Diving, 'Phoenix Sub Aqua Cyprus', Cyprus, Sep 2011, ID 1134

160 Transport Regt RLC(V)

160 Tpt Regt RLC(v) organised a Scuba Diving Expedition for Sept 2011 after bidding successfully on a Joint Services Adventure Training slot to Cyprus.

The CO recognised that Adventure Training (AT) is a vital part of TA training, because in particular it promotes retention, boosts moral and rewards those members who have undertaken extra commitments such as serving on Operation Tours and giving extra time during the training year. All soldiers selected had past their bounty and fitted the above criteria.

Diving operations were conducted from the Cyprus Joint Service Adventurous Training Centre (CJSATC) Dive Wing located in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (SBA) based at Dhekelia.

Expedition members had undergone diving theory and pool training earlier in the year at Bovington Garrison, Dorset, consolidating that training and conducting there qualifying dives in Cyprus. Instructors were sourced from within the Regt, and it was unique to have all of the qualified personnel in one place.

In total 12 persons went on the expedition all from the TA: 3 Instructors and 9 students. They were exposed to some of the best diving Cyprus has to offer, because of the warm sea and air temperature. The diving started off easy and got more demanding as the week progressed, building on individuals experience. One of the students found it very demanding and extra time and effort was offered to get him through the course, and he eventually qualified by the end of the expedition.

The hi-light of the expedition for all members was the wreck diving on the Zenobia. The Zenobia is the dive people visit Cyprus for. It is a large, roll-on roll-off ferry that was built to operate in the eastern Mediterranean. It was during its maiden voyage from Sweden to Syria that it sank. The steering was not working correctly, so the Captain made the decision to pull into Larnaca Harbour. Here engineers noticed a major problem with the onboard computer system that resulted in water being pumped into the ships ballast tanks. The Zenobia was towed into deeper waters about half a mile from Larnaca so that the engineers could work on the problem, but it was listing to an angle of 45° so it was decided that there was nothing that could be done to save the ferry. The Captain requested that the Zenobia should be taken back to the harbour, but permission was never granted as a ship of that size would effectively prevent traffic from entering Larnaca Harbour. It took two days for the ferry to sink, taking the 104 articulated lorries that it had on board with it. It now sits on its side with the bottom at 42m and the top at 20m. It is over 120m long.

Wreck orientation training and basic wreck penetration training was undertaken by all students which culminated in a 100m swim through the cargo deck where you could still see all of the trucks and cars in place.

Other dive sites included, Dhekelia Jetty, Pyla Bay, Fraggle Rock, Power Station Reef, Tunnels and Caves, Limassol Diana Wreck, Limassol Pyramids, Green Bay.

A total of 16 dives took place and 8 out of the 9 students qualified, with 7 students going on to complete their Advanced Open Water Training.

It was noted that the cost for an individual to undertake the qualifications in a similar situation outside of a military expedition would have been around 1900 euros each. As a result expedition members contributed £250 and funding was sought from various sources. Without the assistance of the Ulysses Trust, individuals could not have afforded this type of training outside of the Army. The expedition was a great success and sets down good fundamental roots for future Adventurous Training events.

Capt Christopher Hike, Expedition Leader

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