give me the opportunity to get the hours on KISS up to 25, ready for the Mod 2 course. Well, flights were looked at and they were cheaper if I stayed for longer than 10 days, which was a real shame as I knew it would be all hot and sunny. I ended up with flights booked from 13th until 25th. Next job speak nicely to Donna and Martin and blag somewhere to stay.

The timing could not be better! Donna’s kids were visiting their Dad for the first 3 days and their Gran arrived the next day so they (Donna and Martin) would be around, with out sprogs, would love to see me, and had a sofa bed. To top it all they are 10 minutes from Larnaca Port, can pick me up from the airport, and will be looking to dive most days!

I also chatted with Mark about the possibility doing my Advanced Wreck course whilst in Cyprus, as it would get a little boring spending nine days diving the one wreck (from previous experience there is not a lot to dive in Cyprus except the Zen and even though it is big it’s not 12 days big!)


April 13th

Finish packing about 2am. It can’t be done - there is no way I can get a KISS, dry suit, reels for the course, a small amount of spares and a pair pants to under 45kg, which is the pre-booked weight allowance. I am guessing it might work out expensive and start to worry (a crisis has arisen, as my lodger who pays me ‘diving money’ each month leaves in 5 days while I’m away (I think he thinks the double glazing would have been a better investment than the KISS)).

Arrive at Luton 3 hours early as advised by many re-breather owners, walk to check-in clutching my email saying I have a total of 45kg weight allowance, and nervously place the first bag on the conveyer/scales. My heart sinks… at home it was only 15kg on the bathroom scales, now they weigh it at around 25kg! After much repacking to get all bags under 30kg I manage to get away with out paying anything for my 68kg four bag luggage. I think the key was in confusing the poor girl on the desk to the point that she just gave up caring (will to live?). Time to take it all to excess baggage and ask for it all to be checked in front off me to ensure all O-rings etc stay where they are and in the same shape as when I packed it! Well, they ran it through the scanner, did not want to open the box, and sent me on my way. Check me self through, being vary careful of the now very expensive/heavy coat (3 Greenforce heads and two batteries, Vr3, Vytec, bottom timer, 5 first stages and button gauges and the console and kidney off a KISS). That done time to head for the bar.

Flight seemed to only last 30 seconds as was desperately trying to work out how to use the 1-day-old VR3! Still know idea how to use it!

Arrive at Larnaca collect baggage and head off to my residence for the coming days. Their house is lovely although not got a pool, close to centre of town but not in the tourist area, and right by the dive shop in town.

A few more beers, BBQ and chat until the early hours catching up the past 5 months since I last saw them.


April 14th

Plan for the day visit Rob of Dive Tec and get cylinders and Lime. Phone Rob; get directions he’s based about 30 mins from where I’m staying. When we turn up we get greeted with lots of enthusiasm and Rob is willing to help in any way he can. One can of lime and two Inspo cylinders later off back home to put it together and go for a shore dive to test it survived the flight. That’ll be a no then, ADV is leaking badly in fact it might as well be inter-stage pressure straight into the loop! Get the spare O-rings out only got one and it would be the one you have to super glue in! Fit it and re assemble still leaking, bugger, at this point I thought that would be it for the entire holiday! Out of spares managed to completely isolate the ADV although this meant I would not be able to use it on a dive! Better make the first dive a shallow one as ADV failure was not covered on the course but I guess I can go OC and exhale straight into the loop.


