Oct 08

Undersea Walk in Protaras, Cyprus

adventure, cyprus, larnaca, protaras, sport 3 Comments »
For a person who is scared of 4 feet of water, this could easily rate as the most adventurous thing I have ever attempted. An Undersea walk sounds very frightening, but it is not. It is fun and the guides ensure that you enjoy each and every minute of the 25 minutes you spend underwater. I would give this 10 stars on a scale of 5 !! The only reason you can skip this is, if you are an accomplished scuba diver. Other than a scuba diver, i doubt that one can ever experience something similar.
This establishment is supposed to be the only one of its kind in Europe and it is there is two places in Cyprus, one in Protaras and another in Pafos. The only difference is that, for the one in Protaras, you are taken by a boat a little distance offshore and then lowered to the sea bottom using a ladder whereas in Paphos, you just walk from the shore. We chose the Protaras one for the extra 0.5 metre depth which you go there and also for some shopping in the Protaras tourist strip. Go near the McDonalds at the start of the tourist strip and then give a call to them to uide you.
The guide take photos and also videos of the group and also of individuals. You are taken around for a walk on the sea floor and spend a long time feeding the fishes. We also saw a fish which feeds on the smaller ones which resulted in the smaller ones being nervous and not feeding well (for some time) on the bread we offered. The first video below is that of Vidhya and me and the other one is that of the friends we went along with (on our dive). We split into two groups of four, as the maximum number on a particular walk/dive was only 6 and we were 8 of us. So, the braver 4 amongst us went on the first walk :-)

Some lessons learnt from our trip which might help you get the most out of your experience:
  • The actual price is 28 CYP per person. If you are in a group of around 6, ask for a discount.
  • The video which the guides take is amazing, but the photos are not that impressive because they take mugshots of you(see below) without much of a background, which could have been taken in the studio as well. So, inform them before that you want wide-angle shots with the full-you in the picture and also the background. They don’t take photos when you are feeding the fishes (they say that the fishes get in the way and your faces are not shown), but request them to take such pictures. It is after-all a digital camera and you don’t lose anything.

  • There is a code where the guide shows a thumb-up sign and you return the sign if you are ok. He takes the photos when you go for a walk. When he does the thumbs-up sign then, no need to return the sign always. Otherwise, you will end up with 90% of your photos with you showing the thumbs-up sign!

  • Take lot of water with you. Though it is ironical that you feel thirsty after spending 30 mins inside water, it is true. The establishment doesn’t sell anything on the boat. It actually makes good business sense to sell water/drinks, i don’t know why they aren’t doing so.
  • Don’t forget to borrow the snorkeling kit and try snorkeling by the side of the boat (i.e. if you have split into more than one grp and have to wait on the boat). The other group tried this and according to them, the view is unparallelled.

Some more photos:

Some screen captures from the video:

The details:

  • Call Christine/Rob on 99-563506 to make a booking. Better to book at least a couple of days in advance. Don’t forget to mention that you found the details through “raja’s website triptocyprus.com” :-)
  • It costs 28 CYP per person. Ask for a discount if have a big group.
  • The photos/videos on a CD cost 5 CYP per person. If you yourself have a camera with an underwater housing, it is the best!
  • They are planning to operate in Protaras until end of October and they will reopen next year in April. The one in Paphos is expected to operate for a little longer into winter.

If you are interested in similar adventurous activities, you could try the submarine ride to Zenobia Shipwreck or the Dune Buggy Ride.

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written by Rajaram S

Sep 20

Cyprus on red alert against possible invasion

India, cyprus, larnaca, limassol 1 Comment »
The more popular you become, the more threats you get. Cyprus has developed into a hot tourist destination for all of Europe and hence is eyed upon as a prime location for emerging touristy business opportunities which are almost as worth as oil. So, many countries try from time-to-time to invade Cyprus.
Late last year, US sent one its aircraft carriers to invade the town of Limassol. But, the Cypriots were one step ahead of America’s plans. As you can see in the photo below, Cyprus sent out its state-of-the-art attack cruiser to threaten the USS Dwight D.Eisenhower and the plan worked, with the nuclear powered Aircraft carrier beating a hasty retreat.

Now, India has sent three of her ships to the port of Laranca in an attempt to invade Cyprus through larnaca. The INS Tarangini, INS Shardul and INS Sujata came towards laranaca late last week. The INS Sujata, an offshore patrol vehicle, was first sent on a reconnaissance mission towards the Larnaca port.
This alerted the Cyprus authorities. The entire naval fleet was put on a high alert in the Larnaca Marina (as can be seen in the pic below). My workplace is very close to Limassol Port. There was intense activity on the port and then we realised that all the Jet-Skis and Kayaks were being mobilised to be sent to Laranca to act as a front line defence against the Indian warships.

The army was also put on a high alert and all the backgammon(tavli) boards at the army training camps were withdrawn. In fact, soldiers who had been reporting to the army training camps over the last week were surprised when they were asked to report to the dusty gym, as they always headed straight to the coffee-shop on the campus for a game of backgammon.
I hope that the situation doesn’t escalate and turn into a full fledged war between India and Cyprus. Keep watching this space for updates!
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written by Rajaram S