Malta & Gozo · Malta · Wreck · Artificial reef
MV Karwela
A 50 m ferry upright at 41 m, reached by a giant stride from the rocks
Photo: Mrcrycrash · CC BY-SA 4.0
A passenger ferry launched in 1957 as MS Frisia II and scuttled at Xatt l-Aħmar on Gozo's south coast in August 2006. She is just over 50 m long and sits upright on sand below an easy shore entry, her top deck from 30 m and her keel at 39 to 41 m. Inside, a staircase lit by portholes leads to her lower deck.
Also known as MS Frisia II, Karwela Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
36.0173° N, 14.2859° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Kitting up happens above the entry and the walk down is short. Giant-stride from the rocks and swim south down a gently sloping reef until it breaks into a steep drop-off. The wreck lies beyond it on the sand, at an angle to the shore: her bow is about 80 m south of the entry and about 40 m out from the drop-off. Note the two ladders on the shore rocks on the way out; they are the exit, and they matter at the end of a deep dive in full kit.
The top deck, with the captain's cabin, starts at 30 m, the bow rests at 39 m and the stern at 41 m. Most dives hold an average of about 35 m and loop the bridge, the bow and the stern. Her surfaces carry a coating of algae and invertebrates with large spiral tube worms standing off the plating; nudibranchs and seahorses turn up on the structure, and dentex, barracuda and grouper hold in the water around the hull.
She has three decks, and large holes were cut along the sides of the first two before she was sunk, so the interior is open and several passageways run through as swim-throughs. The feature most divers come for is in the middle of the ship: on the wooden main deck, a steel staircase runs down to the lower deck, lit by the portholes. There is a small amount of silt and sand inside, so keep your fins high on the way through.
The return is made in mid-water rather than back down the reef, which keeps the ascent gradual and puts the safety stop out over the drop-off before you come back onto the shallow reef. Gas planning is the whole dive here: between 30 and 42 m with a 35 m average, no-stop time is short and there is still the swim back to the ladders to cover after the stop.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MV Karwela, ex-MS Frisia II
- Type
- Passenger ferry
- Length
- 50.31 m (165 ft)
- Built
- 1957
- Sunk
- 2006
- Cause
- Retired from day-trip service in 2002 and scuttled as an artificial reef for divers
- Lies
- Upright on sand, bow at 39 m and stern at 41 m, about 80 m south of the Xatt l-Aħmar entry below a steep drop-off
The ship was built in West Germany by Jos L. Meyer and launched in 1957 as the MS Frisia II. The Maltese company Comino Marina Ltd brought her to Malta in 1986 and renamed her MV Karwela. Captain Morgan Cruises bought her in 1992 and ran her as a passenger ferry around the Grand Harbour, carrying tourists on day trips until 2002. On 12 August 2006 she was scuttled as an artificial reef for divers at Xatt l-Aħmar on the south coast of Gozo, alongside the MV Xlendi and MV Cominoland, which were also deliberately sunk there as diving attractions.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| 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
- The profile is deep for a shore dive — 30 to 42 m, averaging around 35 m — so no-stop time is short and the gas plan has to include the swim back to the entry.
- Entry is a giant stride from rock and the exit is by two fixed ladders. In any swell, time the climb between sets and pass kit up rather than wearing it.
- There is a little silt and sand inside the decks. Go in only with Wreck Diver certification, fin gently, and keep the cut-out holes along the sides in view as exits.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the MV Karwela wreck?+
Her top deck starts at 30 m, her bow rests at 39 m and her stern at 41 m. Dives hold an average of about 35 m while circling the wreck, which makes this an advanced profile with a short no-stop time, reached from a shore entry.
Can you go inside the Karwela?+
Yes, with Wreck Diver certification. Large holes were cut along the sides of her first two decks before she was sunk, and a staircase in the middle of the ship leads down to the lower deck, lit by portholes. There is a little silt and sand inside.
Where is the Karwela wreck?+
At Xatt l-Aħmar on Gozo's south coast. It is a shore dive: a giant stride from the rocks, then a swim south down the reef to a drop-off, with the bow about 80 m from the entry. The MV Xlendi and MV Cominoland lie on the same stretch.
Sources
- MV Karwela Wreck — Gozo Dive
- MV Karwela – Gozo Wrecks — Divewise Malta
- MV Karwela wreck – Xatt l-Ahmar — Malta Dive Sites
- MT Hephaestus — Wikipedia
- Diving in Gozo — Wreck 'MV KARWELA' — Visit Gozo (Ministry for Gozo)
Photo credits
- A feathery fan worm growing through a porthole on the rusted hull of the MV Karwela wreck by Mrcrycrash, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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
- 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
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