April 15th

Pop in to Viking divers (the one opposite where I’m staying) get invited in for a cuppa and manage to pass most of the morning chatting. Get ready for a dive at Pilar Ranges/Sheep dip, which is a small cove to the east of Larnaca Bay. All going OK despite no ADV, Wondered why I bothered with a dry suit it was positively toasty! Max depth 14m, dive time 85 mins had to cut it short as my OC buddy (Martin) was getting low on gas. Back into Larnaca to pick Donna up from work and off for a second dive. Donna decides to freedive, which is always entertaining to watch. We head for a place called Green Bay which is where all the local schools use for OW courses as it has very flat shelves starting at about a meter then 6m going down to about 12m. Max depth 12m dive time 45 mins. This dive was probably the only dive where one of my buddies used less gas than me! Those free divers just don’t know they’re born with all that saving on gas bills! Back to Robs to get cylinders filled and collect the two stages he was filling for me, then home to drink Keo and sit around a BBQ.


April 16th

Start the day with a visit to Rob to find out where Cyclops Point is as you can apparently get 60m off it. Get directions, we are all certain we know where we are going and set off. 3 hours later, having been driving round trying to find this place and how to get down the road we eventually decide is the correct one, I decide to walk on down this very rough track, to confirm if we get the car down it then there is a dive at the end of it. Who should I bump in to but Rob. A bit of gentle persuasion later and he comes to collect all the dive kit in his 4WD and we abandon the car. The dive is a rocky entry with a few distinct shelves heading out to a sandy/ sea grassy bottom. Donna is looking for an area with a sandy bottom of no more than 20M, to set up a decent line to teach freediving from, so that is the dives objective which was very quickly achieved. Now to carry on further and try to find this 60m point. Although it is getting deeper, we stop at 40m when we encounter a mass of fishing nets. On the return journey, I start getting a little concerned when the locals start dynamite fishing somewhere that sounds very close (you could hear and feel it!)!

Climb out and head off for fish and chips on the base and the plan was to then head to another site and get a second dive in. This plan was promptly ruined when the car gearbox decided enough was enough and left us stranded at the side of the road. Having experience being stranded in snow waiting for the road to clear and this I’m not sure which is worse I certainly got sun burnt and would have killed for a cold beer. On the plus side when we got back to their house, this gave me the opportunity to "make" an O-ring out of Black Witch. It worked (and lasted the entire trip) although was a little hard to breath from.


April 17th

Today the three of us are booked on with Tassos (owner of Viking divers (the man to get a boat ride with in Cyprus)) to dive the Zenobia. Donna is on a single 15 and a pony; Martin is on twin 12’s and I’m Kissing with a 10 stage (for the OC buddies). We drop down the line and there it is this Huge, really huge wreck, I’m getting excited already. I’ve dived it 3 or 4 times before and know this wreck is good. We finish our decent on the funnels and drop over the rail to the seabed. A short rummage through the trucks around there, Pick up an egg then replace as decide carrying a 25-year-old egg for the next hour will be a bit of a chore! We swim round the back under the loading ramp have a nose at the bottom Port side prop then up to the Starboard and over the top of the hull and back over the rail. Every one is happy so Martin leads through the upper lorry deck you enter by a huge opening that the lorries would have driven though. Bearing in mind this wreck is on its port side most of the cargo is now laying on the bottom/port wall, although there are a few items still attached to the original floor LIKE THE ODD LORRY! Floating half way up a wall as though it were as weightless as a diver. Just after entering this large but dark opening Martin points at this speck of light in the distance and grunts that that’s the exit. I turn round and look at the huge hole we entered through and this pin ***** of light in the distance and already think the stage will be coming off, Then I start worrying that the Kiss will have to come off as well (Turbanator will understand why this scares me!). I get to the door, which is about 18/20m, and fortunately, on the journey there it’s got a lot bigger (apparently, it’s a perspective thing) but is still a squeeze. Get through other side quick check of all gauges and stuff discovers my new VR3 is advising me to use tables! Doh! Forgot that deep stop just the other side of the door but 3m lower oh well got my Vytec in air mode between them I’m sure I can get to the surface with out fizzing too much! We check each other all got gas and are happy to go on so head up the supper structure and swim/wiggle through the bridge. At about 45 mins we start heading for the trapeze for a small amount of deco to clear the air computers and arrive back on the boat knowing this is going to be a great holiday! Potentially 14 more dives on this ginagerous wreck. Max depth 40m dive time 62 mins.


