Diving in Cyprus: our first dive in two years

Diving in Cyprus: our first dive in two years

After two years at home, we go diving in Cyprus and rediscover the joy of underwater life

There was a time when, on her first day of school, I recorded my dives with all the zeal of a nerd. On every trip abroad, I took my battered logbook with me and meticulously noted the date, location, depth, temperature, sights, and so on.

As I gained more experience, however, I became complacent, not least because the cool kids never seemed to record their dives. Other divers gracefully emerged from the water, slipped out of their BCDs and lounged around with a beer while I, being the nerd that I am, busily took my notes. At some point her airy manner rubbed off on me and I also became blasé.

Atlas & BootsDiving in Cyprus: Port of St. George

Unfortunately that means I don't know how many dives I've done. I'd estimate somewhere in the region of 30, including shipwrecks, plane wrecks, walls and bommies, but there could easily be a dozen more.

This casual attitude is in stark contrast to my beginnings as a nervous diver. As I've written before, I almost abandoned my very first dive and dropped my PADI qualification on my first attempt. I've become more confident since then, but recently while diving in Cyprus I was reminded of my initial nervousness.

A dive was initially not planned. Cyprus was my first trip with Peter since December 2019 and I wanted to do nothing but eat, drink, read and wallow in the sun. However, in typical outdoor fashion, two days into our trip we decided to go diving.

Atlas & BootsChris and Kia prepare for the dive

We warned our Divemaster Chris from Kalliopi Dive College that we hadn't dived for two years and wanted a gentle reintroduction. Luckily, he had the perfect option: a shore dive off St. George’s Harbor on the west side of the island.

We stepped out of the cool, air-conditioned air of our hotel lobby into the blazing sun outside and jumped into Chris's truck, which had all the reassuring signs of a seasoned divemaster: a sea salted bed, a large marker buoy, and three boxes of gear.

As we set off on the 20-minute drive to the port, I felt the familiar thrill. As our readers know, unlike Peter, I am out of my element in the water. I am a Taurus; an earth sign. I should live on land. (Side note: Apparently bulls are good swimmers, but you get my point.)

Atlas & BootsA friendly turtle visits us on our dive in Cyprus

In St. George’s Harbor the sun crackled on the sides of the black metal truck, forcing us into the shade. I was happy to have the opportunity to assemble my own equipment. About half the time, dive centers will pre-assemble your equipment, which is convenient but means you can easily fall out of practice. This is particularly difficult for someone like me who, as I have said once or twice, has a problem with gauges, clasps, zippers, buckles, knots and locks. Luckily Peter was there to help and of course Chris double checked everything to make sure it was safe.

I tried to convince Chris to let me dive with a whopping 5kg of weight as I tend to involuntarily float upward towards the end of a dive. He explained that our tanks are not aluminum, which is what normally causes the extra buoyancy. To dispel my doubts, he agreed to pack an extra kilogram in case I needed it mid-dive.

Atlas & BootsKia diving in Cyprus

As this was a land dive it meant we could wade gently into the sea rather than jumping off the side of a boat into choppy waters. At first we used our snorkels and I quickly became out of breath as I struggled to keep up with the boys. I was worried that I would have trouble diving, but once we started descending I was absolutely fine. As a divemaster explained to me in the past, breathing through a regulator is actually easier than through a snorkel. Almost immediately we came across two playful turtles: a great reward for little effort.

Atlas & Boots

Shortly after we reached the level, I noticed that my tank was leaning to one side. I tried to adjust it while swimming, but that kind of imbalance makes a dive much less fun, so I paused to fix it on my back (imagine an awkward, half-push, half-pull maneuver). After correcting it, I finally found my groove and slowly went into the dive.

We soon encountered friendlier turtles, about the same size as those on the Great Barrier Reef. They ventured remarkably close and reminded me of the joy of seeing sea creatures in their natural habitat.

We swam on, passing through a short tunnel and over a shimmering carpet of seaweed. Unfortunately, halfway through the dive I felt the familiar sensation of my body floating upwards. I swam to Chris because of the extra kilogram. Instead, he used my drain valve to release the remaining air from my BCD and suddenly everything was fine. Turns out he knows better than me.

Soon I was gliding through the water and finding my fins, so to speak. After two years on land, St. George’s Harbor was the ideal diving spot. Sometimes divemasters feel pressured to show us magical things - especially experienced divers, but I just settle for the thrill of being underwater; to explore a place where humans naturally shouldn't be.

I have always been happy with my Open Water Diver certification, which allows me to dive up to 18m. However, diving in Cyprus after a two year break left me hungry for more. I will probably pursue the Advanced certification at my next opportunity. It may take a few tries, but this land-dwelling bull is finally ready to give it a try.

Diving in Cyprus: the essentials

What: A shore excursion from St. George’s Harbor in Paphos, Cyprus.

Where: We stayed at Azia Resort & Spa in Paphos, Cyprus. The hotel is set amongst lush tropical gardens and offers expansive sea views. We highly recommend booking one of the Adults Only rooms, which are equipped with a variety of adults-only amenities, including a private pool, garden area and lounge.

Atlas & Boots

If dining at the hotel, book the a la carte restaurants as soon as possible as Covid restrictions limit the number of seats. We ate at OKU, Cipro and Akamas Terrace (Flambé). OKU in particular was delicious.

We also recommend a detour to the old town and the harbor. We ate at Fettas and Hondros, both a 15 euro taxi ride away (one way). If you are vegetarian, let your waiter at Fettas know as soon as you sit down.

When: The best time to visit Cyprus is the low season from March to May and September to October, when the weather is warm, sunny and there are fewer crowds. High season is June to August and while the weather is lovely, the resorts are usually crowded and there are price increases of up to 30%. The best time for diving in Cyprus is from September to October.

How: We went diving in Cyprus with Kalliopi Dive College, which we highly recommend. ​​Book via kalliopi@cytanet.com.cy.

We booked a shuttle from Paphos International Airport to Azia Resort & Spa through Shuttle Direct. It's worth building in some buffer before the flight.

Book international flights through skyscanner.net at the best prices.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots

      .