Cape Greco & Ayia Napa · Cyprus · Reef · Artificial reef
De Costa Bay
A statue of Atlantis and a small canyon in a protected bay
Area photo: Fry72, Karel Frydrýšek · CC BY-SA 4.0
A quiet, protected bay in Protaras with a walk-in beach entry, a mostly flat sandy bottom and no waves. Sunken columns and a set of statues, including Atlantis, a mermaid, a lion and a dwarf, sit within 12 m, and turtles are often seen in the first few metres, which makes it a common choice for introductory dives.
Also known as Dacosta Bay, Da Costa.
Where it is and how deep
35.0068° N, 34.0624° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
A short walk leads down to the beach, and the dive starts with a walk-in entry over a mostly flat, sandy bottom that slopes gradually, in a bay with no waves. Turtles are often sighted early, at just 2 to 4 m. The bay lies in a protected area and is a regular site for introductory dives, where the calm water eases new divers in.
The route crosses the bay to sunken columns and a statue of Atlantis, part of a set of submerged statues that includes a mermaid, a lion and a dwarf, useful for buoyancy practice and photographs. It then heads into a small canyon with rock and amphora formations before returning across the sand. Umbrella snails of about 15 cm and slipper lobsters hide in the rocks, and bream, brown and rainbow wrasse, parrotfish and damselfish are common.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cape Greco & Ayia Napa: Diving is possible year-round; May to October brings the warmest water and greater marine-life abundance.
Know before you go
- Weever fish are among the fish seen here; keep hands and knees off the sandy bottom.
Sources
- De Costa Bay — Scubago
- Diving spots Ayia Napa - Protaras — Visit Famagusta
- Dive sites: Herbies Diving Paradise — Herbie's Diving Paradise
- De Costa Bay — Pro Scuba Diver Cyprus
More dive sites in Cape Greco & Ayia Napa
Reef
A shallow training beach that never goes deeper than 6 m
Towering rock walls and boulders reached down two cliff ladders
Cave & cavern
Daylit swim-throughs up to 30 m long at Cape Greco
Amphora remains at 5 m and a slope past 40 m below a chapel
Wall
A shore entry onto a cliff that runs down to 40 m
Reef
Stone columns and statues at 9 m in a shallow training bay
Reef
A drop-off to 11 m and a deepest point of 18 m from the shore
Wreck
Three connected holds on an upright cargo ship at 18 to 28 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Walk-in shore bay near Capoliveri in 2–10 m, with turtles since 2021
An easy beach entry at a small harbour north of Coral Bay
Two sea-carved amphitheatres joined over the top of a wall
Orange sponges, groupers and octopuses in a bay dived by day and night