April 18th

Martin and I are off to the Zen again. Tassos is just taking us out so we can choose where and how long we dive with out upsetting any one else! We decide to drop down on the funnels again and try to find the linking stairway from the bridge to the restaurant. We found the entrance and Martin in front, me following with a line start to make our way, after the third turn I’m stuck, I can see the steps on the wall in front of me and the torch beam shining from what was once down the steps. I decide at this point I’m not prepared to take the stage off so get Martins attention and start reeling back out. Move to the next level down and head in through the restaurant same procedure as before Martin leads I’ll take up the rear laying the line. Weave our way through the debris that used to be tables mounted to the floor; drop down a bit and in to a room that must be the kitchen. Now where were those eggs? May be I could rustle up an omelette or something. We head back out and start swimming along the top rail looking for other potential entry points. We come across a door way leading straight down almost ever part of every surface is covered by pipes of various sizes all heading in the same direction. This looks promising so we start to follow about 5m in the corridor bends through 90 degrees and heads to the front of the ship. Follow this for a further 5m and martin disappears through a gap between two pipes. If Martin can do it so can I well I hope so as he’s much rounder than me! Well I got through enough to see what I can only imagine to be a boiler (hence all the pipes) before deciding I’m just not going to fit with a stage. 50 minutes down decide to head out and start deco. Max depth 35m dive time 67 mins.


April 19th

Again, Martin and I are Diving off Tassos’s boat with it all to our selves. We head off down the upper lorry deck, locate the lift shaft immediately turning back on ourselves and heading through accommodation. For the first time since completing the course on the KISS, I wanted to be OC preferably on a single cylinder! The task loading was getting too much. Every change of depth involves checking the PPO2 and adjusting, I have a slight cold by this point and equalization is becoming difficult, I’ve got the bulk of the OC in the form of a stage for my buddy and I have run out of hands to lay line! Just as I though it could not get any worse I lose a cell on my handsets. I seriously doubted my ability to complete the advanced wreck course that was starting tomorrow. L Eventually we got out the far end of accommodation right by the entrance to the lorry deck. There catching the sunlight below me is the shiny metal clip off the other end or my reel. Better retrace the 100m of penetration to recover the line then. Getting back was not as bad as I expected It all seamed to click in to place, I even managed to stop mid way and clear a deep stop the vr3 had randomly thrown in at me, Opps spoke too soon the real that had nice neat and tight rolls of line on it was now starting to look somewhat like a birds nest, very full of line and probably only half of the line actually back on it! Do I cut it and just save the reel or try to wrap it round the housing to save another day? Wrapping around the handle is a quick and easy way to recover from a jammed reel and as long as you don’t weave your hand on to it solves the problem. As soon as were out head up to the rail and star the deco. Max depth 36m dive time 66 mins. When I get home find that the hand set is actually working but the back light is stopped working which is a sign that the batteries need replacing, shame they were not in the spares kit! The after noon is spent trying to find batteries, which it would appear that they just don’t have any on the island. Martin offers to try other towns the following day while I seriously start questioning weather the KISS was a good decision. Well tomorrow’s another day I'm sure it'll all work out.


