Sports in Larnaca

There are not many sports in Larnaca, but they are unusual ones. The first is a flying lesson. At the aero club near town you are put in the left seat of a small aeroplane, the instructor takes the right, and after a short briefing you fly part of the way yourself: the climb, the turns, straight and level over the coast. No licence is needed for this, and the session counts as a first logged hour if you later decide to train properly.

The second is sailing. A yacht is taken for four hours with a skipper, and unlike a leisure cruise you are given the sheets and the wheel: holding a course, catching the wind, changing tack. No experience is required — it is explained as you go. A third line is less obvious: forty metres down off Larnaca lies the ferry Zenobia, sunk in 1980, and it is one of the best-known dive sites in the Mediterranean.

Practical notes. Both flights and sailing depend on the wind: the decision comes in the morning, and money is returned on cancellation. For the flying lesson your weight is asked, since it affects the balance. On the water sunscreen and sunglasses on a strap are needed. Diving the Zenobia requires certification: the depth is serious, and there are shallower sites nearby for beginners.