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Malta: What lies beneath
(24 February 2005)
(24 February 2005)
| Picture: Image Bank |
The islands have been popular with British divers ever since members of the British armed services on duty in Malta took up the pastime half a century ago.
Now most specialist dive operators – including Hayes and Jarvis, Regaldive, Harlequin Worldwide and Dive Worldwide – offer Gozo, and some feature Malta as well.
Malta counts 60,000 divers among its 440,000 British visitors each year – people whose sole reason for going to Malta is to plumb the crystal-clear depths off Malta, Gozo and Comino. Clear waters and shore dives at shallow depths make it an ideal place to dive.
Regaldive product manager Jonathan Crane said: “Malta offers the best diving in the Mediterranean. Thanks to the geology of the islands the water is very clear and the diving is dramatic.
“There are many wrecks from World War II and new ones are discovered all the time. There are plenty of caves and drop-offs to explore and the marine life is prolific.
Crowe added: “Malta is an affordable diving option and cheaper than the Red Sea. As there are plenty of flights going in daily it’s much more accessible for a long weekend diving break.”
Malta is renowned among divers for the quality of its tuition and most of the two dozen dive schools are recognised by PADI.
Full-time instructors take pupils through courses ranging in duration from one day to a fortnight or longer. And with English widely spoken in Malta, language is not a problem. The Malta Tourist Office identifies diving as one of its strongest niche products. UK and Ireland director Michael Piscopo said: “Malta offers the best diving in Europe and something for everyone, whatever their experience.”
Malta
What’s there for divers? Wrecked aircraft and ships litter the seabed around Malta, which bore the brunt of Axis bombing in World War II, while other craft like the tugboat Rozi, Gozo ferry Xlendi and a fire-damaged oil tanker have been deliberately sunk in recent years to create habitats for marine life.
Prime dive sites off Malta’s southeast coast include the remains of a shot down Blenheim bomber and De Havilland Mosquito aircraft and inside Grand Harbour are the torpedo boat destroyer HMS Maori and barge Carolita, other wartime casualties.
Half a dozen British destroyers, a similar number of submarines, a light cruiser and a Spitfire aircraft can also be found and accompanied diving can be done with those who know where to find them.
Exploration of Malta’s rocky coastline reveals a wealth of caves, underwater arches, drop-offs and swim-throughs. At Marfa in the north, a sunken Madonna statue is said to offer protection to sailors in the Mediterranean.
Malta provides excellent tuition opportunities at PADI and British Sub-Aqua Club-recognised dive schools such as Maltaqua and Diveshack. Maltaqua, which works with UK tour operators, offers 70 courses and diving packages.
Anything else? To give clients a taste of what diving is all about, Belleair Holidays offers a prebookable pool dive in Malta for only £6, to be taken within two days of arrival.
Gozo
What’s there for divers? With underwater visibility regularly up to 20 metres and often up to 50 metres, and no tides or currents to contend with, Gozo merits its reputation among the world’s top diving locations.
Diving is good year round, but especially so between June and October, when the water’s surface temperature tops 21C. Divers can see many dramatic rock formations and prolific marine life.
Top natural dive sites around Gozo, involving a mix of boat and shore diving, include the Inland Sea, the Blue Hole and Chimney at Dwejra, the 50-metre Billingshurst Cave and Double Arch Reef on the north coast.
Diving schools include the PADI and BSAC recognised and highly rated Frankie’s Gozo Diving Centre – with its own purpose-built instruction pool for beginners – Calypso Diving Centre and St Andrew’s Divers Cove.
Anything else? The offshore Fungus Rock, named after a rare vegetation that was said to cure dysentry, provides some of the Maltese islands’ best underwater photography opportunities with sheer cliff walls, craggy outcrops, caves and a wide array of marine life.
Comino
What’s there for divers? The tiny island of Comino is best-known in diving circles for its collection of underwater caves reached from a boat moored offshore.
An abundance of fish and smaller sea creatures, plus good opportunities for wide-angled photography put Comino’s caves high up on the Maltese islands’ list of ‘must dive’ locations.
Anything else? One of the Maltese locations for last year’s blockbuster film Troy (the others were Ricasoli and Golden Bay), Comino is also noted for the Blue Lagoon – a shallow turquoise-coloured pool of water with its own caves and grottos to explore.
