A cloud of dust engulfed Golden Bay and a huge wave slammed against the beach, pushing terrified swimmers up the shore.

Some thought it was an earthquake, but Peter Borg, who had just rented a paddleboat to three young tourists, saw the cliff face collapse that unforgettable afternoon on September 5, 1980.

“When I saw the cliff coming down, we got on a speedboat and shot off. Boulders tumbled down onto each other, spewing rocks across the bay. I thought I’d be looking for bodies.”

“It was a miracle that nobody got killed. It was unbelievable. The paddleboat looked like it had been bombarded,” Mr Borg told this newspaper 35 years after the cliff face between Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa Bay crashed into the sea.

For the first time since the incident, Mr Borg, who runs Borg Watersports, is sitting with Keith Snowden, one of the three young tourists who were in a paddleboat just 100 metres away from the rock fall.

Mr Snowden, then 14, stood up in the boat as soon as the bottom part of the cliff face collapsed, causing the upper part to crash into the sea, scattering rocks all around.

He was hit in the leg, and it took him more than 20 years to recover.

However, standing up is likely what saved him, as he would have probably been hit in the head by the rocks. Mr Borg found him bobbing up and down in the sea, kicking to keep afloat. His brother, Andrew, swam to the shore, where he collapsed, while his brother’s girlfriend suffered slight injuries.

Mr Snowden has been to Malta twice in winter since the incident. On his third visit during the past week, he headed to the bay with his wife, Sharon, and daughters Ellie and Emma.

As he made his way to the water sport kiosk, Mr Borg thought he was a punter.

“Then he asked if the people running the facility today were there 35 years ago. I told him I’ve been here 48 years and I couldn’t believe it when I realised who it was, because in my mind, Keith is still a young fragile boy,” Mr Borg said.

The paddleboat looked like it had been bombarded

After recalling the incident, Mr Snowden rode a paddleboat for the first time in 35 years, and managed to get some closure over the incident. But the memory is still vivid.

“It happened on the 10th day of our holiday. We were headed towards the cliff as we wanted to do some snorkelling there,” Mr Snowden said, looking at the headland underneath the Għajn Tuffieħa watchtower.

“It was a matter of seconds but having Mr Borg and Carmel Galea reach me in time was crucial, as I was being dragged down,” he said.

The Times of the following day reported that the three bathers had been “rescued” by two Maltese men. No others, apart from his brother, were injured.

The story ‘No one missing in bay after cliff-face collapse’ appeared in The Times 35 years ago.

But for Mr Borg, the “true hero” was the 14-year-old, who had remained calm and collected throughout, although a bit dizzy.

The boy was given four pints of blood and spent four days at St Luke’s Hospital before flying back home.

His brother had broken some ribs and punctured his lungs, so he stayed on for treatment for some weeks.

Mr Snowden suffered superficial head injuries but broke his leg in three places. It took him some 18 months to recover. The main fracture was in his ankle but he also took a blow to his knee and had to have corrective surgery in 2001.

Thirty-five years on, the scars remain, but so has the appreciation for Mr Snowden.

“I will always be appreciative of the hospitality and sincere goodwill offered to me and my family by the Maltese at the time of the incident and up to the present day. I hold Malta very close to my heart,” he said, smiling.