Baron Gozo Blog

Plunge into Gozo’s gorgeous sea for an exciting dive

Posted on 09 November 2017

Top banner courtesy of visitgozo.com

The sea surrounding Gozo is crystal clear and varies in temperature from around 13-15°C in winter up to 28°C in the hot summer months, making it possible to enjoy scuba diving here practically all year round.

Couple that with a fabulous array of caves, tunnels, reefs, and wrecks to explore and colourful marine life to admire, you can see why Gozo regularly ranks among the top three best dive sites in the world, and has some of the best dive sites in the Mediterranean.

What’s more, you don’t have to be a qualified scuba diver to enjoy Gozo’s underwater world. Gozo’s dive companies are all regulated and offer a range of experiences with fully-qualified, professional dive instructors, ranging from fully-guided fun dives, to training for PADI qualifications, and equipment hire for experienced divers.

The VisitGozo website has a list of Gozo-based dive centres to help you find one nearest to where you’re staying. Alternatively, Baron Holiday Homes is happy to help find the right dive trip to suit your needs. Some of the most popular dive sites include Mgarr ix-Xini, the Reqqa Point, and the spectacular Blue Hole on Gozo’s dramatic west coast. Nearby Comino also has the P31 wreck and the Santa Maria Caves to explore.

Things to know before you go diving in Gozo

It’s advisable to ensure that your travel insurance provides sufficient medical cover. Visitors from European Union countries can also bring their EHIC medical cards.

Anyone who wants to dive in Gozo is required to complete and sign a Medical Screening Statement, which the dive centre will provide in advance. This questionnaire must also be signed by your doctor. Depending on your answers, you may need to be examined by a doctor in Gozo just to make sure it’s OK for you to dive.

If you’re booking a family holiday on Gozo you’ll be glad to know that the dive centres on Gozo are happy to include children from around the age of 10 on guided fun dives after training in a pool first to learn the basics of snorkelling. If your youngsters want to do more, then some dive centres offer children’s PADI adventure and open water courses.

Maltese regulations require independent divers to have proof of diving certification that allows them to dive to 30 metres. If they don’t have this certification, they must be accompanied by a licensed dive instructor.

Dive sites to explore around Gozo

There are more than 50 dive sites around Gozo and it’s smaller neighbour Comino. These vary from shore dives to deep water dives that can be reached with a short boat ride. Many of these dives are considered to be world class.

Here are a few sample dives to whet your appetite…­­

Blue H​ole

Located on Gozo’s spectacular west coast, the Blue Hole is Gozo’s most famous and world-class dive site. It comprises a 15-metre wide, collapsed underwater cave reached through an underwater archway. This unique underwater geological formation makes it fascinating for experienced and beginner divers alike. You’ll see colourful corals, parrot fish, schools of bream, conger eels, shrimp and more.

The collapse of Gozo’s iconic Azure Window in March 2017, which was adjacent to the Blue Hole, caused much sadness at first but divers are excited to explore the remains of the arch which are now being slowly colonised by the teeming marine life found here.

Reqqa Point

Situated on Gozo’s most northern coast Reqqa Point is a very popular shore dive site going down to around 60 metres. It features a large underwater cave with two chambers. Nearby is another dive called the Chimney.

Spotted sea slug, Gozo. Photo credit: atlantisgozo.com

One of the main attractions to this reef dive is the diversity of marine life you can see here, which includes large groupers, rays, shoals of damselfish, and maybe hunting barracudas. You’ll also see lobsters, moray eels and colourful sea slugs (nudibranchs).

Mġarr ix-Xini

 The lovely secluded inlet of Mġarr Ix-Xini, on the south coast of Gozo is a popular dive site for beginners and also for night dives. The water here is fairly shallow and is teeming with marine life including stingrays, octopi, and is a great place to spot delicate seahorses and flying gunard fish.

Seahorses are often to be found on the dive at Mgarr Ix-Xini, Gozo. Photo credit: divemalta.com

Comino

Comino has two main dive sites, offering different dive experiences.

The Santa Maria Caves are found on the northern edge of Comino and comprise ten fairly shallow interconnected caves reached from a boat. You can travel from one cave to the next via swim-throughs. One of the things that makes this dive popular is the opportunity to hand feed saddle bream with chunks of bread.

The other popular dive at Comino is the P31 wreck. Scuttled off Comino in 2009, this boat was originally an East German minesweeper which was purchased in 1992 by Malta and used as a patrol boat. The wreck lies on the sea floor about 18 metres down and it’s possible to explore the deck and the bridge of the ship, which is now covered with an abundance of sea life.

This photo of Goclimbmalta is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Ask us for help

Baron Holiday Homes is happy to organise car hire, tours of Gozo, and special activities for our guests. Just get in touch and we’ll tell you all you need to know about what’s available.

Posted in Activity, Adventure, Diving, Fun, Things to do

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