Mediterranean · Malta
Malta & Gozo
Shore-entry wrecks and a rock-tunnel sinkhole dive at Gozo's Blue Hole
Photo: Michaela Yos Niki Loxa · CC BY 4.0
Malta, Gozo, and Comino offer some of the Mediterranean's most accessible wreck and cave diving, much of it entered straight from shore. Gozo's Inland Sea funnels through a long rock tunnel to open water, the nearby Blue Hole drops beneath an arch into the open sea, and a string of deliberately sunk ships — the tanker Um El Faroud, the P29 patrol boat, and the Xatt l-Aħmar wrecks off Gozo — sit encrusted with growth and patrolled by grouper, barracuda, and octopus. Limestone topography brings caverns and swim-throughs to nearly every site, in water that stays clear year-round.
About diving in Malta & Gozo
Most diving days here start in a car park rather than on a boat. Centres run vans out to a handful of proven entry points, divers kit up on the rocks and walk in, and two or three dives a day stay affordable and unhurried. Site choice is driven largely by wind: with almost no tide to work around, crews simply move to whichever coast is in the lee, and on an island as small as Gozo a sheltered alternative is only minutes away. Comino, between the two main islands, is dived by boat.
The geology does most of the work. Malta and Gozo are limestone, and the coastline carries on underwater as chimneys, arches, tunnels, boulder-choked gullies and cavern mouths cut with hard shadow. There is no hard-coral reef here, so colour comes from sponge and algae on the rock rather than from coral, and the real interest is architecture and light. At Dwejra, the rubble of the Azure Window, the rock arch that collapsed in March 2017, now lies underwater beside the Blue Hole.
The scuttled ships are the draw, and several sit within finning distance of a shore entry: the P29 and the tug Rozi at Ċirkewwa, the ferry Karwela at Xatt l-Aħmar on Gozo, and the 115 m tanker Um El Faroud off Wied iż-Żurrieq, whose bridge lies at 18 m and main deck at 25 m. Comino adds the P31 patrol boat, which reaches only 20 m, and the Santa Marija caves. Deeper again, aircraft and war losses such as the Blenheim bomber at 42 m support an active technical scene.
That mix suits a wide range of divers. A newly qualified Open Water diver can fill a week with guided dives on shallow reef, cavern mouths, the P31 and the upper decks of the bigger wrecks. Diving without a guide needs a buddy, Advanced Open Water or an equivalent, and a signed medical statement. It works well for mixed-ability groups, since one entry point often serves a shallow and a deep option. Divers chasing big animals or dense tropical reef will find it thin; this is a place for structure.
Best time to dive Malta & Gozo
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 15°C59°F | 16°C61°F | 19°C66°F | 23°C73°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 22°C72°F | 19°C66°F |
| Daytime high | 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 19°C66°F | 22°C72°F | 28°C82°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 26°C79°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F |
| Rain | 49 mm1.9 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 43 mm1.7 in | 23 mm0.9 in | 65 mm2.6 in | 9 mm0.4 in | 3 mm0.1 in | 15 mm0.6 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 82 mm3.2 in | 89 mm3.5 in | 44 mm1.7 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 15°C59°F | 16°C61°F | 19°C66°F | 23°C73°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 19°C66°F | 22°C72°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 49 mm1.9 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 43 mm1.7 in | 23 mm0.9 in | 65 mm2.6 in | 9 mm0.4 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 22°C72°F | 19°C66°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 26°C79°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 3 mm0.1 in | 15 mm0.6 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 82 mm3.2 in | 89 mm3.5 in | 44 mm1.7 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
June to September is the main season: the sea averages 21 °C in June and peaks near 26 °C in August, conditions are at their most settled, and the popular shore entries are at their busiest. October and November stay warm, with the monthly average still above 20 °C, and the sites are quieter. April and May are cooler, around 16 to 18 °C, and warming. December to March brings the coldest water, about 15 to 17 °C and never below 14 °C, so diving carries on all winter in thicker suits; winter storms are the main interruption, and centres switch to whichever coast is sheltered.
