Malta & Gozo · Malta · Wall · Reef
Cominotto Reef
An old four-pronged grapple anchor lying deep on the reef
Area photo: Michaela Yos Niki Loxa · CC BY 4.0
Cominotto Reef runs along the islet of Cominotto, where the coast drops almost sheer into a wall of overhangs and ledges. An old four-pronged grapple anchor lies on the reef, and barracuda, amberjacks and small tuna come in from the blue to feed on the reef fish.
Also known as Anchor Reef.
Where it is and how deep
36.0138° N, 14.3163° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
To the southeast the coast drops almost sheer, giving a wall between 15 and 25 m that runs all the way to Cominotto Corner, broken up by overhangs and ledges. The grapple anchor, now missing one of its four prongs, lies at 35 m.
At the drop-off, experienced divers turn right for a deeper wall dive reaching 50 m. Throughout the dive it pays to watch the blue, where barracuda, amberjacks and small tuna dart in to feed on the reef fish.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Malta & Gozo: Jun–Sep is the main season, with the sea averaging 21–26 °C; it never drops below 14 °C, so diving carries on through the winter.
Know before you go
- Strong currents occasionally run here.
- This side of Cominotto takes heavy boat traffic heading to the Blue Lagoon in summer.
- The site is exposed to north-westerlies; boats then anchor around the southern tip at Cominotto Corner instead.
Dive videos
Cominotto Reef. Malta. October 2019 · glyn kirby on YouTube
Sources
- paradisediving.com/cominotto-reef/ — paradisediving.com
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cominotto — en.wikipedia.org
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
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