Larnaka region is proud to announce the new name of its snorkelling reef located in the Voroklini Marine Protected Area following a competition held within the framework of the first ‘European Maritime Day of Cyprus’. 

We are happy to introduce you to ‘Dorida’ – a fitting winning entry for the beautiful reef situated 500 metres from the shore at Larnaka Bay. The reef is a thriving underwater kingdom with a wide variety of brightly-coloured marine life and sea plants such as octopi, crabs, oysters, moray eels, grouper, starfish, Posidonia seagrass – and more, but it has never been given an official name... until now! 

The competition was held among Larnaka region primary schools for ‘European Maritime Day of Cyprus’, which was held in Larnaka city from June 17-21 as part of the wider ‘Maritime Day’ that is observed across the EU. The aim of the competition was two-fold; to find an attractive name for the reef in order to enrich the Larnaka region diving experience, and to also involve students in the process, thereby raising awareness on the importance of reefs and marine biodiversity. 

A total of 17, well-thought entries were received, with the children all suggesting names that related to the sea, and providing a summary for how and why they settled on their entry. It was most encouraging to see the sensitivity and knowledge the children had regarding the protection of our seawaters and their inhabitants. 

The judging committee consisted of representatives of the event organisers and experts within the marine and maritime sector, with the LTB represented Board by member Mr Marios Polyviou. The unanimous decision to choose the winning entry submitted by Voroklini primary school was based on the children’s decision to name the reef after ‘Dorida’ - a sea goddess in Greek mythology. Dorida (also known as Doris) was one of the 3,000 Oceanids - daughters - of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. The children also selected a female name to represent how the reef is a ‘mother’ to its inhabitants, linking this to the Greek word for ‘gift’ (doro) to symbolise how the reef is a gift from Mother Nature. 

Dorida joins our region’s other popular dive sites, the Zenobia wreck dive (one of the top 10 dive sites in the whole world), and the LEF1 and Elpida artificial reefs that were sunk in late 2019 - as well as a series of other smaller reefs and dive sites across the region. 

With its shallow depths, Dorida is perfect for any level of underwater enthusiast – make sure you visit when you are next in Larnaka region! 

We congratulate all the children who entered the competition and put so much creativity and passion into their entries.