The Maltese Islands may be a speck on the world map, but when it comes to diving spots (among many other things) they can contend with giants. So much so, that over the years our archipelago keeps scoring one of the top ten places in some of the world’s most prestigious lists of diving spots. And Gozo is usually the one that does it for us.

In April 2013, for example, Gozo was named the third best diving spot in the world through a poll conducted by Diver Magazine. ScubaDiving.com called Gozo ‘The Island Every Diver Needs to Explore’; while The Guardian named Gozo one of the top places for scuba diving in winter.

Jason Fabri, director of diving at Watercolours Dive Centre

Malta and Gozo are becoming increasingly popular diving destinations primarily due to our tiny size and the vast number of great diving sites that pepper this outstanding archipelago.

The underwater visibility at times surpasses 50 metres and the marine life, unlike other Mediterranean destinations, still offers plenty of fish and an abundance of different species.

There are very few places around the globe that offer so much to see in such a small place. Our seas boast reefs, WW1 and WW2 planes, wrecks and submarines, cave systems (some of which include swim-throughs and archways) and corals.

The Maltese and Gozitan seas also work for deep and technical diving with no tidal issues. They have little to no currents and thanks to our lovely weather they are warm. Most diving sites are also reachable within 20 minutes of any diving centre.

My favourite diving spots around Gozo have to be the sites covering the north and west coasts, namely the Dwejra area with the Inland Sea and Blue Hole sites and other places like San Dimitri and Reqqa Point with Billinghurst Cave and Double Arch Reef being of particular interest to all those who love cave and deep dives.

The sites around the southern coast also offer incredible diving, and these include x-Xatt l-Aħmar (where you can experience three lovely wrecks called ‘Xlendi’, ‘Cominoland’ and ‘Karwela’) and Mġarr ix-Xini (where you can find a few easy caves and luscious Posidonia meadows).

At Watercolours Dive Centre we have day trips to Gozo every single week of summer. We usually meet at 8am at the dive centre and travel up by diving truck.

www.maltadiving.com

Richard King, owner and director at Scuba Kings Gozo

The Blue Hole and Inland Sea are stunning examples of unique topography above and below the water in the north west of Gozo.

The Blue Hole itself is 14 metres deep with an archway on one side giving access to the open sea and a huge cavern to the other.

In my opinion, the Inland Sea is probably the most unique and spectacular dive.

There is a huge crevice that runs from the Inland Sea through the cliff to the open sea and the sheer walls on either side and the stunning blue of the entrance and exit create what is considered one of the most spectacular ambiences.

On the north coast of Gozo there is the Cathedral Cave dive, otherwise known as the Blue Dome. It is so known because the roof of the cave is a large natural dome and the light from the entrances creates the most amazing, intense and iridescent effect in the water, giving it a natural floodlight effect.

There are very few places around the globe that offer so much to see in such a small place

I would suggest that divers – even qualified ones – take a guided dive if it is their first visit. Unguided diving, although allowed for those with just the basic PADI Advanced qualification, should only be done by experienced divers, and even they should have experience and knowledge of the dive sites.

As Scuba Kings Gozo we offer anything from learn-to-dive holidays to trips for experienced divers. We cater for BSAC and PADI training, as well as guided diving for groups and individuals.

www.divemalta-gozo.com

Audrey Cudel, owner of Gozo Technical Diving

What makes the Maltese Islands so attractive as a diving destination are the unique geological formations around the islands. The funny thing about it is that a lot of the Maltese heritage inland looks quite similar to what can be found underwater.

The wrecks around the islands are definitely another key point of what makes Malta and Gozo so special. Even if some were sunk on purpose for divers, each of them has a history and turns into a habitat for marine life. More than 120 wrecks are known to this day and probably some more are still to be discovered and that gives the whole thing a very challenging feeling.

Billinghurst at Reqqa Point is probably my favourite dive site in Gozo. This cave is only 27 metres deep at its deepest, but as it gets shallower, one gets to explore the place fully without decompression concerns. As with any cave dive, however, a redundancy in air source with twinset or side mount configuration is strongly recommended.

This cave is also nicely decorated on the cavern part and is full of macro marine life. When one gets into the cave, the rock formations there are surprising: perfectly shaped holes and several plateaux, which always remind me of the Hypogeum in Ħal-Saflieni. The visibility inside the cave is great, and the shades of blue attract many photographers.

At Gozo Technical Diving we offer packages for both recreational and technical divers, however our biggest goal is to share our experience with those who love diving as much as we do.

www.gozodiving.com

Brian Azzopardi, director of diving at Atlantis Diving Centre

Apart from the temperate climate and the clear waters, Malta and Gozo are two distinct diving destinations.

Malta has a wide choice of underwater wrecks; Gozo is wilder, with an abundance of caverns, tunnels, chimneys, arches, drop-offs and deeper water directly accessible from the shore.

As someone who has travelled to and dived in most seas and oceans around the world, I still find Gozo to be a unique destination with its characteristic underwater topography. Moreover, I have never encountered such a concentration of completely different top dives in such a small space.

In tropical destinations, it is normal to travel for two hours or more to reach a dive spot. In Gozo, it takes two hours to reach a dive spot, dive and go back to the dive base.

Although Gozo has several excellent dive sites, the most sought after tend to be Dwejra (Blue Hole and Inland Sea), Reqqa Point and Cathedral Cave – and they are some of the best.

When going to these places, precautions need to be taken. Make sure you get a good weather forecast before choosing your dive location, do a local area orientation dive if you plan on visiting independently, and if you’re an amateur, always make sure you go with a qualified diver.

As Atlantis Diving Centre, we offer guided dives, diving equipment rental and all sorts of courses, including beginner, speciality, technical and professional courses.

www.atlantisgozo.com