Scuba diving in Gozo, scuba diving club @daivingslv visited popular diving sites with descriptions in Latvian and English.
- Marx ix-Xini (Day #1)
- Video
Beautiful place for swimming and snorkeling. This one-time entrance is becoming increasingly popular, although it is still rarely occupied. A narrow inlet, complemented by a cliff, at the entrance is a small pebble beach that provides a gentle slope in the water. Along the sides are rocks from which you can swim directly in deep water. Steps are suggested, although some prefer jumping.
Apparently Mġarr Ix-Xini was a casual hiding place for knights' galleys, and the invading Turks also used it to load the Gozitans on their ships in 1551 in the worst raid ever on the island.
The Knights' Watchtower, which still guards the entrance to the entrance, was built in 1661. It is open to the public and the charming road from the bay to the tower has recently been restored.
The bay also attracts divers, especially to several intriguing caves on the cliff tops and the nearby wreck of the Xlendi ferry (deliberately destroyed).
In 2015, CNAR mentioned Mġarr Ix-Xini as one of the 10 most popular places before they are changed forever.
Mġarr Ix-Xini was the place where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filmed their film 'By the Sea'. This filming was covered by both local and foreign news.
- Dwejra (Day #2)
- Video
The Azure Window (Maltese: it-Tieqa Żerqa), also known as the Dwejra Window (Maltese: it-Tieqa then-Dwejra), was a 28-meter-long (92-foot) natural arch on the island of Gozo in Malta. The limestone feature, located in the Gulf of Dwejra near the Inland Sea and the Mushroom Rock, was one of the main tourist attractions on the island until it collapsed in the stormy weather on March 8, 2017. The arch, along with other natural features of the area, has appeared in several international films and media products.
The inland sea area formed by the circular depression in the land has created this unique lagoon, which has a pier on one side and a pebble beach on the other. The inland sea is connected to the main sea by a 100-meter tunnel used by smaller boats. Traditionally, the inland sea at Dwejra was a fishing bay, and small fishing huts still stand, but today fishermen are happy to take tourists on boat trips.
Crocodile rock and blue hole - on windy days you can barely see a crocodile rock, a pillar of rock that resembles a crocodile's head and muzzle from the ground. The area is popular for diving. The Blue Hole is an internationally recognized diving site that needs some introduction. This vertical chimney, which Jacques Cousteau once marked as one of his ten diving spots in the world, is a must for any serious diver. The Azure Window, which collapsed in March 2017, is now another great dive site.
- Reqqa Point (Day #3)
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This rocky promontory, which sails several meters into the sea, is the northernmost point of Gozo. Underwater, the cape extends to the north for another 50 m. The vertical walls surrounded by deep water cut several cracks and fissures. The large boulders around the reef, facing the wall, are a great refuge for groupers, octopuses and large scorpions. To the east of the cape is a chimney that descends from the reef from 6 to 17 meters. To the west you can find a shrimp cave. It is called shrimp beer because its cracks are quite often visible shrimp.
- Ras il-hobz (Day #4)
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Ras il-Ħobż, otherwise known as the Middle Finger, is best described as a huge column rising from a depth of 8 meters below the surface. The narrow canal between this rock and the shore is 35 meters deep, while on the sea side the bottom drops sharply to 100 + meters. These features make this site a useful site for divers of all levels. The nearby plateau is only 5 meters deep and is perfect for training or making a longer decompression stop more interesting! At a height of 63 meters, technical divers can find a huge three-pronged anchor protruding from the reef wall. The whole site is also great for fish life.
- Santa Maria Caves (Day #5)
- Video
Santa Maria Caves is located on the north side of Comino and is a very popular diving spot due to its exciting cave systems.
Divers come here year after year, so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid the crowds. There are 10 caves known to divers as Santa Maria Caves, and each has its own special beauty. Some offer great swimming, some with large underwater tunnels, while others have breathtaking views of the blue air through the entrance.
The caves are quite shallow, and some caves are even halfway above the water, also ideal for snorkelers. The shallow caves of Santa Maria are rich in marine life and you can spot Nudibranch, octopuses, crabs, lobsters, eels, mullets, shrimps, damselfish and morays.
- Patrol Boat P31 Wreck
- Video
The P31 (Pasewalk) patrol boat is the only wreck around Comino and is a popular boat dive site. P31 was a former patrol boat of the Maltese Armed Forces Naval Squadron. In 2009, she was deliberately sunk as a diving attraction and an artificial reef. Prior to demolition, the wreck was made safe for both the environment and divers.
Patrol boat P31 is located on the west coast of Comino, in the middle of the bay, halfway between Lantern Point and Cominotto, opposite the island where Alex's Cave dive site is located. The wreck of the P31 is 52 m long and sits almost straight on the white sand, with a small list at the harbor. The depth is 20 m below the bow and 18 m at the stern, which is buried in the sand after the wreck moved during the storms of 2010-2011. The upper part is only 7 m deep from the surface.
Wreck P31 is a boat dive for all levels of certified divers. The shallow depth makes this a great workout for beginners and interesting for more experienced divers. Many places were left open and the ruins are easy to access; divers can swim along the P31 all the way from stern to bow, although there is plenty of sand in the engine room. Divers who choose not to enter P31 have a lot of marine life during outside exploration. The P31 is also suitable for free diving, and even snorkelers can see all the debris from the surface.
