The underwater world hides more than an infinity of marine species, it also offers us to know history from a different perspective for those who know how to appreciate its beauty and have an adventurous spirit that allows them to visit the shipwrecks.
What shipwrecks are there in Malta?
Malta is recognized as one of the best places to enjoy shipwrecks, but not only, also marine life. Those who want to practice and live the experience of diving, are offered a new experience to live and learn a little more about history from another perspective.
Malta offers its tourists various options to go diving since according to history there have been many boats that have culminated their lives afloat in the waters of Malta and that now allows you to go through its corridors visiting them in the depths of these waters.
There are numerous points with natural attractions in Malta, one of the best places to dive is Cirkewwa, Comino or the blue HOle in Gozo, although the star dish of these islands is due to its abundant shipwrecks and shipwrecks.
There is a list with more than 60 sinkings that range from ships, planes, submarines, and even statues.
As there are many wrecks, we have made a selection of the most popular and accessible for most divers.
Located in Cirkewwa, it is one of the two shipwrecks that you can visit in this dive site, it is 36 meters deep in the waters of Malta or rather, artificially submerged since it was prepared after having fulfilled its construction function. for several years and due to the tourist demand that it presented, it was prepared to enter it and see the different rooms that it has and go through them with tranquility and security. Minimum depth 20 meters. It is a dive for divers with level 2 or advanced certification.
It is very characteristic and famous for its machine gun on the bow, an obligatory stop on your way to immortalize it in a photo.
Located in front of the port of Cirkewwa, perhaps known as one of the most spectacular in marine life that Malta can offer due to the quantity and variety of marine creatures that surround it and that adorn the view during its visit, this ship has remained sunk for more than 23 years old and is submerged at a maximum depth of 35 meters. Minimum 20 meters. It is a dive for divers with level 2 or advanced certification. The school of breams that usually welcomes you from the reef and accompanies you during part of the visit is characteristic. Nudibranchs tend to abound, especially the flabelinas.
Advanced level.
This oil tanker is located in Zurrieq near the Blue Grotto, it is surely the most spectacular of all due to its size and its many penetration possibilities due to a large number of openings and compartments it houses. It is a ship that has remained in the depths of the sea of Malta since 1998, and like many shipwrecks in its history, it holds a tragedy, making this dive even more interesting, if possible, a feeling that is only appreciated by those who are interested in history. and the beauty that this wreck brings to the waters of Malta. Although artificially sunk, it was in 1995 when the fatal accident occurred while she was docked at the shipyards during maintenance work. An explosion caused the death of 9 of the workers who were repairing it at that time. Now it houses a commemorative plaque with the names of the 9 workers who died in the tragic event.
Being a large oil tanker, 110 meters long, it allows us to recreate among its corridors, tanks, and engine rooms for those divers who have the experience to penetrate them. A dive that leaves no one indifferent.
Advanced level. Maximum depth 38. Minimum 18 meters.
Of Malta’s most popular shipwrecks, she is located in St. Elmo’s Bay, just below the capital, Valletta. It is known as one of the most famous on the island, although it is also known as a destroyer that was sunk by a bombardment in 1942 and that today is at the bottom of the waters of Malta at a maximum depth of 14 meters, recommended mainly to a little more curious divers and lovers of history, since it has some surprises in it, such as original shell casings with the date inscribed that turns out to be of great interest and originality to others. She is also one of the real shipwrecks of the Second World War, one of the most interesting shipwrecks to be able to recreate in it due to its shallow depth and proximity to the coast.
HMS Maori is a destroyer that was built at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. in Govan, Scotland. The ship was launched on September 2, 1937 with dimensions of 115 meters long and 11 meters wide, receiving its name from the warriors of New Zealand, the Maori tribes.
On February 12, 1942 HMS Maori was moored in Valletta’s Grand Harbor when she was torpedoed by a German bomber, causing flames in her engine room causing her to explode and then sink. it being in the middle of the bay and being dangerous for maritime transport, they decided later in 1945 to refloat it and take it out of the bay, splitting it into 2 parts. That’s why today only the front part of the ship remains, which rests in St. Elmo Bay just across town.
It is a highly recommended dive due to its environment and its profile, with a maximum depth of only 14-18 meters and only a few meters from the coast, with multiple accesses and exits. Recommended and accessible for any level.
Beginner level.
X-127 Water Lighter (Carolita)
The X127 is one of the many wrecks that sank during the First and Second World Wars in Malta and sits right in the bay between the city of Valletta and the small island of Manoel Island in Malta. The x127 was a water carrier that was sunk during World War II on March 6, 1942. Although she was also used as a fuel supply ship for the submarines that docked in the area where she now rests. She was torpedoed by a Nazi submarine, and today it is possible to recognize the impact and the hole left by the projectile.
She is an easy and pleasant dive, with immediate access from the shore just 100 meters from the wreck. The sunken ship rests on a slope with its bow at a depth of just 5 meters and its stern at a maximum depth of about 20 meters.
HMS X127 was built by the Royal Navy in 1915 for use during World War I. She is 24 meters long (length) and 7 meters wide. The wreck was baptized as Coralita for many years without knowing its exact origin until a study in 2006 identified it as the X-127 water lighter.
Beginner level.
