The Bristol Blenheim Bomber Malta

The Bristol Blenheim Bomber Malta

History

 

Throughout World War II, Allied resources and manpower were always at a premium. At one point, a squadron of Wellington Bombers were stationed in Malta but their long range was much needed elsewhere. They were eventually replaced by the much smaller 3 man Mark IV Blenheim. Although there remains no doubt that it is indeed a Blenheim, this aircraft’s specific identity and call sign are yet to be established.

Diving

This aircraft is located approximately 800 meters due east of Xrobb l-Ghagin at a depth of 42 meters. The wreckage is not marked on any chart and with its low underwater profile, will not be easily detected by survey equipment. This is a fabulous and very exciting dive. As the diver descends, the aircraft quickly begins to take shape. The wings and engines are virtually intact, although the port side propellers are missing. The cockpit cover has also disappeared, suggesting that the crew safely ejected prior to ditching the aircraft. The pilot’s seat and control column are quite intact and altogether these form the main section of wreckage. There are also the remains of a De Havilland Mosquito nearby.

Black John Gahr Lapsi Malta

Black John Gahr lapsi Malta

History

Ghar Lapsi beach is a unique and hidden little bay with a view over Filfla, situated around 1 km away from the popular Blue Grotto. Ghar Lapsi and its rocky shoreline form a natural

swimming pool with crystal clear and fantastic azure blue/green waters perfect for snorkelling.
Ghar Lapsi Cave leads out into the deep open sea and is an excellent dive with fantastic visibility that allows for the great underwater photography. Since Ghar Lapsi is very beautiful and a naturally protected area, it is very popular with locals who come here for a short swim and dive into the deep waters from the surrounding rocks.
There is no extended space for sun bathing, apart from a few small areas of flat rock, so this cove is not very popular with tourists. Ghar Lapsi’s surrounding terrain and coastline are ideal for walking during the winter months and offer excellent spots for rock climbing. Ghar Lapsi Bay and Cave are reached by a winding road from just outside Siggiewi. 
South-Malta Il-Providenza Raod, Siggiewi, Malta Rocks Food/Drink stands - yes Chair/Umbrella rental - no Restroom - no Water sport rental - no Lifeguard - no 

Diving

The dive here is normally one of the least popular sites in Malta.  Just a couple hundred meters from Ghar Lapsi, it is advised that you walk to the water before kitting up.
There are two dives, the first is to drop immediately after entering the water, which you can do to a depth of 25m.  Alternatively, you can swim to the far side of Black John which drops to 38m.
Caution should be given to the offshore currents, this being a dive for the more experienced divers.
Here there should be shoals of painted comber around the reef, the most likely fish to be seen in Maltese waters.  Also look out for the giant tun, sea cucumbers, octopus, jelly fish, John Dory, and if you are very lucky, you might see a family group of parrot fish.

Mgarr Ix-Xini Gozo

Mgarr Ix-Xini Gozo

History

Lying in a gorge and accessible from Sannat and Xewkija is the tiny yet lovely Gozo beach of Mgarr ix-Xini. In the Knights of Malta period, Mgarr ix-Xini was used as the main harbour of the Knights. gozo beach mgarr ix-xini At one time, it was also used as a hidden anchorage for the corsairs’ many Gozo raids. The entrance to Mgarr ix-Xini is guarded by a tower which was built in 1661. A walk to the tower provides fantastic sea views. The valley of Mgarr ix-Xini is deep and stunning. The pebbly beach is small but lovely and has some caves on the cliff faces. Its clear beautiful water will beckon you in for a dip! 

The beach has a paved area also, which is used for sunbathing. It’s one of the most secluded beaches in Gozo and is very popular with snorkelers and divers. The site is one of the best Gozo dive sites for underwater photography since you can rest assured that you’ll find a variety of fish, ranging from groupers, stargazers and seahorses. If you’re into wreck diving, you can also get to the wrecked ferry of “Xlendi” from Mgarr ix-Xini. Mgarr ix-Xini is also popular for rock climbing and has many routes which are suitable for all levels of climbers. 

Diving

This dive has a gentle sloping bottom and an easy channel to navigate, which essentially runs from north to south.  The bottom, with mostly sand soon changes to sea grass the deeper and further you go.  There are however set entry and exit points on this site.

