Kyrenia, or Girne, is the dive base of North Cyprus, with about twenty sites strung east and west of the town and dive safaris further along the coast. Zephyros, a reef system near Sunset Beach a short boat ride from the centres, sits alongside the Wall with its anemone-lined crevasses, Zeyko close to the harbour and the fish-feeding ridge at Fred. Every dive is led by a local guide, as the law requires, and there are no tides to plan around.
About diving in Kyrenia (Girne)
Diving here runs out of Kyrenia Harbour and from bases on the coast west of town, at Alsancak and Lapta. Zephyros, close to Sunset Beach, is a short boat ride from most of the centres in the Kyrenia area, and Zeyko sits near the harbour. Diving without a local guide is forbidden in North Cyprus, so no dive goes ahead without one, and the centres also run dive safaris to other places along the coast. A relaxing reef just west of town serves as the second dive of the day or as a night dive.
Zephyros is a series of reefs on several levels to the north and west of Kyrenia; the Wall starts at 25 m and drops to 32 m, its crevasses lined with hundreds of white and yellow anemones, with 30 to 40 m of visibility in good light. Zeyko’s reef top starts at about 12 m and its wall reaches 40 m in places, and the Power Station rocks rise to 9 m from 30 to 34 m. Groupers, morays, amberjacks, octopus, stingrays and turtles are among the marine life on the reefs.
The coast suits divers from newly certified to experienced. Divers who want to dive unguided should look elsewhere, because the guide rule applies to every dive. Removing shells or historical artefacts is strictly prohibited, which matters on a coast with a ship more than two thousand years old in its history. The site at the end of the reef, more open to the sea, is deeper than the others: its reef starts at about 24 m and ends on a sand bottom between 40 and 43 m.
Best time to dive Kyrenia (Girne)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Diving runs all 365 days of the year, yet the main season runs from April through to the New Year. February and March are the coldest months, the sea averaging about 17 °C (63 °F), and the first quarter sits outside the main season. The sea averages 28 °C (82 °F) in July, peaks in August at 29 °C (84 °F) and still averages 28 °C (82 °F) in September. The season then runs on to the end of December.
Dive types & marine life
Pinocchio adds parrotfish to the groupers, octopus, stingrays and moray eels, and at Fred fish are fed and swarm around the divers.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Night
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
Best dive sites in Kyrenia (Girne)
- 1
Zephyros
A series of reefs on several levels near Sunset Beach, with a challenging drop from 18 to 28 m.
- 2
The Wall
A wall from 25 to 32 m, its crevasses lined with white and yellow anemones; for experienced divers.
- 3
Zeyko
Reef close to Kyrenia Harbour, its top at about 12 m and its wall reaching 40 m in places.
- 4
Fred
A ridge from 13 to 29 m where fish are fed and swarm around the divers.
- 5
Power Station
Offshore rocks topping out at 9 m and dropping to 30 to 34 m.
- 6
Ancient Wreck
Site of a ship more than two thousand years old; the museum in Kyrenia Castle sets the scene.
Site guides
How to get to Kyrenia (Girne)
Ercan airport (ECN) is 42 km south of Kyrenia and public transport is limited, so a hire car or a package transfer beats the bus via Nicosia. The centres sit on Kyrenia Harbour and on the coast west of town at Alsancak and Lapta.
Photos from Kyrenia (Girne)
Julian Nyča · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Exploring the Rainbow Wreck – Kyrenia, Cyprus/Rainbow Batığı #shipwreck #artificialreef #yapayresif · Hasan Deniz Akbora on YouTube
Scuba Diving in North Cyprus #3 · Savas Scuba on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can certified divers dive without a guide in North Cyprus?+
No. Diving without a local guide is currently forbidden in North Cyprus, whatever a diver’s certification level.
Where is the decompression chamber for North Cyprus divers?+
There is a decompression chamber at the Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital in Lefkoşa.
What should divers do before diving the Ancient Wreck site?+
Visit the shipwreck museum in Kyrenia Castle first. The ship is more than two thousand years old, and touching or moving historic artefacts underwater is illegal.
Sources
- Diving Sites - Scuba Cyprus — Scuba Cyprus
- About Us - Scuba Cyprus — Scuba Cyprus
- North Cyprus Diving Sites — Nautilus Diving School
- Northern Cyprus underwater — X-Ray Mag
- Cyprus Underwater Explorers — PADI
- Kyrenia — Wikivoyage
- Kyrenia sea water temperature — seatemperature.net
Photo credits
- A sand-coloured stone fortress with round towers on a low rocky shore, reflected in calm, clear blue water under a blue sky by Julian Nyča, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Similar destinations
Reserve walls at Bergeggi island and cert-gated gorgonian secche offshore
A cluster of cavern dives at Paleokastritsa, wrecks and reefs off the north-east coast
Fossil elephant tusks inside a cave whose entrance is now at 10 m
Large resident groupers on El Toro's reserve buoys, ten minutes from the marina