Manijin Island - Paphos & Coral Bay
Manijin Island, off Coral Bay, is one of our favourite spots in Cyprus when we want a reliable, interesting dive without too much fuss. You’ll drop onto a rocky reef, scattered with boulders and some decent overhangs. It’s a good 8 to 22 metres here, so a decent bottom time is almost guaranteed. We particularly enjoy the way the light plays through the deeper crevices, illuminating the sometimes-missed smaller residents. We always keep an eye out for lionfish tucked into the shadows, and a few years back, we even saw a nurse shark cruising through. More common, though, are the tooth-footed snapping shrimp, you’ll hear their clicks before you see them, and if you look closely, Savigny's brittle stars clinging to the rocks. The feather duster worms are everywhere, adding pops of colour to the grey stone. This is a solid intermediate dive, nothing too taxing, and perfect for those days when you just want to spend an hour poking around a healthy Mediterranean reef.
- Location
- Paphos & Coral Bay, Cyprus, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 34.850000, 32.360000
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 8-22m
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Marine Protected Area: MPA Peyia Sea Caves
Best Time to Dive in Paphos & Coral Bay
The warmest water temperatures in Paphos & Coral Bay occur in January, averaging 18.1°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 18.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 18.1°C (air: 13.4°C)
- February: 18.1°C (air: 13.2°C)
- March: 18.1°C (air: 14.6°C)
- April: 18.1°C (air: 18.4°C)
- May: 18.1°C (air: 21.9°C)
- June: 18.1°C (air: 25.4°C)
- July: 18.1°C (air: 28.8°C)
- August: 18.1°C (air: 28.3°C)
- September: 18.1°C (air: 26.5°C)
- October: 18.1°C (air: 23.0°C)
- November: 18.1°C (air: 18.7°C)
- December: 18.1°C (air: 15.2°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Paphos & Coral Bay
- ACCELO - 2m (wreck)
- ACHAIOS (POSSIBLY) - 3m (wreck)
- ACHILLEAS - 12m (wreck)
- ADHAM II - 6m (wreck)
- Agios Georgios Pegeia Beach - 12m
- Amphitheatre - 5-18m
- Amphitheatre (reef)
- Church Bay (reef)
- CyDive (reef)
- DIMITRIOS II - 3m (wreck)
- EDRO III - 0m (wreck)
- FARSAS II - 21m (wreck)
- GREAT HARMONY - 7m (wreck)
- GYPTIS - 6m (wreck)
- KIBRIS I - 14m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Manijin Island
- ABC Dive Ltd - ["PADI"]
- Abyss Dive Centre - ["PADI"]
- Amphibious Diving Center
- Amphora Scuba Diving Center - ["PADI"]
- Coral Bay Divers - ["PADI"]
- CREST DIVE LTD - PADI, RYA
Marine Life in Paphos & Coral Bay
Home to 44 recorded species including 26 reef fish, 9 sharks & rays, 3 other, 2 whales & dolphins, 2 sea snails & nudibranchs, 1 soft corals.
Notable Species
- Thornback skate (Raja clavata) - Sharks & Rays
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- marbled electric ray (Torpedo marmorata) - Sharks & Rays
- Brown Skate (Raja miraletus) - Sharks & Rays
- One-finned Shark (Heptranchias perlo) - Sharks & Rays
- dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) - Sharks & Rays
- Savigny's Brittle Star (Ophiactis savignyi)
- Blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus) - Sharks & Rays
- Gulper shark (Centrophorus granulosus) - Sharks & Rays
- Marbled Spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Velvet belly lantern shark (Etmopterus spinax) - Sharks & Rays
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) - Reef Fish
- Garrupa (Serranus cabrilla) - Reef Fish
- Blue-white Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) - Whales & Dolphins
- Redcoat (Sargocentron rubrum) - Reef Fish
- Three-tooth Cavoline (Cavolinia tridentata) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Jenny Lind (Seriola dumerili) - Reef Fish
- Pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) - Reef Fish
- red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Manijin Island
Based on average water temperature of 18.1°C.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 18°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories