Diving in Malta 2003
by Gillian Dyson and Andy Moss
We've just got back from an excellent week in Malta. Despite
initially windy weather we had 5 days of reliably good diving,
confirming Malta's reputation as a world-class dive location.
We dived with
Luna
Diving in Mellieha Bay; a small sea-side resort in the North East of the island,
with child friendly beach, and diver friendly small bars and
cafés.
Luna is a small and efficient diving outfit, with a young
and professional attitude. We took our own equipment, but all
their dive gear is new and well maintained, and the staff
informative and experienced. Luna offer the usual PADI
programmes, but really welcome BSAC members. (Especially as we
were such good ambassadors from Hull Branch!)
Each day involved a weather check and dive consultation
with other outfits and shops before setting out across the
island to the most appropriate dive site for the day. After a
rather shakey and cramped, but thankfully short drive, we
would arrive at the site for a thorough and informative
orientation and briefing.
We welcomed the dive guide for the bigger wreck sites and
initial orientation, although as experienced UK divers we
found the navigation of most sites straightforward, and the
conditions good. All the sites we visited were shore dives,
but the footing could be slippery, rocky, awkward for less
experienced divers, and tiring for the less robust!
Um El Faroud
The Blue Grotto is in the South of the island. A popular
tourist attraction the grotto is a steep sided gully in the
limestone rock that forms a natural harbor. Entry is from the
harbor side, and drops you into the centre of richly inhabited
walls of soft corals, fireworms, octopus and weeds. Following
the Western wall takes you to two small caves, and further
round the head to the reference point for a secondary site - the Um El Faroud wreck.
The Faroud lies in 36 meters, with the top deck at
approximately 25metres. This oil tanker became a dive site
following a tragic explosion in dock, resulting in irreparable
damage. The ship was removed to its current site. The Faroud
is home to vast shoals of Damsels, and the ubiquitous
Fireworms. Larger predators such as Barracuda patrol the upper
decks. The vessel offers lots of safe swim-throughs, as well
as potential for reeling off for a planned deeper penetration
into the main hull. In the photograph (above right) the water
is so clear that the wreck actually looks afloat.
The tugboat, Rossi.
The decks of Tugboat Rossi (Cirkewwa) lie at approx' 30
metres and we had great viz to inspect the 'sculptural' deck
equipment, rigging and winches. The life was still hiding
since the high winds, but it was still clearly a rich site.
The location is straightforward to navigate but requires a
long swim out.
Another wreck is the HMS Moari (shown below right). A second world war
destroyer which was ultimately responsible for the sinking of
the Bismark, intercepting the radio signals which led to its
location. The wreck today lies in Valletta harbor in 14m of
water, the stern is broken off and missing but the bow is
still reasonably intact, lying on the port side and offering
some good swim-through's.
HMS Mauri
The scenic dives on Malta reminded us very much of this
country, rocky bottoms with sandy patches but with better
visibility and more life.
For the truly spectacular scenic dives Gozo is the place to
go and can be done as a day trip from Malta. We dived the Blue
Hole and Inland Sea at Dwejra.
Entry to the Blue Hole is through a pool in the middle of
the rocks which drops down to approx' 10 m. An arch way leads
out to the open sea and a sheer wall. If you turn left you can
swim though the Azure window, a large arch formation in the
rocks above sea level. As the water is a little deeper here
there is chance to see some of the larger fish that inhabit
these waters. (A couple of weeks before we arrived our dive
guide had seen a 15 ft Great White Shark in the blue!)
The Inland Sea is a large inland pool separated from the
sea by a high cliff with access to the open sea along a tunnel
approximately 30 m long. Once though the tunnel dive becomes
another wall dive, and a good chance to see the seahorses that
Gozo is famous for.
With daytime average daytime temperatures of 27° C in
summer and 13° C in winter and water temperatures of 25° C
in summer and 15°C in winter Malta is an all round year
destination.
We are certainly planning to go back to Malta and dive with
Luna again, and have negotiated a really good price package
for the autumn season.
Andy Moss & Gillian Dyson
With acknowledgement to Luna Diving and underwater
photographers
H. Vella and Christophe Kazmierski
June
2008