April 20th

Arrange for Mark and Rob to collect me from Viking divers and head out on the fishing boat for a play on the scooters and start my course. At my request, we stay in a cavern type environment due to the imminent failure of at least one of my displays. We spend most of the dive running back and forth along the top of the wreck using the scooters. The decision was made to let me use the larger of the two as I had a larger profile in the water. (By this point I had already worked out I needed at least 20ltrs of off board gas to get my OC buddy out of any decent exploration of the wreck.). The larger scooter was moving me but I found the task loading again very high trying to maintain a set point, equalize, shine a torch and control a scooter; I certainly would not have been happy using these inside the wreck! We place the scooters down and run over a few drills such as frog kick and the modified flutter. Having helped Mark out as his safety diver on many occasions I know he is an instructor where you certainly earn as opposed to buy your certifications; I very quickly felt very uncomfortable, and started to doubt my ability to do the tasks that I thought I had perfected years ago (such as kicking my legs around!). Time to change scooters, as Mark wanted to compare the two. When I was using the smaller of the two scooters, I found I was just too heavy and bulky! Place magnet on go button and were… Just still in exactly in the same place as I was before hand. Start kicking legs and slowly, v e r y s l o w l y we start to move. Definitely not up to the bulk of me, a KISS and a pair of side slung 10’s. We swap back the scooters and it time to head on up so buzz along to the deco station and sit it out. The VR3/KISS combination is now coming in to its own, all my hang time is purely to keep Mark company! Max depth 29m dive time 82 mins.

Get home still not managed to get batteries so now very concerned about the life expectancy of the unit.


April 21st

Meet at the boat today and get presented with a set of cylinders freshly charged. Start setting up the unit and going through predive checks. Holds negative, positive ADV fires, OC bail out working fine set point moves up and down as expected. Go for sensor calibration and readings are down 0.15, which is considerably more than usual especially as I calibrated yesterday morning. This must be what happens when the batteries start running low? I’m not happy and call the dive before we have left the harbour! Mark tells me he will dive any way and I get ready to sit on the boat. As we leave port, I decide I have enough gear with me to go OC for the dive using the KISS as a $4000 BCD!

We descend on to the funnels down over the rail and head for the entrance to the upper lorry deck. Primary tie off well out side the door with a clear exit all the way to the surface. Move inside find a tie off point and check buddy wishes to continue. Due to the equipment restraints,(I no longer have an almost unlimited supply of breathable gas), we head about 15/20m in and start practicing exits. The first is just following the line out using my buddy’s long hose. The second is not quite so pleasant, I’ve seen plenty of people have this inflicted on them in the NDC in Feb in 6 degrees water, this will be an absolute doodle, how hard can a no mask exit be? 150 bar in 2/3 minutes hard! I really struggled with that skill the problem was no mask not following the line. My first reaction was to reach in my pocket and get the spare out, that’s what I would have done in real life, but the slate presented specifically said "NO MASK EXIT" and it was only 3 days ago I smashed my spare mask wriggling through a tiny gap, so I guess I needed to get out correctly. When I too my mask off I breathed in and became more buoyant so apparently I was trying to find the line about a meter or so above where it actually was. Eventually found it and from that point on it was my best friend in the whole world. I followed the line past the first tie offs, decided by about the third to pass the mask I was currently hold off to Mark so I had full use of both hands. Breathing rate is getting better kind of down to that of some one who’s just run a 4-minute mile! Get out get presented with mask and calm down. Back in, following line get to end and practice lost line drills. Time to go, as I’ve not got a lot of gas left! Up to deco out and back on the boat. Max depth 32m dive time 69 mins.

The afternoon was spent with a bit of theory over a spot of lunch and then Mark went of to pick up the rest of the rabble.

Stripped down the KISS and analysed the O2, Both analysers are reading 84-85% so the Displays were OK but the gas was out! Drained that off and go a O2 fill and checked it this time yep 100.4%, Also found some batteries, well, same size and voltage but alkaline not lithium, I recall the instruction manual saying not to use them as they will not last very long, I guess not very long is longer than already flat! All assembles and ready to go we have a working rebreather that I’m happy to dive we have all kit washed dried and ready to go and we have that no mask swim done and out of the way.


April 22nd

Meet the gang on the boat. Sea is looking very "British"! By the time we’ve loaded all the kit on the boat it has become a very large step down to the boat in comparison to the step up when I got on as the first one there, I’m sure it was the weight of the kit and not the slim and health conscious divers on board!?