Once again, take care to remember there emergency services are some distance away so take care.With a relatively shallow depth of 20m, Mgarr ix-Xini is a good place to do an afternoon dive, especially if the morning one was quite deep. It is also an ideal place for a night dive. Lots of fish species can be seen here - mostly flying gurnards, brill, cuttle-fish and stargazers.

Tugboat 10 & Tugboat St Michael

Tugboat 10 & Tugboat St Michael

History

St Michael is a Tanac Type tugboat built in 1944 in Canada and is 20 metres long. Number 10 is a Melita Type tugboat and is 16 meters long. Both served for many years towing numerous ships around the Grand Harbour. Prior to their scuttling, the tugs were laid up at Jetties Wharf and subsequently sunk at their mooring, remaining partly submerged for many years.

They underwent a clean up operation to be made environmentally and diver friendly – all glass, doors and hatches were removed and passageways opened to prevent divers who venture within from becoming trapped. The preparation, towing and scuttling operations were funded by Charles and Anthony Cassar Boat and Ship Repair Ltd. of Marsa.

The tugboats St. Michael and 10 were scuttled on the 16th May 1998, as part of a plan to create an artificial reef at Zonqor Point in Marsascala. At a maximum depth of 22m they are both upright on a flat sandy bottom and have created an oasis for marine life, transforming an ecologically barren area into a shore dive location which is accessible to divers of all levels.

Diving

Access to the dive site is through Marsaskala. A road along the northern side of

Marsaskala Bay leads to the site. A coastal track connects Marsaskala to Xghajra.

There is on-street parking and a large informal parking area next to the swimming

pool complex.There are two access points to the dive site. These access points are located next to
each other on the side of Zonqor Point facing Marsaskala Bay. The access points are
accessed from two informal footpaths leading away from the road.The Maximum depth of this dive is 22m and typical marine life is rainbow wrasse, cardinal fish, octopus, moray eel, scorpion fish.

Inland Sea & Tunnel Gozo

Inland Sea & Tunnel Gozo

History

The Inland Sea, sometimes called Qawra in Maltese, is a lagoon of seawater on the island of Gozo linked to the Mediterranean Sea through an opening formed by a narrow natural arch.

It was probably formed where a geological fault in the limestone had created a sea cave and the roof then collapsed.

 

On one side there is a gently shelving stony beach with several fishermen's huts. The boats are often pulled up on to the stony beach. The bottom of the lagoon is also mostly pebbles and rocks and is fairly shallow. As you exit through the tunnel towards open sea, the floor drops away in a series of shelves to a depth of up to 35 metres on the outside. Jacques Cousteau said the Inland Sea was among his top ten dives.
Inland Sea, Gozo on February, 2007

 

On calm days fishing boats, known in Maltese as luzzijiet, can pass through the tunnel. Some of the boats are used to take visitors through the archway and then for a tour of the nearby cliffs and other sites, mainly to the Fungus Rock and another large natural arch in the cliffs called the Azure Window.

Diving

When conditions are perfect this is a fantastic dive along a narrow canyon that stretches 80m through the headland to open water beyond.

Boats constantly whizz overhead, but the wall is so deep, vertical and under hanging for the most part that there is no danger of collision other than at the beginning of the dive and the end, assuming you exit in the same place.

The view as you look out into the deep indigo blue of the open ocean is spectacular. Around the corner to both the right and left there are further vertical fissures in the cliff face which can be explored at all levels and are covered in marine life. These routes out to the left or right of the Inland Sea are not to be missed.

On the return journey through the tunnel, there are two options for a safety stop.

There is a large rock platform at 5 metres on the right hand side just after you enter the tunnel, or you can continue up the tunnel until it rises to the Inland Sea itself and there is a small rock platform at 5 metres.

Entry is down the slipway on the left hand side, and swimming across to the left hand side of the tunnel avoiding the tour boats in the process. Descend down the wall to 4 metres and staying low swim round into the tunnel close to the rock on your left hand side. Exit by reversing the process and surface in the Inland Sea itself near the rock face.

 

The Inland Sea dive is one of the most spectacular dive sites in Malta and Gozo, offering beautiful lighting effects and plenty of marine life.