Tug 2
Tug Boat 2 is the most recent wreck around the Maltese Islands, located off the coast of Exiles in Sliema, northeast of Malta. The tug 2 tug was an old tug that worked in the Grand Harbor of Valletta. She was sunk in June 2013 to form an artificial reef and attraction for both scuba diving and freediving.
Tug 2 is in a horizontal position approximately 250 m north of the dive entry point at a maximum depth of 22 m. She originally sank in the sand parallel to the reef at a distance of about 20m, but a storm moved her in October 2016 and the wreck now settles bow first on the reef. The tug 2 wreck is 30 m long and 9.5 m high without the mast. It is safe to enter this wreck as it is open, swim through the propeller and the engine room which still has a lot to show even though anything that could harm the marine environment has been removed.
Beginner level.
P-31
Patrol boat P31 (Pasewalk) is the only wreck on Comino Island and a popular boat dive site. P31 was a former patrol boat of the Armed Forces of Malta Maritime Squadron. She was deliberately sunk in 2009 as a diving attraction and artificial reef. Before it was sunk, the wreck was made safe for both the environment and the divers.
The P31 patrol boat is located on the west coast of Comino, in the middle of the bay halfway between Lantern Point and Cominotto, opposite the islet where the Alex’s Cave dive site is located. Wreck P31 is 52m long and sits nearly upright on white sand, with a slight tilt to port. The maximum depth is 20 m under the bow and 18 m at the stern, which is buried in the sand after the wreck moved during a storm. The top only 8 m deep from the surface.
Of the shipwrecks that you can visit from a boat, P31 is accessible to all levels of certified divers. The shallow depth makes this a great training wreck for beginners, and interesting for more experienced divers as well. Many areas were left open and the remains of the ship are easy to penetrate; divers can swim through P31 from stern to bow, although there is a lot of sand inside the engine room. For divers who choose not to enter P31, there is plenty of marine life to see while exploring the exterior. P31 is also suitable for freediving, and even snorkeling.
Beginner level.
Karwela
MV Karwela is one of three dive wrecks off the coast of Xatt l-Ahmar on the south coast of Gozo. Karwela was a former Captain Morgan Cruises passenger ferry around the Grand Harbour. She was sunk in August 2006 along with MV Cominoland as an artificial reef for divers. The third wreck MV Xlendi already sank in 1999.
One of the most photographed shipwrecks, Karwela is about 50 m long and stands perfectly upright on a sandy bottom with a maximum depth of about 40 m. The bow of it lies at 39 m deep, while the stern of it rests at 41 m. The upper deck with the captain’s cabin begins at a depth of 30 m. She is sure to penetrate this one due to the various openings made before sinking, and there is much to explore on her three decks. Large holes were cut along the sides in the first two decks, and there is a photogenic staircase in the middle of the wreck that leads to the lower deck, which is lit by portholes. Although there is a small amount of silt and sand inside.
Karwela’s bow is approximately 80 m south of the dive entry point and about 40 m from the drop point. It is the middle of three wrecks at Xatt l-Ahmar, between Cominoland, which is about 60m to the east, and Xlendi, about 60m west of Karwela. All these shipwrecks are usually dived from the shore, but it can also be done by boat. Karwela is probably the most dived wreck around Gozo, as she is more interesting than the inverted Xlendi, and is closer to shore and larger than Cominoland.
Advanced level.
Imperial Eagle
MV Imperial Eagle is a deep wreck dive off Qawra St Pauls Bay, very close to our dive center in Malta. Imperial Eagle was a former ferry between Malta and Gozo. She was sunk in 1999 as an artificial reef and an attraction for divers in a marine conservation area.
The wreck is located approximately half a kilometer northeast of Qawra Point. This is a boat dive for experienced divers. The wreck is about 45m long and sits perfectly upright on the sandy seafloor. The maximum depth is 42m, the deck is 32m deep and the wreck is open for penetration; there are some rooms and corridors to visit. The wooden parts of the wreck have mostly rotted away, leaving only the metal structures.
In addition to the wreck there is a natural rock arch in the reef wall, and in front of the outer side of the arch, a large anchor dating from the 17th century, wedged between rocks and sandy bottom. In an underwater valley in front of the shipwreck is the Statue of Christ (Kristu tal-Bahhara). Very photogenic and a must-stop on this dive.
Advanced level.
The Polynesian
Known as one of the best passenger ships used in the nineteenth century and sunk by the Germans during the First World War, that is to say as part of the history and old age of the large shipwrecks of Malta, being considered as the Titanic Maltes since in its interior still preserves many of its belongings and pieces from the time that give value and originality to your visit. This wreck is only accessible to technical and experienced divers due to its depth and the presence of currents. The Polynesian is a French passenger ship 152 meters in length that was sunk by a German enemy torpedo on August 10, 1918, this year 2018 being the centenary of Polynesian. She rests at a maximum depth of about 65 meters being the highest part of the ship about 45 meters. Her position is 45 degrees, resting on one of her sides, which gives her an even more spectacular image, if possible.
The wreck is preserved in fairly good condition despite being underwater for a long time. The most damaged part is perhaps the engine room which was hit by the torpedo.
Advanced-technical level
We hope you have enjoyed the post and we hope to show you these shipwrecks and many more at Ok Diving Malta!
Regards and enjoy the blue 😀
