Malta

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There is a lot to see in Malta, but have you ever thought of discovering this Mediterranean island underwater? Some Maltese Islands were voted as the best destinations for diving in the Mediterranean. You can find everything you might possibly be interested in—shipwrecks, bays, caves, sheltered creeks, cliffs, reefs, and natural harbours flourishing with marine life.

Best time to dive?

It is possible to dive in Malta all year round – The best time to dive is during the summer months from June to August, when the water is warmer and the seas are calmer.

Make sure to keep an eye on the weather. Malta’s location in the middle of the Mediterranean means that it can experience some pretty fierce storms. The most volatile weather occurs during the autumn months of September, October and November. From March to September it’s pretty much plain sailing, but it does get busier, so book in advance.

Best time to Dive?

It is possible to dive in Malta all year round – The best time to dive is during the summer months from June to August, when the water is warmer and the seas are calmer.

Make sure to keep an eye on the weather. Malta’s location in the middle of the Mediterranean means that it can experience some pretty fierce storms. The most volatile weather occurs during the autumn months of September, October and November. From March to September it’s pretty much plain sailing, but it does get busier, so book in advance.

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Are you a Scuba diver?

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Do you offer Diving services?

Promote your services and connect with divers

Are you a Scuba diver?

Join and get the best benefits for your next trip

Sea Life

Flora to see in the Maltese waters. It would be too difficult to list them all. Wrecks,

as artificial reef habitats, have provided a home for a greater number of species in recent years and make excellent dive sites.

Species you are likely to see include groupers, amberjack, various bream, octopi, squid, flying fish, gurnard, stingrays, meagre, bogue, red mullet, parrot fish and the occasional moray eel. Although the rocky structures and underwater coast seem ideal living conditions for eel, you tend to see them mostly during night dives.

The chance of meeting a big game fish is almost non-existent. Rare sights include tuna, dolphins and bonitos,

though there is more chance of seeing these large fish in winter when they come closer to shore, attracted by the warmer waters. Info by visitmalta.com

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Dive Sites

The Maltese Islands’ clear blue Mediterranean sea is ideal for scuba diving.

All three Islands offer some unique diving experiences with an abundance of reefs,

caves and wrecks that make diving here some of the most interesting in the Mediterranean.

The calmness and clarity of the sea makes for excellent visibility whilst the risk of encountering dangerous fish is extremely low,

creating the ultimate conditions for first time divers and beginners.

For the more experienced divers, there are plenty of challenging dives to choose from.

The depths of the dives vary, from the very shallow 12-metre Għar Lapsi dive to Lantern Point,

with its underwater tunnel leading down to well over 50 metres.

Um el Faroud wreck

an oil tanker over 100 metres in length, sunk in 1998 as an artificial reef and diving attraction. Located near the Blue Grotto on the south of Malta island, it is nestled around 30–35 metres down, with the bridge some 15 metres below the surface. Rife with a diversity of marine life, it is not only considered one of the best wrecks to dive in Malta, but in all of Europe.

HMS Maori

a World War II destroyer wreck in Valletta harbour, sunk in 1942. One of the most famous wrecks around the islands, the Maori was hit during a night raid and remains nestled at around 13–17 metres deep. Seahorses and camouflaged scorpionfish are among the sea creatures that can be spotted around the wreck.

Reqqa Reef

a shore dive on the island of Gozo, emerging onto a vertical wall where some of the largest fish around Malta can be seen. Lampuki, groupers, barracudas and moray eels are among the marine life to be seen here.

Double Arch Reef

this popular spot is a couple of hundred metres off the shore of Gozo, near the site of the Salt Pans at Xwejni Bay. The famous arches come into view around 18 metres down, and extend more than 40 metres below the surface. It’s an impressive site dotted with sea life such as breams, barracudas, octopuses and scorpionfish.

Santa Maria Caves

this cave system on Comino Island is shallower than the Double Arch Reef and therefore more accessible to novice divers. There is a diverse range of aquatic life to see, from crabs and lobsters to eels, mullets and nudibranchs. Comino is also home to the famous Blue Lagoon, which offers a shallow dive in a sheltered area.

Cirkewwa wrecks

Cirkewwa is the port on the north-west tip of Malta from where boat transfers depart to Gozo and Comino. The port is also the location of some of Malta’s best wrecks for diving. The P29 patrol boat is an old minesweeper scuttled in 2007 to create an artificial reef. It lies at 33 metres deep, with the uppermost part just 12 metres below the surface. Another nearby wreck is the Rozi, a 40-metre-long tugboat scuttled in 1991. It lies around 35 metres deep and is now a homely environment to bream, scorpionfish, cardinal fish and wrasse.

 

Info by Lisa Pool (careergappers.com)

How to Arrive

The Malta International Airport (abbreviation: MIA and airport code MLA, in which L stands for Luqa, a village nearby) is the only airport of Malta and Gozo, and the main point of entry for most visitors to the islands.

Air travel is, without a doubt, the most popular, cheapest and most time-efficient mode of travel to the islands.

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