What are the 10 best dive sites in Malta ?
by spotmydive
According to divers, diving in Malta is a must-see in Europe. There, are some of the best diving spots of the world, for example wonderful wreckships and extraordinary natural rock formations. In spite of having less living species than coral reefs, Mediterranean Sea still allows divers to spot barracudas, moray eels, groupers or Nudibranchs. For the luckiest divers, it is also possible to see John Dory fishes St-pierre, common stingrays, turtles, dolphins, sharks and even sunfishes.
Oil tanker Um El Faroud in Malta
This oil tanker weighs more than 10 000 tons and measures 115 meters. It has been sunk to serve as an artificial reef in 1995. It is nowadays the best dive wreckship of Malta but also the most famous. Steams can be very strong there, that’s why one must know a little about the area or dive with a local diver. The wreck that stands on a sandy bottom is 31 to 35 meters deep. Besides the impressive size of the boat, divers will also enjoy the important marine life on the boat squids, congers, barracudas…. The most interesting elements to see are the propeller, the rudder, the bridge, the control room and the holds only for advanced divers. Its ability to propose various rich spots leads it to be considered as the best diving spot of malta.
MV Karwela Wreck in Gozo
Lauched in 1957 then used as a ferry until 2002, this 58 m long boat was sunk in 2006 with the same purpose as the previous one, becoming a touristic artificial reef. The wreck that stands in a perfect vertical position is located 80 m far from the entrance of the diving spot. The easy access ans its intact structure make it Gozo’s best dive spot. During this dive, you wil be able to visit the three bridges composing the boat.
Maltese patrol boat P29
This boat was a minesweeper built in East Germany then sold to Malta in 1997 to be used as a patrol boat. It was then scuttled ten years later in 2007 near Ċirkewwa. Once again, the aim was to create an artificial reef ideal for divers. By the way, there is another wreckship not far from this one, Rozi, but it is obviously not as interesting as P29. P29 wreckship has an flat position and is located on sandy bottoms, 36 meters deep from the surface. You can get there by giving a heading of 270° during five minutes in a weak depth, then you directly face the back of the ship. You can go up from the stern to the bridge that you have to cross to reach the machine gun which remains intact.
Double Arch, Cave diving in Gozo
© Dave Mothershaw
Litterally one of the best dive spots of Gozo and the most impressive. This rocky promontory is divided into two large archs. The entrance is located in the reef. You can start your dive in shallow water and get to a wall located 14 meters deep. Then you just have to follow the wall until the first arch that appears when you reach 20 meters deep. The second arch is right below and goes until 45 meters. The spot is full of urchins but you can also see cuttlefishes, small octopus and scorpionfishes.
The Blue Hole in Gozo
For a lot of Maltese citizens, it’s the best dive spot of Malta and particularly the most charming. This new natural formation starts in a reservoir that just looks like a big outdoor swimming pool. To leave this reservoir and reach the dive spot, you need to swim through a large arch that gives access to the sea. Once this is done, you arrive in the Azure Window, a vertical wall that goes 60 meters down far from the surface. Finally, a little chimney will lead you from 18 to 7 meters deep to admire the Blue Hole. In your way, you will be able to witness the beautiful rock formations, living species and much more. The Blue Hole is a multiple way dive as it is reachable by different ways with differents depths.
The Blenheim Bomber wreck in Malta
The Blenheim bomber is also one of the best diving spots in Malta. Its story is still a mystery. All we know is that it crashed after trying to land on its belly, loosing by the way its wheels and its cabine. Only a few people know about this spot because only few dive centers know about its exact location. Moreover, only advanced divers are allow to see it. We can notice the plane carcass that gives us an idea of the violence during the crash. The airframe is full of colorful sponges, anemones and slack corals. Lobsters and even turtles are often witnessed on the spot. This wreckship is one of the rarest dives that divers keep in their mind forever.
The shallow Santa Maria Caves of Comino
This dive spot is a popular one. Its several caves make divers enjoying it a lot. The light is reflected in every direction on the vertical walls and the marine life is very abundant : nudibranchs, small octopus, crabs, lobsters, eels, red mullets, shrimps et moray eels… This spot is also suitable for every kind of diver, whether you have experience or not.
Reqqa Reef in Gozo
Diving in Reqqa Reef will enable you to admire big groupers but also rare barracudas around the island. You will also find some lobsters and moray eels. A vertical wall covered with sponges goes down to 60 meters deep. Small fishes looks around the area, and you will also find some caves to explore. Finally, down to 18 meters deep, you’ll observe a spectacular chimney pipe.
Inland Sea, the tunnel towards open sea
This spot is located near the Blue Hole and mostly consists in a 80 meters long tunnel. As boats are following the same way, you must be very careful! When you are in the tunnel, you are first amazed by the light effects created by the sunlight, but then you need to use a torch to keep exploring the walls. Once you’re out of the tunnel, you can decide whether you want to turn left or right. Both ways allow you to go down to 30 meters deep and see the reef. Besides, this spot contains many fishes likes octopuses, barracudas or Parrotfishes.
For those who want to know more, there are several other amazing spots in Malta, ask your dive center.