We’ve often heard tell of the excellent diving in Malta and Gozo, an area awash with caves, wrecks and reefs. And while we’re a little uncertain about its vote as the second best diving destination on the planet – as judged by the Diver and Sport Diver Awards in 2013 – we’re certainly curious enough to don our wetsuits and jump into the chilly May waters of the Mediterranean to see what all the fuss is about.
Our base for this diving adventure is the barren, dry, yet strangely compelling isle of Gozo, just five kilometres as the gull flies from the island of Malta. It’s an island steeped in history, with amazing Neolithic ruins and impressive medieval cities, all set in a rugged and beautiful landscape.
That ruggedness is reflected under the water as well, with stunning geological formations that prove great fun to dive on, over, into and through. With limited time and unpredictable weather, we don’t get to dive the wrecks Malta is famous for, but it’s still an outstanding couple of sessions under the waves.
We start our first day with an easy and uneventful dive at Xwejni Bay on Gozo’s north coast, swimming out over a sandy seafloor to see the bay’s coral ‘canyons’.
Easy welcome dive at Xwejni Bay.
Our second dive though requires a literal leap of faith on my part, with a two-metre-drop giant stride into the churning waters near Reqqa Point, home to the Booming Cave dive site. We descend to around 25 metres to enter the large ocean cave for which the site is named. It’s pitch black inside, unnerving, and the scene as you follow the torchlight and look back out towards the open water is ghostly and surreal.
Eerie dark dive in Booming Cave.
The next morning, we make for the island’s south side, where we embark on what I personally rate the best dive of our visit (Dan begs to differ) – the lovely Xlendi Bay and tunnel. Here a nice easy swim across the bay takes us to a shallow cave entrance that cuts all the way through the cliff to the outside of the headland.
There are plenty of fish and critters to see on the swim through, but the real highlight is the geology, and the mesmerising view of the cave exit, which starts as a speck of light in the distance, constantly shifting and expanding as you get closer and closer. After a swim around the light-filled waters off the headland, we make a return trip through the tunnel.
Shifting scenes in the Xlendi Bay tunnel.
Light and life out in Xlendi Bay.
After Xlendi we take a surface break then head straight to the big kahuna: the Blue Hole and Chimney dive site (this site win’s Dan’s vote), backed by the stunning Azure Window, favoured backdrop for Dothraki royal weddings.
After slipping and sliding our way through a shallow rockpool to the Blue Hole, we descend into its depths accompanied by a free diver.
From there we embark on an amazing swim into a cave at the base of the hole, then out and under the Azure Window, passing large boulders from a partial collapse in 2012. Our route trails back along the cliff face, with a slightly claustrophobic squeeze up the Chimney and into the Coral Garden.
Out the hole, under the arch, past the boulders, up the chimney….
We don’t realise it at the time, but we’re incredibly lucky to get such a calm dive. Gozo weather can be changeable this time of year, as we find out just two days later when we return during big winds to find the Blue Hole unrecognisable.
Blue Hole and Azure Window – perfectly calm one day, treacherous the next.
The jury’s still out on whether Malta’s diving is second best in the world – what we’ve seen of it anyway – but it gets serious points from us for its great visibility and dramatic geological landscape – we’ll be back for the wrecks.
Good to know
Dive: We dived with Bubbles Dive Centre in Marsalforn and found them to be an excellent operator: well run, ecologically-minded, customer-focused, with stand-out dive guides and decent equipment. They were also happy to tailor the dive itinerary to meet our requests, and provided a free pick up and drop off to our accommodation on the other side of the island.
Tip: The crew at Bubbles assured us there’s always somewhere you can dive on Malta and Gozo regardless of the weather, but if you’ve got particular dive sites in mind, give yourself a couple of days just in case the weather or wind don’t come to the party for your chosen site on the day.