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PERFECT1098 / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 SCUBADIVING.COMDIVERS GUIDEAVERAGE WATER TEMPFrom 80°F in summer to 60°F in winter WHAT TO WEAR
Shorty in summer; 7 mm with hood in winterAVERAGE VIZ From 65 to 130 feetWHEN TO GO
Year-round, but summer’s warm and dry months are best.MORE INFOcorsairdivingmalta.com;
seashelldivingmalta.com; buddiesmalta.comTERRY WARD got certifi ed in
Florida’s springs for a college course,
and has since dived everywhere from
Halmahera, Indonesia, to Norway’s
icy Svalbard archipelago.1
CIRKEWWA REEF
With a thrilling seascape that mixes
arches, wrecks, boulders, swim-through
tunnels and walls, this reef off Malta’s
northwest coast also delivers a good
amount of fi sh life between depths of
10 and 100 feet. Octopuses, moray eels,
rays, cuttlefi sh and parrotfi sh are among
the more commonly sighted critters.2
VALLETTA
With more than 320 monuments,
Malta’s capital, Valletta, is considered
one of the world’s most densely concen-
trated historic areas. Buzzing with cafes
and shops, it’s protected as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Don’t miss St. John’s
Co-Cathedral, a baroque treasure.3
IMPERIAL EAGLE WRECK
Scuttled in 1999 at depths between
100 and 130 feet, this former Gozo ferry
sits upright on a sandy bottom and is a
delight to explore. Fin through the ship’s
hallways and over the huge bow before
making your way to the nearby Jesus of
Qawra statue, blessed by Pope John Paul
II during his visit to the island in 1990.4
DRAGONARA CAVE
A small cove surrounded by tow-
ering cliffs is your entry point for diving
into this open-top cave on Malta’s north
coast, accessed only by boat. The site
has a maximum depth of about 20 feet,
so photographers can make the most of
the light dancing across the cave walls—MALTA
This Mediterranean archipelago serves up historic wrecks,
teeming reefs, unique cave dives—and distinctive cultureBY TERRY WARDthen pop up to the surface for beautiful
shots of the sea cliffs.5
UM EL FAROUD
It’s not every day you get to dive a
Libyan oil tanker, and this 330-foot-long
beast—scuttled in 1998 off Malta’s west
coast after a fatal explosion in 1995 dis-
abled it—is one of the Mediterranean’s
best dives. There are several easy pen-
etrations to explore, but just ogling the
massive bow is enough to inspire awe.6
COMINO
Located between the islands of Mal-
ta and Gozo, smaller Comino Island is
home to the Blue Lagoon and is popular
with windsurfers and hikers.7
HMS MAORI
With a max depth of less than 50
feet—one of Malta’s shallowest wrecks—
this World War II wreck off Valletta has
a bow section that comes close to the
reef and absolutely teems with life, in-
cluding nudibranchs, fl atfi sh, conger eels
and octopuses. The ship sank after being
hit by German bombs during a night air
raid in 1942, and was later raised and re-
scuttled nearby as an artifi cial reef.8
MDINA
This fortifi ed town in the Northern
Region of Malta is an ancient capital with
a histor y that dates back 4,000 year s. It’s
one of Europe’s best-preserved ancient
walled cities. Get lost exploring the mar-
kets, cathedrals and other historic sites.9
THE BLUE HOLE
This famous shore dive off Gozo is
located right near the fallen arch for-
mation called Azure Window. Diving
in the calm lagoon, then exploring the
rubble fi eld of the fallen arch nearby—
with tons of natural swim-throughs—is
fascinating, especially in clear water.10
GOZO
Reached by a short ferry ride,
Gozo is great for exploring sandy coves
and the Cittadella, the ancient fortifi ed
city home to a remarkable cathedral.MAP^ ILLUSTRATION:^STUARTHILL