Well the dive plan is to head down the lorry deck up the lift shaft and out of accommodation. A dive I’m not worried about as I carried out the same dive a few days earlier. Getting in was fine and I got to the last partition before exiting again when I looked around and there had been a collapse since last time and there were cables and entanglement hazards all over the place, I decided to call the dive at this point and signaled to turn. I start reeling in and looking forwards Mark shows a card with some really familiar writing on it "NO MASK EXIT" "£$£^£&*£((££)£)£)£ not again. This was considerably trickier,

1. I’m no longer able to see what I’m breathing! (Always know your PO2)
2. Lots of up and down and tight bits to get in and they will still be there on the way out.
3. I hate not having a mask on!

I decide the only way I can do this is to go OC so bail on to a stage cylinder. Following the line and getting out was not as bad as I expected and made progress to the lorry deck quite quickly, once there Mark handed my mask back and indicated that we should continue through the lorry deck and come out the far end. I got one hand on the door way and one hand on the reel, arms as far apart as possible and the line goes tight! I’ve run out of line, by about 2m! I look at Mark shrug and we turn round. I start reeling in and suddenly have mark in my face waving his hand across his thought in like a slashing motion, he look really weird certainly dose not look cool! Oh, out of air I remember that drill I’m supposed to give the regulator with the long hose off the stage I’m carrying. We now carry on the exit with Mark very close in front breathing off my long hose me trying not to birds nest the reel and getting out quickly, easy enough. I see Mark reach for his slates L right then what's coming up bet is another mask off task! Nope the slates read primary lights fail, not a problem and as were now on our way back I don’t even bother turning on one of the back ups. We’ve only got about 50m to go and it’s not overly dark. Next tie off and I notice another slate I’m swearing at Mark before I get to the end of the slate "NO MASK EXIT" Again my first reaction is to bail OC but then think well I know I’m currently on a good gas, It’s a level exit from here I’ll stay CC no worries. About 2 minutes latter I’m not so confident, I’ll go SC, breath out through nose, breath in, ADV fires, 7 normal breaths, out through nose…etc. I’m out Mark passes mask back and we start heading back up. I look at Vr3 4 minutes of stops and I’m clear, bugger forgot to switch when I was OC for how ever long, and what do you do for the SCR part? Better sit it out on the Air computer just in case. That was a real chore as the swell had picked up and the shot was ripping arms out of sockets! Max depth 33m dive time 91mins.

Get back on the boat and sounds like I had one of the better dives but I’m sure those involved will explain why they did not have a good day. The afternoons dive was cancelled due to weather so my initial analysis of the day and it being British was correct!

Pop out for a spot of lunch and a good chinwag before heading home for the usual kit strip down and scrubber-packing ready for the next day.


April 23rd

Again meet at the boat, different boat this time, sea looking much more inviting although there appear to be a few dramas with some kit being on the previous days boat.

Get out to the Zen kit up and drop in this time on the propellers shot line. Head forward and find the bridge which was the original plan but decide it is too open to be suitable for the skills we are about to perform. I had at this point been promised that my mask would remain on my face and intact and any thing else I could think of. We head for the restaurant, which I decide, might be a little more suitable. Mark sticks his head in and gives me an OK. Start laying line go through and we get almost to the lift shaft when I decide I’m not going to fit and signal to Mark to turn. After a few minutes he signals for me to go in front now I know what he’s like I’ve seen him tempt people off of deco by signaling them to go up and making them forget "the rules" was this one of those? Then I remembered that at some point I needed to get tangled up in a line and had seen him wrap a small length of string around his torch that might possible be very suitable for something like that. I go in front and low and behold very quickly I find my self with restricted movement! I stop and try backing up no still trapped so signal buddy with light and he miraculously manages to stop tying me up and I can swim again. A few minutes further and he signals to place the line down and we go through another lost line drill. Head on out and off to the deco station to sit it out. Max depth 33 dive time 67 mins.