The Inland Sea is a very popular and spectacular dive that can be can be done on the same day with the Blue Hole dive located close by.

The dive at the Inland Sea and Tunnel starts in a 60m wide scenic inlet surrounded by high cliffs. The unique tunnel connected to the inland sea is 80m long, however be careful when diving in the tunnel as boats pass through it as well.

At the end of the tunnel you will see some stunning lighting effects created by the sunlight hitting the water. Light inside the tunnel is usually not a problem; however some divers prefer to bring a torch along to explore the tunnel walls.

Once you exit the tunnel, the seabed drops to beyond 30m and you can choose to dive on the right or left side of the tunnel.

HMS Maori Malta

HMS Maori Malta

History

Maori joined HMS Cossack's division in January 1939 and joined the Mediterranean Fleet. She and the other Tribal-class destroyers did convoy escort duties, and Maori then returned to Britain in October. Until April 1940 she patrolled the North Sea and also took part in the Norwegian Campaign. In June she sailed to Iceland looking for German warships and also served briefly in the Faroe Islands.
 
In May 1941, she participated in the pursuit and destruction of the enemy German battleship Bismarck. While escorting Convoy WS-8B to the Middle East, Maori, along with the other destroyers Cossack, Sikh and Zulu broke off on 26 May, and headed towards the area where Bismarck had been reported. They found her that evening and made several torpedo attacks in the evening and into the next morning. No hits were scored, but they kept her gunners from getting any sleep, making it easier for the battleships to attack her the next morning. Maori then rescued some of the survivors from Bismarck after the battleship sunk.


She served with the 14th Destroyer Flotilla during the Battle of Cape Bon in December 1941.Maori, commanded by Commander R. E. Courage, RN, was attacked by German aircraft and sank at her moorings in the Malta Grand Harbour on 12 February 1942 with the loss of one of her crew. She was raised and scuttled off Fort Saint Elmo on 15 July 1945.

Wreck Dive

 Located a few hundred metres from the shore from Valletta, HMS Maori is now a popular dive site. The bow section lies in white sand at a depth of 14 metres (46 ft), the aft section of the ship having been abandoned in deep water during the tow from Grand Harbour to Marsamxett Harbour. Much of the forward superstructure is still extant, including the two front gun bases. Much marine life can be found on the wreck.

The P29 Patrol Boat Malta

The P29 Patrol Boat Malta

History

East Germany

The minesweeper was laid down on 8 October 1969 at Peenewerft shipyard in Wolgast. She was launched on 22 May 1970 and commissioned on 19 September of that same year. She was the eighteenth ship to be built within the Kondor I class, and was named Boltenhagen after the town of the same name in Rostock. She was used to patrol the river banks between East and West Germany, as well as a minesweeper.

Germany

After the reunification of Germany, the minesweeper was decommissioned along with most of the Kondor I-class. However, it was then used as a patrol vessel by the German federal cost guard. The name Boltenhagen was retained but she was given the pennant number BG31.The ship's guns were dismantled, the radio and radar equipment was changed, and it was repainted. BG31, the last Kondor-I in the German Coast Guard, was decommissioned on 30 June 1996.

Malta

The former minesweeper was then purchased by Malta on 24 July 1997 and was given the pennant number P29. She rejoined her sister ships Ueckermünde and Pasewalk which were purchased by Malta back in 1992 and were given the pennant numbers P30 and P31. P29 became a patrol boat within the offshore comandof the Maritime squadron armed forces of Malta. Since the former minesweepers were purchased unarmed, some light armament was then added by the AFM.

P29 was then used to secure the Maltese coast against smuggling and border control operations. She was decommissioned in 2004 and was bought by the Malta Tourism Authority in September 2005. She was cleaned and then was scuttled on 14 August 2007 off the port of Cirkewwa to serve as a diving site and artificial reef.

Wreck

The wreck now lies at a depth of around 35 metres but the entire dive may be done at 25 metres. The highest point is situated only 12 metres deep from the surface. Since it was quite recently sunk compared to the MV Rozi and other already started settling on the former patrol boat.

Dennis O’Hare, an experienced Scottish diver, died while diving on this wreck in November 2010.

In 2013, P29 was listed among the "10 Most Incredible Sunken Ships on Earth" by Amazing Beautiful World, although this list has been disputed.