All Malta’s dive sites are accessible from the shore or by boat, and you can go diving in Malta without much experience. Experienced divers or technical divers can also go diving in Malta, as you will find everything for any diver. The Mediterranean Sea around Malta has clear blue waters and is home to many octopus and lobster that live among the rocks. You will find orange parrotfish and atmospheric reflections in the deep caves. In the waters you will find the triggerfish and there is a real Madonna statue (Blue Hole). Night diving is also an option and very popular among experienced divers. However, you also can learn to dive in Malta! In this article, you will find how and where with two diving tips.
Um El Faroud – Oil Tanker
To visit this wreck, you need to be an expert scuba diver with a wreck diving permit. If you have, this wreck is not to be missed. It sank in 1998 after an explosion in Valletta’s large natural harbour (there is still a memorial plaque of this at 25 meters underwater). The wreck itself is 115 meters long and lies on the seabed at a depth of 40 meters. You will find a plaice of barracuda guarding the wreck. A dive to this wreck is a must. A memory that you as a diver will not easily forget.
Blue Hole – Gozo
This subterranean cavern is found at Dwejra on the west coast of Gozo and is the most famous dive site in Malta. The Blue Hole is deservedly the ‘Best Dive’ in the Mediterranean. These natural rocks have been carved by the sea and the waves. You can easily get in and out of them and dive to deeper areas. If you can only dive to a depth of 18 meters, don’t worry – you can still dive here. It is particularly popular with free divers.
Access
From the car park, walk 5 minutes through an old quarry at Dwejra towards the sea. You walk through a shallow valley and several rocks. There is a passage carved into the rocks which makes you walk there a little easier. The walk is a challenge, but it brings you to a wonderful place. If you are a more experienced diver, take the boat from the Inland Sea through the tunnel to the open sea and sail past the collapsed Azure Window to reach the Blue Hole.
Dive
Above the famous cave is a shelf shallow in the water. From there, you have a great view into the cave below. There is a rectangular arch between -8 and -14 meters that is covered with coral that is golden. You can take beautiful pictures of it. Dive further into the cave and swim towards the former Blue Window with depths up to 16 meters. Less experienced divers can also dive here. The rocks of this former window lie on the seabed and are now called “Azure Alps”. If you are an experienced diver, you can dive even deeper and reach the Coral Cave, a cave where the slipper lobster lives on the ceiling.
The Blue Hole is a must among divers in Malta and will always be a favourite. The topography of the Hole is something unique and although the walk to it is not one of the easiest, it is definitely worth it. Malta is one of the best diving locations in the Mediterranean.
