A new diving destination for Cyprus
Think about diving in the island of Cyprus — the first thing that comes to mind is diving the Zenobia, or the Zen, as locals call her.
But there is a lot more diving to do on that little Mediterranean island.
Back in 2019, the Municipality of Ayia Napa, located in eastern Cyprus, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, came to an agreement with the world-renowned artist Jason DeCaires Taylor (MUSA – Mexico, The Rising Tide – UK, Nest – Indonesia, Nexus – Norway, Coralarium – Maldives, Ocean Siren – Australia, The Coral Greenhouse – Australia, and Cannes Underwater Museum – France), for the creation of the first Underwater Museum in Cyprus.
Fast forward to 2021 and the MUSAN (Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa) is now a reality. Its grand opening took place on July the 31st, 2021 and it was officially opened to the public the day after.
The vision was to create an underwater forest. The vision became a reality. The MUSAN consists of 93 works of art, inspired by nature and man, aiming to explore the relationship between nature and art.
The sculptures have been created using inert, pH-neutral materials so as not to adversely affect the surrounding environment. The expectation is that as time goes by, the MUSAN will enrich the biodiversity of the area. In other words, it is hoped that this will become an artificial reef attracting lots of marine life!
The site is located 200m from the shore. Currently, slots can be booked via one of the MUSAN approved dive centres. A number of Cyprus SDI Dive Centres were among the first to get authorization to organize dive trips to the MUSAN. It is an experience that can be enjoyed by snorkelers and divers alike, thus making it an ideal destination for families that have non-diving members.
- Dive Center
- TD Diving
- Dive-In Larnaca
- Ocean View Diving
- Dive Stop Cyprus
- Website
- www.tddiving.com
- www.dive-in.com.cy
- www.oceanviewdive.com
- www.oceanviewdive.com
The sculptures are scattered in the MUSAN marked area. The maximum depth is 10m.
Early reports indicate that some curious fish are already in the area. In order to further enhance its chances to become an artificial reef, the MUSAN has been declared a Marine Protected Area by the government of Cyprus. This means that fishing is not allowed in the area and only certain types of boats will have access to it.
Efforts are underway to also start arranging night dives, which will surely be majestic.
Cyprus is an all-year-round diving destination, with a number of dive sites. Water temperatures rarely fall below 15C.
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