Best months: June, July, August, September
Gozo & Malta water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 15 °C (59 °F) in March to 27 °C (81 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from July to October. Most rain falls from September to February, peaking at about 90 mm (3.5 in) in November; June to August are the driest. Daytime highs reach 30 °C (86 °F) in August and drop to 17 °C (63 °F) in February. The coldest water here is about 15 °C (59 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
Grouper and octopus hold on the wrecks and in the cavern mouths year-round, joined by barracuda and dense clouds of small reef fish through the prime June-to-September months. Stingrays turn up on the sand flats beside the hulls, and the cooler, quieter winter dives are often the best for nudibranchs on shallow rock.
- Wreck
- Cave & cavern
- Wall
- Reef
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Stingrays
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Malta & Gozo
- 1
Blue Hole & Inland Sea
The Dwejra pair on Gozo: a sinkhole that opens to sea under an arch, and a lagoon that drains by tunnel.
- 2
Um El Faroud
115 m tanker scuttled off Wied iż-Żurrieq; bridge at 18 m, main deck at 25 m, sand at 36 m.
- 3
MV Karwela
Ferry scuttled at Xatt l-Aħmar in 2006, upright at 40 to 42 m below an easy Gozo shore entry.
- 4
P29 Patrol Boat
Ex-minesweeper scuttled off Ċirkewwa in 2007, to 35 m, sharing a shore entry with the tug Rozi.
- 5
Santa Marija Caves
A cluster of shallow, light-filled caves and swim-throughs on Comino that suit every level.
- 6
Blenheim Bomber
Aircraft wreck in 42 m off Malta’s east coast, the deep dive of the group.
Site guides
Cave & cavern
An air chamber at the back of a vast cave in the cliff
An 80 m rock tunnel and a collapsed sea cave, both entered on foot
Wreck
An upturned wartime fighter with its wings still intact
Wreck
A ditched light bomber sitting upright on sand and small reefs
Swim beneath the surviving span of a collapsed sea cavern
Wall
An old four-pronged grapple anchor lying deep on the reef
A huge cavern in the Dwejra drop-off, walls lined with sponges
A long, well-lit tunnel through the rock of a sheltered lagoon
Two natural rock arches stacked one on top of the other
Amberjacks, tuna and barracuda along a steep open-sea wall
A 40 m tunnel pierced by shafts of light
A wartime destroyer's bow in white sand below Fort Saint Elmo
Wreck
An S-class submarine sitting upright on the seabed
A chimney through the rock of Comino's south-west point
A 152 m passenger ship leaning to port in deep water
A small, safe cavern for a first look at cavern diving
Pinnacle
A rock needle with a view over the wall into open blue water
A 61 m tanker at 46 m, scuttled off Gozo in 2022
Wreck
Two decks of a former Comino tourist ferry, sitting upright
Wreck
An upright former island ferry off Qawra Point
A 50 m ferry upright at 41 m, reached by a giant stride from the rocks
Wreck
An 80 m ferry lying keel-up on a sandy slope
Wreck
A 52 m minesweeper with her superstructure 12 m down
Wreck
A cleared patrol boat built for a first wreck penetration
Jackfish and sardine schools over a shelf at 18 m
An upright, intact tug wrapped in sea breams and cardinal fish
A cave that runs right through a Comino headland
Wreck
The barge behind the camera on the Popeye film set
A 115 m tanker broken in two, upright on clean sand
How to get to Malta & Gozo
Nearly everyone flies into Malta International and bases around Sliema, St Paul's Bay or Bugibba, driving out to shore entries such as Cirkewwa. The Gozo ferry leaves from there; on Gozo, Marsalforn and Xlendi are the usual bases, a short drive from the Dwejra sites. Comino is dived by boat.
