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Malta boasts a rare combination of top-quality natural and
man-made dive sites that make it unquestionably one of the best
scuba diving destinations within short-haul reach of the
UK.
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.
