Your Diving Malta Holiday

In March 2009, some 35,000 readers of an international magazine called ‘Diver’ voted for the top diving destinations around the world. This year, the Mediterranean Island of Malta placed first as the top European diving destination. Placing 3rd in the world, preceded only by Egypt and the Maldives in the International category, the little island proved that it has so much to offer and definitely merits the award. In the words of the Malta Tourism Authority, “The waters around Malta and Gozo are blessed with rocky reefs, sea caves, plentiful marine life and the wrecks of ships from Malta’s rich maritime history – with such a variety of dives concentrated around the tiny island nation it is little wonder that the islands have been honoured with the award.”nnMalta boasts a spectacular coastline with steep, vertical cliffs - as well as beaches- below which one may find fantastic arches, caves, tunnels and rock formations. Marfa point or Cirkewwa, for instance, are both good examples of this, where the diver may follow the natural underwater contours. The Mediterranean Sea itself is made up of clear blue waters with few tides or currents and extensive marine life that contribute to a holistic diving experience. Perhaps one great advantage in this case is the size of the island, which makes a diving holiday worthwhile in the sense that one can cover most of the attractions within a few days since everything is located close-by. nnDiscovering Ship Wrecks during your Malta Dive nnThere are a number of wrecks located around the island, both scuttled and original. The strategic location of Malta in the Mediterranean as well as its well-placed harbours led to an influx of ancient traffic around its shores. As a result, there are also ancient wrecks that are protected by law, whose remains are still evident on the seabed. Due to the influx of international divers of both a professional and amateur nature, there have been many projects to scuttle new ships - such as old naval ones that are now being replaced – to create new dive sites. One such project was carried out some years ago, when a Gozo ferry was scuttled. Unfortunately the project went wrong when the ferry overturned during the process, and now proves to be a rather dangerous site rather than a leisurely dive site. These cases however are rare. The ‘Rozi’ harbor tug-boat is one of the most picturesque since it sits fully upright at a depth of 36 metres. Others wrecks include casualties of World War II such as the HMS Maori, which is probably the most popular wreck on the island, the Carolita Barge and the Blenheim Bomber which is of course a small plane, and not a ship. nnGozo, Malta’s sister island has begun to develop as an all year-round diving destination since the winter is very mild – similar to an English summer – and the visibility remains very good. Furthermore, there is nowhere in Gozo that is more than 20 minutes away from the shore.nnIn total, there are over 35 dive sites scattered around the coast. Malta’s list includes the Rozi wreck, Marfa point, Cirkewwa Arch, L-Ahrax Point, St. Paul’s Islands, HMS Maori wreck, Carolita Barge wreck, Blenheim Bomber plane, Delimara Point, Wied iz- Zurrieq, Ghar Lapsi and Anchor Bay. Some dives sites around Gozo include Xlendi Cave, Xlendi Reef, Fungus Rock, Crocodile Rock and Coral Cave, The Blue Hole and Chimney, San Dimitri Point, Ghasri Valley, Billingshurst Cave, Reqqa Point, Double Arch Reef, Xatt L-Ahmar, Fessej Rock and Il- Kantra. And finally, some of Comino’s sites include the Comino Caves, Lantern Point and Cominotto Reef.