Scuba Diving in Malta and Gozo

Malta, Gozo and Comino are among the most popular dive destinations in the Mediterranean, and the official tourism site counts more than 120 dive sites around the three islands. Water clarity is the big draw: the tourism authority describes visibility as excellent down to around 30 metres. Many of the best-known sites are shore dives, so a day often means kitting up beside the car and walking in rather than spending hours on a boat.

The islands are best known for wrecks, several of them sunk on purpose as artificial reefs. At Cirkewwa (Ċirkewwa), next to the Gozo ferry terminal near Mellieha, the P29 sits upright at about 34 metres with its highest point at roughly 12 metres. She served as a patrol boat with the Armed Forces of Malta and was scuttled in 2007. The tugboat Rozi lies on the same stretch of seabed, about 135 metres out from the old jetty near Marfa Point, and the reef at Cirkewwa drops from eight to 30 metres. On the south coast, the tanker Um El Faroud lies off Wied iz-Zurrieq (Wied iż-Żurrieq), near the Blue Grotto. She was scuttled in 1998 following an explosion, and the roughly 110-metre wreck now rests on sand at about 36 metres.

Gozo and Comino

Off Xatt l-Ahmar (Xatt l-Aħmar) in Gozo, the MV Karwela, a former harbour passenger ferry, was scuttled in August 2006 alongside the MV Cominoland. Her top deck starts at about 30 metres and the sandy bottom is at about 40 to 42 metres, so this is a dive for experienced divers. At Dwejra, the Blue Hole is a natural rock formation with an underwater arch extending from about 6 to 15 metres and opening to the sea. The wider dive route reaches about 25 metres. Getting there means a walk over rough rock in full kit. The Inland Sea tunnel nearby is another classic Dwejra dive.

Beginners have plenty of options too. The Fort St Elmo shoreline in Valletta hides the wreck of the destroyer HMS Maori in about 16 metres, Ghar Lapsi has shallow areas to explore with a dive centre, and the Santa Marija caves off Comino stay within about 10 metres and are reached by boat.

Rules for visiting divers

Diving services in Malta may only be offered by centres licensed by the Malta Tourism Authority. Every diver completes a medical statement declaring fitness to dive. If you declare a listed medical condition, Visit Gozo says you need a fit-to-dive medical signed by a doctor specialising in hyperbaric medicine. To dive independently you need certification allowing dives to 30 metres; otherwise you must be accompanied by a licensed instructor. Confirm your qualification and buddy arrangements with a licensed centre before diving. Divers under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian.

• Combine a Cirkewwa dive day with a crossing on the Gozo ferry, which leaves from the same point.
• Non-divers can try snorkelling in the shallows at the same sites.
• For a full Gozo base, read the Gozo travel guide.
• Divers on a longer trip can plan around the two-week Malta and Gozo itinerary.

Bring your certification card and logbook, tell the centre honestly when you last dived, and ask which sites suit the day's wind, as the sheltered side changes with the weather.