The Artificial Reef At Limassol

1. The Artificial Reef At Limassol An artificial reef is something that not many people understand, but it plays an important role in the conservation of our oceans and aquatic life. There are many areas in the ocean where human interference or the general ebb and flow and movement of the ocean has caused certain landscapes to become barren. This means that it is necessary for human intervention as aquatic life and certain corals need habitat to thrive. The most common form of an artificial reef is the purposely sunk shipwreck. Vessels are deliberately sunk at strategic places in the ocean to offer an artificial habitat for marine life and aquatic plants, often rare or endangered coral, to live, grow and thrive. These sites often make fantastic diving spots as they attract a large amount of marine life, and divers will be able to do a shipwreck dive where they are sure to find an interesting shipwreck to explore along with the many fish and plants they’re sure to see. Diving in Limassol offers some of the best diving to be found anywhere in the Republic of Cyprus. Following an initiative to improve dive tourism to Cyprus, one of the incentives resulted in the development of an artificial reef being formed just off of the Limassol coast and part of a fish reserve. This artificial reef was constructed in 2014 and comprises primarily of two wrecks, the Costandis and the Lady Thetis, both lying at depths of 23 m and 18 m respectively. The Costandis was a 30 m Russian Trawler which is lying at a depth of 23 m with her top deck uppermost. She is an awe-inspiring wreck, perfect for teaching specialty levels of scuba diving courses. She is also home to a well-established amount of aquatic life including huge shoals of amberjacks, two banded bream, saddle bream, damselfish, trumpet fish, morays, turtles, and, on occasion, dolphins have been heard and seen in the area. But the most famous resident is a huge Grouper, nicknamed George, who regularly accompanies divers throughout their exploration, often greeting them on their approach and sticking close by throughout their lives. Divers are consistently reminded to be mindful of the ever-increasing number of lionfish. The Costandis has two permanent buoys marking her position, one on her port side and one just off of her bow. Dive boats generally moor on the port buoy but those that are looking to dive the site should be sure to check with the skipper as visibility often results in the wreck not being visible from the anchor chain. There are occasional strong currents in the area and a DSMB is advisable. The other wreck that helps make up this artificial reef is The Lady Thetis. She was a passenger vessel originally constructed in Germany, she is 30 m long and lies upright in 18 m of water, easily accessible for the Open Water Diver, and now home to an incredible amount of aquatic life. Like the Costandis, buoys mark her port and bow but both are close to the wreck and she is generally visible from the buoy line on descent. Divers that dive this site or moor at the Lady Thetis are reminded to be mindful of sharp objects on both wrecks caused by corrosion over the past 6 years. These wrecks have been lying in wait for divers to explore them for several years and although the reef is artificial, the wrecks are very much real and they used to be very real vessels. This means that their entire makeup is real and susceptible to the type of damage that can occur underwater, which

2. means corrosion from the saltwater and pieces being broken off by aquatic life is a reality that divers should be aware of. About Us: Pissouri Bay Divers is the longest-running Dive Centre in the Pissouri and Pissouri Bay areas, and they pride themselves on delivering the best possible diving in Cyprus. They are a five- star PADI Dive Centre with an impeccable track record. Pissouri Bay Divers is dedicated to delivering training to the highest possible standard with superior care, passion, commitment, and second to none customer service whilst being treated as a friend and becoming a lifelong member of the Pissouri Bay Divers family. They are dedicated to what they do and particularly to the environment, marine life, and conservation, devoting their energies to educating and sharing their mission and philosophies. They guarantee safety, fun, and the best diving to be found anywhere in Cyprus. For more information on Pissouri Bay Divers, please visit https://pissouribaydivers.com/.