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Dive Review of Alpha Divers/Lordos Beach Hotel in
Mediterranean/Cyprus

Alpha Divers/Lordos Beach Hotel, Apr, 2011,

by David Schwab, AE, US (Contributor Contributor 14 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 6020.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I went to Cyprus with one goal in mind: To dive the MS Zenobia again, this time with an U/W camera. Alpha Divers made all the arrangements for accommodations; offered to pick me up at the airport and drive me to the hotel; and provided rental dive kit at a reasonable price. I chose the 10-dive package for a discounted price. While the dive centre's driver missed me at the airport, both he and the centre's owner contacted me at the hotel to apologize and to confirm plans for the next day's diving. One of Alpha Divers divemasters picked me up at the hotel each day although the dive centre is only about 500 m down the road. Owner Chris Martin met me at the centre, gave a solid briefing on the plans for the week and arranged to have me outfitted with some pretty new equipment . . . mostly Mares (BCD, regulator). The wetsuits were made by a Cypriot company in Nicosia; two-piece 5 mm, very stretchable Neoprene suits that fit very well. They would prove more than adequate in the cool Mediterranean waters. I notified Chris that I am a heart patient (cleared to dive by my cardiologist); he responsibly and confidentially briefed the divemaster who would be leading the day's dives. The diving on days 1-3 had positive and negative aspects: On the downside, it was windy; too windy to go out on the boat. We were turned back on one day due to forecasted Force 6 winds. So we shore dived. Most of the entries and exits were adventurous, thanks to the rocks and surf, but the diving was easy. Not much to see but rocks and grass; few fish; depths to about 14 metres. Shore diving at some of these sites during windy conditions would not have been appropriate for novice divers. On the positive side, divemaster Marcus was a first class divemaster. He gave excellent dive briefings and did everything possible to make these shore dives more interesting for his clients. At his suggestion a repeat dive became more interesting by making a stride entry from 3 metres. On days 4-5 the wind had subsided enough to take the boat out. Diving was done on the Zenobia and the Alexandria, both wrecks are in good shape and provide challenging and interesting diving. Divemasters Marcus and Sam were very professional throughout; excellent briefings and ensured safe in-water operations. Overall, the only downside to the diving on this trip was the unfortunate wind that prevented diving on one of the best wrecks on the globe. Alpha Divers is a first class operation and I can recommend them to anyone diving in Cyprus. Chris promotes a positive, enthusiastic attitude in his diving operation; he does what he does because he loves to dive . . . and that enthusiasm is reflected in his divemasters. Diving in Cyprus is not particularly glamorous, but it is worth the trip to get the Zenobia in your logbook. For those who are more accomplished divers, Chris offers the opportunity to penetrate the wreck at various levels; I'll make a return trip just for that. Alpha Divers is a BSAC Premier Centre and PADI 5* IDC. Plenty to do in Cyprus during non-diving time: Lots of nightlife, restaurants and sightseeing tours; rental cars are inexpensive.
Websites Alpha Divers   Lordos Beach Hotel

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving England, Scotland, Norway, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Red Sea, Thailand, Burma, Turks & Caicos, Cayman Islands, Florida, Missouri, Belize, Hawaii
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, dry Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 16-19°C / 61-66°F Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 10-20 M / 33-66 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Dived with a guide; specific depth limits.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish N/A
Small Critters N/A Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Alpha Divers readily provided a substitute memory chip when I needed one. Very supportive.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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