Photos from Malta & Gozo
prilfish · CC BY 2.0
prilfish · CC BY 2.0
prilfish · CC BY 2.0
Pstraudo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sudika · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
The Explosion That Created Malta’s Most Iconic Dive Wreck: Um El Faroud · Dive SAGA - Scuba diving on YouTube
Malta Dive Sites - P29 Patrol Boat, Cirkewwa · Mika Tanninen on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do I need an Advanced certificate to dive in Gozo and Malta?+
Only to dive without a guide. Unaccompanied divers need a buddy, PADI Advanced Open Water or an equivalent such as CMAS Two Star or BSAC Sport Diver, and a signed medical statement. Guided dives with a centre are open to Open Water divers, and centres teach from beginner to professional level.
Is diving in Gozo done from shore or by boat?+
Mostly from shore. Gozo is small, so drives between entry points are short, and when the wind hits one side of the island a sheltered site is only minutes away. Comino’s caves and the P31 wreck are dived by boat from Malta or Gozo.
Is Gozo good for beginner divers?+
Yes, within limits. Mgarr ix-Xini is a shallow bay that stays within 15 m, used for training, with a small, safe cavern, and the Inland Sea tunnel and the top of the Blue Hole arch sit inside the 18 m Open Water limit. Most other Gozo sites, from the Xatt l-Aħmar wrecks to Reqqa Point and Double Arch, are rated advanced. Comino adds the Santa Marija Caves, Crystal Lagoon and the P31.
How is the Blue Hole and Inland Sea dived?+
Both from shore at Dwejra. At the Inland Sea, divers walk in down a slipway, cross the lagoon and swim the 80 m tunnel through the cliff to open sea, where the floor steps down to about 35 m; the way back is the same tunnel, so the turn is planned on gas. The Blue Hole is a short walk over rock to a shaft whose arch opens onto the wall outside, and most dives turn at around 30 m.
Which wrecks can be dived off Gozo and Malta?+
Gozo's lie at Xatt l-Aħmar: the Karwela, Cominoland and upturned Xlendi at about 40 m, and the Hephaestus at 46 m. Malta has the Rozi and P29 at Ċirkewwa, the Um El Faroud, the Imperial Eagle, the Scotscraig and the shallow HMS Maori off Valletta, and the P31 off Comino stays within 20 m. The Blenheim and Beaufighter aircraft, HMS Stubborn and Le Polynesien are deep boat dives.
When is the best time to dive Malta and Gozo?+
June to September brings the warmest, most settled water and the busiest shore entries. October and November are quieter, with the average sea still above 20 °C, which makes them the pick for fewer crowds. Diving runs all year: in winter, storms rather than cold are the main interruption, and centres move to whichever coast is sheltered.
Sources
- Diving in Malta — Visit Malta
- Diving in Gozo — Visit Gozo
- Malta, Gozo and Comino dive guide — Scubaverse
- Malta & Gozo: breathtaking places to dive in the Mediterranean Sea — PADI
- Climate of Malta — Wikipedia
- Ċirkewwa — Wikipedia
- Um El Faroud — Wikipedia
- Azure Window — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Scuba diver hovering over the encrusted funnel of a sunken wreck in deep blue water off Malta by Michaela Yos Niki Loxa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver silhouetted against blue light inside Cathedral Cave on Gozo by prilfish, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Dusky grouper resting on an algae-covered reef off Gozo by prilfish, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- Scorpionfish and damselfish on a reef outcrop crusted with orange sponge off Gozo by prilfish, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A shoal of fish drifting past the upper bridge structure of the sunken tanker Um El Faroud by Pstraudo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The round Blue Hole pool cut into the limestone shore at Dwejra, Gozo, with open sea beyond by Sudika, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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In The Logbook
- Malta and Gozo wreck diving, by depth and monthWrecks · 10 min read
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- What is a blue hole, and what's down there?Caves & caverns · 13 min read
- What is surge in diving, and how deep it goesOcean science · 8 min read
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
- Air, nitrox or trimix: which gas, and when?Gear & kit · 15 min read
- DPV diving: what an underwater scooter changesGear & kit · 10 min read
- Cavern and cenote diving without cave trainingCaves & caverns · 8 min read
- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 8 min read
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