The HMS Cricket is an old British river gunboat (built in 1915) that weathered both WW1 and WW2. When she was declared a loss in 1942, she was stripped for spare parts and her hull towed to Cyprus where it was then anchored in Larnaka Bay and used as target practise by the UK’s RAF.
After the boat sank in 1947, due to bad weather, it ended up resting upside down, creating an enticing sandy dip beneath the wreck that now allows divers to swim through.

Divers can also swim inside the hull through the battleship’s escape hatches, making this a popular wreck dive with a historical twist.

Marine life at the HMS Cricket includes bream, groupers, lionfish, moray eels, nudibranch, octopus, sea slugs, starfish and tube worms.


Location:Larnaka Bay
GPS Coordinates: 34° 58'5.40"N 33° 48'4.02"E
Type of Dive Site:Wreck
Depth:32 metres
Visibility:20+ metres
Dimensions: 72 metres long / 11 metres wide
Access:By boat
Qualification Required:Advanced Open Water / Boat Diver
Dive Category: Recreational and Technical Diving