When we get on the boat, discover we can head back to port and get some O2 fills whilst were having lunch on the boat.

Second dive Passed course no more skills to do time to just get on and do it! I offer to show Jus and Blanaid the entrance to the upper lorry deck and we star off going through the small entrance heading for the main entrance. Once out we drop down to the seabed and swim along the bottom back to the front and then headed on up as the OC people were a little stretched on gas. Max depth 41m dive time 45 minutes Vr3 really coming in to play now stops were 2 minutes at 22 m, 2 minutes at 13m and then a slow 5mins to the surface but not actually stopping and I am clear. Mark stayed down for what seamed to be ages afterwards (3 beers at least!)


April 24th

Well this is it last dive and going for the engine room which Mark C and Andy P found the previous day. To say I’m nervous is an under statement I’ve herd all the stories of people dieing in there and a bit of apprehension is good to keep you alive! Mark P agreed to lay the line and I just follow making my task simple. Follow the line, don’t kick up the crap and stay alive! We head down for the now very familiar upper lorry deck but instead of heading forward go down a level and head for the back on the lower cargo deck. I’m not overly sure how far it is in as I went in to paranoid mode and spent the entire journey looking at gauges and checking I was still alive. In hindsight, this was a little irrational as it’s just a swim to a hatchway at this point no different to the upper lorry deck, which I would quite happily swim with no guideline and far less bail out! Mark C and Andy P disappear through this hole in what was the floor but now presents it’s self as a wall, Mark P follows and I nervously follow. Once inside we are presented with a room filled with large gangways and some very big items of machinery (engine?). We settle down in here Mark C and Andy disappear off and Mark P secures a second line and we head off down a set of stairs. By the time we reach the bottom of these Mark is obviously concerned by the amount rust particles floating around (I was when we entered the room!) and turns the dive. I think I safely say at the bottom of the stairs was the engine and as far as I am concerned that counts as having visited the engine room (it’s in the logbook so I’ve been there!). We make our way out and rejoin the main line. The plan was to leave the first real in place for Diggs to collect latter and find it strange when Mark gets his knife out and starts hacking away. I then realise he is a magpie just like the rest of us and is having the bolt snap away just as Diggs sticks his head through the door! We leave and pretty much head for the surface. At this point, I already know that I will not be diving that after noon as I fly far too early in the morning for a second dive and already pushing the no fly time on all computers! I stay on the deco line and wait for the air computer to clear even though the Vr3 is saying it was relatively short deco obligation just to try and get the nitrogen loading down, 20 minutes on 02 should help with the no fly bit!

Back on the boat, I’m chuffed to bits there was one thing I would have liked to achieve and the engine room was it! I spent the rest of the day sunning my self and drink Keo that I’ve kind of got a taste for.

That evening we went out for a meal and got very (well I did) drunk and spent a lot on food and drink – see photo from Juz


April 25th

Very early flight got clobbered for £15 excess baggage but was expecting far worse and slept of hang over on plane!

Thanks to

• Mark P for organising
• Turbanator for exchange the late arriving VR3
• Donna and Martin for free accommodation
• Dave and Tassos of Viking
• Rob Jones for providing supplies
• All that came for making it such a good laugh

What I learnt

1. Always prep your unit before you get on a boat! On the boat is too late
2. Always analyse your gas
3. You can never have enough spare KISS parts
4. If you dive CCR at some point you will miss a dive (or have a very expensive BCD)
5. Always carry at least two masks
6. If your not sure bin the dive It is much easier to do it before you get in the smelly stuff than when your already waist deep in it!

Conclusion

• I had great fun and learnt a lot about wreck penetration and diving CCR.
• I was booked on my Mod 2 course in June I have cancelled it as although I have the prerequisites I feel I have a long way to go before I should be going past 40m on the unit.
• Warm blue water with a huge lump of metal at the bottom beats a weekend at the NDC any time!

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