MONOBLOG: December 2013

Chiesa di San Domenico, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Themes of desolation and abandonment pervade these photographs, taken by the two Italian photographers Mauro Pellegrini and Damiano Verdiani. Usually, buildings come to represent permanence, belonging, and collective memories, and so it is jarring to the viewer to be reminded of impermanence and therefore, of mortality.

Forty people were killed in Onna alone, and 85% of its buildings were destroyed. Across the Abruzzo region of central Italy, 297 people were killed.

Controversially, this was also the disaster in which six scientists and one government official were prosecuted and imprisoned for downplaying the likelihood of a major earthquake in the region.

These pictures were taken in 2012 - three years after the event - and it may be several years before any of these places are thronged with people again. The ruined and deserted streets have a kind of haunted quality, and you can see why in some cultures, it's considered bad luck to go back to places where earthquakes and other natural disasters have occurred.

Retro della Basilica di S. Bernadino, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Basilica di S. Bernadino, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Provisional modular habitat, Chiesa della Madonna, della Grazie, Onna ( L'Aquila ), 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Provisional modular habitat, Onna ( L'Aquila ), 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Pace e via G. Garibaldi, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

San Giovanni Cemetary, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

Via G. Garibaldi, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

View of the historical centre of Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

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Damiano Verdiani

Mauro Pellegrini

Sebastian Lee's incredibly atmospheric photographs of the wreck of the Zenobia were brought to MONOBLOG's attention by scuba diver Alexandra Dimitriou. The sheer scale of this sunken leviathan, with its urban forms - such as the flipped trucks encrusted with marine growth - have the look of a post-apocalyptic city, hence its inclusion in this 'Urban Special'. Below, you can read Alexandra's description of the thrills - and hazards - of this particular undersea site.

The Zenobia wreck is the top third wreck on the planet. She is a roll on-roll off (RO-RO FERRY) not unlike the ferries that service the Dover to Calais route. She sank in 42 meters of water in Larnaca, Cyprus on her maiden voyage in June, 1980 after departing from Malmo, Sweden. Her final destination was Tartous, Syria but she never made it as after just a short while at sea her captain noticed severe steering problems. Investigations showed that the ballast tanks on the port side were filling with water, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The Zenobia actually made it into Larnaca Marina, but the risk of not being able to repair the problem in time and having a huge ferry trapped in a relatively small harbour was too great. She was moved out to sea, and she went down to her final resting place 1.5km off the coast on June the 7th at 2.30am.

Although the loss of property was huge (estimated at 20 million pounds for the ship itself and the 200 million pounds of cargo on board) the revenue that this metal giant provides to the dive industry is estimated to generate over 25 million Euros per year to the tourist industry. This shows you just how great she is, almost all certified divers will visit her at least once…and will return year after year to explore another section of her.

But what makes her so great?

The answer is simple. The sheer size of the Zenobia takes your breath away. She is over 174 meters long from bow to stern. It takes two long dives to cover just the outside of it in any detail. Lying on her port side the shallowest part is in 18 meters of water and goes all the way down to 42 metres . Wow! The 24 metres of width become the divers’ paradise. With 4 cargo decks, all packed with 104 18-wheeler trucks and the promise that no salvage has taken place, this wreck would take over 100 dives to see everything. There are even places that have still not had a human being enter for over thirty years…..that is exciting stuff for the experienced diver. Trust me, I am one!

Another positive point to this wreck is that not one single life was lost when she sank. Because she took over 3 days to go down all passengers and crew were safely evacuated long before the last inch went underwater. For this reason, unlike other top wrecks in the world, the Zenobia does not have a creepy feel to it. World War II wrecks are amazing, but the loss of life and suffering are never far from my mind when I dive wrecks like the SS Thistlegorm in Egypt.

There is something for everyone. Every level of diver, from open water to the most advanced technical diver has something to explore. Open water divers can dive to a maximum of 18 meters, and so the Zenobia is accessible to even entry level enthusiasts – this is very unusual for a wreck dive.

She was carrying 104 trucks when she went down (and one blue car – the Captain’s little blue Lada) which were all shackled in place. The diver can see each lorry and then look at what each was carrying; one of my favourite features are the spilled cargo of eggs which still lies at 42 meters in the sand. It is strange to see a 30-year-old egg still intact.

The depth allows advanced divers to explore up to 30 metres and those lucky enough to hold the ‘deep diver’ speciality may go all the way to the bottom. That is not all. Diving a wreck is extra special if you get to go inside. Most doors and windows have been removed for safety, making it more accessible than in the times when my father used to dive it and had to hold open the hatches for his dive buddies to pass through!

The Zenobia is not without its risks, however. One of the biggest dangers is the fact that she lies on her side, and so the risk of becoming disorientated is high, especially if you penetrate into the really dark and deep places. The diver has to rotate everything in his mind by 90 degrees, so even the best memory of blue prints become a little hard to navigate through. This is the reason that training and experience are paramount to your safety. Never go anywhere that you haven’t planned to go before you enter the water. Never go further that your training allows you. I hate to admit it, but there has been some loss of life since she sank….and this is mostly down to inflated egos and loss of direction from the more seasoned diver. The diver who “knows everything” is the worst diver to buddy up with. This kind of diver thinks they are above the laws of physics and they pay the ultimate price. They enter the wreck – go down passageways and elevator shafts and get lost. They run of time, or they run out of air (or other mix of gas) or they get stuck. I won’t go into detail, it’s too grim to talk about. Just remember this – the sea is a cruel mistress if you don’t treat her with respect.

Another risk is decompression sickness, but this is a well-known hazard and we stay closely away from no-decompression limits and always make safety stops. Recreational diving is also known as “No-Stop Diving” – which means that you may end your dive and surface immediately without making any stops on the way up. Dive tables and computers keep us safe, and as long as we follow these limits closely, the risk of getting the dreaded bends is minimal. If you want to spend longer than these limits allow, then you must enter the arena of technical diving…..which trains you in the additional skills needed for making decompression dives. You may even do one step further and join the Bubble-less revolution and use a ‘re-breather’. The re-breather recycles your exhaled gas, and oxygen is not wasted with your out-breath. One tank can last you up to 6 hours, and so the Zenobia can really be explored. It is a demanding way of diving however…so extensive training and experience is paramount.

Despite the risks, the Zenobia is Disneyworld for divers if you follow the rules. The community of divers from all walks of life come together and have a shared experience that leaves you feeling part of a very large picture. If you are a diver and you do not dive the Zen – shame on you! This is one that must be logged, filmed and bragged about. Jump in, join in and get involved! If diving was a religion then the Zenobia would be our place of worship.

Sebastian Lee's Homepage

Sebastian's Dubai cityscapes in FUTURE-ROCKER

All Zenobia photos copyright Sebastian Lee, 2013 / Words copyright Alexandra Dimitriou, 2013.

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Alexandra Dimitriou's Scuba Website

Alexandra: Self-portrait below, using a Go-Pro camera.
Copyright Alexandra Dimitriou, 2013.