Justval,

The average temperature in March is 19C with sea temperatures of around 17-18C, fine with a 5mm wetsuit or preferably a semi-dry. I've never dived the Zenobia (it's on my list!), but I beleive it's a great dive but you need to visit it a couple of times as it's a big wreck (140m from memory). Cyprus had their own currency, the Cypriot Pound up until 1st January 2008. They now use the Euro. Prices are reasonable generally, but the popular tourist spots can be quite expensive. For example Paphos harbour is quite expensive but a few minutes walk up the road or bar steet is probably 20-30% cheaper. There's plenty of dive centres around but if you want to dive the Zenobia, you're better looking at Larnaca than Paphos. A few examples are Dive-In, Alpha Divers, and Octopus Diving Centre. I've used Cydive in Paphos who were fine.

Darren

Cyprus can be as expensive or as cheap as you wish to make it, eat and drink in any of the main tourist bars/taverner's it will be very expensive look around the back streets well away from the heard and it can be very cheap especially if you eat local dishes [or the dish of the day] and only drink local brands [Keo beer, Sodop
or Keo brandy,and village wine [although this can be extremely dry and sometimes harsh]]

yasus
wizard

ps if your a scotch drinker the Keo whisky is blended and bottled in scotland for Keo

Thanks guys...Rob is now saying its too cold to dive in unless he has a drysuit...man..I mean we dive in the Uk in around 3 degrees in winter...and that is cold!!!

I am just trying to convince him to have a holiday where diving is not the be all and end all....is there much to look at in Cyprus??

Justval,

Tell him not to be soft!! I was working in water that was 1C in January with an air temperature of -7C. We had to break the ice to get in (that was 5" thick!!). It was so cold when we got out of the water my neoprene gloves froze solid on the outside and they stuck to the metal tank we were using! A 5mm wetsuit or semi-dry should be ok. I've dived in the Canaries in March when it was 16C with a 5mm and was warm enough for up to 40 minutes. Just have to do plenty of finning! There's plenty of historic places to visit. There's loads of information on Visit Cyprus.com.

Darren

We normally go to Cyprus around August time... this year we went in April (which is pretty near to March...)

Here are some things I never realised by only going "in season"....

1 there is an out of season and things are different !
2 not all hotels stay open in the off season
3 not all bars, cafés and restaurants stay open in the off season - this means those that do stay open might charge more to cover costs (less people coming in etc) it also means some things on the menu might not be available and beers might only be in bottles and nothing on pump (which can cost more)
4 Its a different island, different things are going on (building work while its cooler and not in peak season), there are flowers growing all over (which die back when its middle of summer) so it looks different and even smells different!.
5 Many trips aren't running
6 Some shops aren't open
7 The weather in April was odd... (we stayed 5 nights) most of the time it was sunny, but the wind was cool (you could have sunbathed if you were sheltered from the wind or picked a still day. We got sun burnt ! It did rain a few times but was still warm enough and pleasant, it also didn't stay that way for long.
8 The usual bar type entertainment (karaoke, singers, tributes etc) were few and far between but we found places with some on.
9 It was easier to walk much further distances without the normal 40°C heat
10 everything seemed to be turned down a notch or two, more relaxed, easy going, not as much rushing about (like they rush in Cyprus... LOL )

the question "would I go back around that time of year again?" (and consider we fell in love with Cyprus back in 2004 and have gone in peak season, peak heat etc around August time ever since)... the answer would have to be ..... "In a Breath"... ! it was still a fantastic time, still things going on, still relaxing, still good weather, .... it was still Cyprus.. !

Steve

Can't help with the water temperature, but on land the temperature will be pleasantly warm, especially compared with the UK. Been in March twice, fine in shorts and t-shirts.

The Zenobia is of Larnaca, as has been stated above. Larnaca is more of a working town than a tourist resort, so more places are likely to be open. I'd seriously consider Larnaca.

Cyprus is not expensive, it's the Pound Sterling being pants against the Euro that's the problem.
Get away from the tourist areas and you can still eat (relatively) cheaply.

Mark

Thank you everyone for your replies....certainly gave me something to consider...

Living in Cyprus I could not agree more about the comments. March is a lovely time and although cold to the locals we Brits find it very pleasant. Do need a light coat jacket in evenings. Larnaka is a working town and therefore more places open although many hotels/restaurants do carry out maintenance at that time of year. Once again stay away from Tourists area for best buys in food/drink especially coffees. Prices are more expensive than previous but as someone pointed out the pound/euro situation has a lot to do with it. You can receive very good rates down Dakelia Road surprisingly as it is a tourist area. For cheap drinks go where the locals go.

Living in Cyprus I could not agree more about the comments. March is a lovely time and although cold to the locals we Brits find it very pleasant. Do need a light coat jacket in evenings

Hey up Glad1,

How long have you been living in Cyprus?

We've been here over 5yrs now and I can tell you, March can be bloody cold still.... My "light coat" is my old ski jacket! Buried under it will be a t-shirt, plus a fleece too.

It's generally warmer outside in the mornings in March than indoors (if you are living here), hotels will have the heating on as a rule. After around 2pm, the sun will still drop and will feel cool, particularly if there is a breeze.

Coming from UK, you will find the first couple of days, it will feel very pleasant but you soon become accustomed to the daytime temperatures (around 18 - 22c) but the nights will make a considerable change as the temperature can drop 8 - 10c below the daytime temperature.

It will be dark around 6pm most evenings too at that time of year. From November to mid February, it's dark by 5pm.

This link to the Meteorological Service on the Cyprus climate may give you a bit more info on land and sea temperatures: http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/MS/MS.nsf/DMLcyclimate_en/DMLcyclimate_en?opendocument

There's lots to do in Cyprus! Hire a car and take a few days out to visit some of the other coastal resorts or do some of the interior of Cyprus. Beware weather changes though! If you are planning on going high up in the mountains, you could hit heavy weather...

We can ski on Mount Olympus in February & March as a rule. (Now you know why I still have my ski jacket)!



CwB