Blue Island Diving School Malta

This unique mini blue hole and the tunnel that leads to the local Marsascala Reef. This tunnel has been naturally eroded by the sea over thousands of years. The entry point is by a giant stride jump into the blue hole itself. It is a nice easy dive on the reef with a maximum depth of 15m.

The SS Margit Wreck sits in a shallow depth of 22m, on a silty bottom in Kalkara Creek. It can be found parallel to the shore. It is a World War II wreck dive and was a Panamanian steam passenger boat which was built in 1942. In an air raid on the 19th of April 1941, she was hit and sunk to the east of the Grand Harbour in Valletta. Another name for the SS Margit is MV Odile. At 100m long the SS Margit is considerably broken. Her funnel and 2 masts have been removed by explosives. Regarding the dive, unfortunately the visibility is not particularly good since marine traffic is very busy in and out of the Harbour. Interest – Wreck Popularity – Low Depth – 16m (avg), 24m (max) Qualification – Advanced >Shore access – Easy Location – 35.8912°N 14.5222°E (Nearby)

St. Michael is one of the two small shallow wrecks at Zonqor Point in Marsaskala on the southeastern coast Malta. St. Michael was a former tugboat working in Grand Harbour of Valletta. She was purposely scuttled in May 1998 together with another tugboat, Number 10, to create an artificial reef and scuba diving site. Before scuttling the tugs underwent a clean-up operation and were made safe both environmentally and for divers. St. Michael wreck is 20 m long and lies upright on flat sandy bottom at a depth of 22 m, with the uppermost part at around 17 m. This tugboat is situated approximately 15 m from the reef; when visibility is good the wreck can be seen from the reef, but visibility in Marsaskala Bay is not as good as elsewhere in Maltese islands. Tugboat 10 is about 50 m west from the stern of St. Michael and closer to the reef. Both wrecks are usually visited on the same dive. Tugboats St. Michael and 10 are now partially covered with sponges and corals, creating a lovely artificial reef and an oasis for a variety of marine life. They have transformed an ecologically barren seabed into a shore diving location accessible for divers of all levels, providing excellent opportunities to practice wreck dives at medium depths. The tugboats are also sheltered from the north-westerly winds, making this a popular dive site during the summer months. St. Michael and Tug 10 are some of the few shallower wreck dives in Malta, suitable for PADI OWD or equivalent. Other shallow wrecks are Tug 2, another tugboat scuttled in 2013 off Exiles in Sliema, Patrol Boat P31 scuttled in 2009 off Comino, and World War II wrecks HMS Maori off Valletta and X127/Carolita off Manoel Island, both in Marsamxett Harbour. Tugboat 10 is one of the two small shallow wrecks near Zonqor Point in Marsaskala, on the south east coast of Malta. Tug 10 was a former tugboat working in the Grand Harbour of Valletta. She was scuttled in May 1998 together with another tug, St. Michael, to form an artificial reef and scuba dive site. Prior to scuttling the tugboats underwent a clean-up operation to make them safe environmentally and for diving. The Number 10, or Iz-Zaghra (the little one) as divers from the South of Malta sometimes call her, is 16 m long wreck and lies upright on flat sandy bottom with a maximum depth of 21 m. The bows of 10 lie up against the base of the reef, and its stern is about 3 m away from it. St. Michael is about 50 m east from the bow of the Tug Ten and a bit farther away from the reef. The wrecks are usually visited on the same dive. Tugboats 10 and St. Michael are now partially overgrown with corals and sponges, creating two lovely artificial reefs and providing habitat for a variety of marine life. They have transformed an ecologically barren area of seabed into a shore dive location which is accessible for all levels of divers, offering an excellent opportunity to practice wreck diving at medium depths. The tugs are also sheltered from the north west winds, making them a popular dive site during the summer. Tug 10 and St. Michael are some of the few shallower wreck dives in Malta, suitable for PADI OWD or equivalent level. Other shallow wrecks are Tug 2, another tugboat scuttled in 2013 off Exiles in Sliema, Patrol Boat P31 scuttled in 2009 at Comino island, and two World War II wrecks HMS Maori off Valletta and X127/Carolita off Manoel Island, both in Marsamxett Harbour. Tug 10 wreck history Tugboat 10 was probably built locally at the Malta Drydocks in the late 40s or early 50s. Number 10 is a Melita type tugboat and 16 m in length. Not much is recorded about the No 10’s history, except that she saw many years of service towing numerous other ships in and around Valletta’s Grand Harbour. Then the tug was moored at Jetties Wharf in Marsa together with St. Michael awaiting their destiny. Subsequently the tugboats sank at their moorings and remained partially submerged on the seabed for several years, as there were only few metres of water below them. Later both tugs were bought by Cassar Group, a local Maltese shipyard. Tug 10 and St. Michael were scuttled on 16th May 1998 at Zonqor Point, which is on the north side of the entrance to Marsaskala Bay. This location was chosen for multiple reasons: the dive site is sheltered from northwesterly winds, the flat sandy bottom was free of Posidonia seagrass, and the depth of approximately 20 m is within reach of also the less experienced divers. The wrecks are both upright and parallel to the reef, their bows pointing outwards from the bay. Tug 10 is lined up behind St. Michael, and the distance between the tugs is about 50 m. DIVE SITE DESCRIPTION Wreck Dive Malta: Tugboat 10 & St. Micheal At this dive site, you will be able to experience two wrecks on one dive, the Tugboat 10 and the St.Micheal. The Tugboat 10 is the smaller wreck of the two. Tug 10 is a 16m long wreck and lies upright on a flat sandy bottom with a max depth of 21m. 90 degrees off the bow, lies the St. Micheal. The St. Micheal is a 20m long tugboat, also a former working tugboat in Grand Harbor of Valletta. Both wrecks were sunk in 1998. The Tugboat 10 & the St. Micheal are one of the few shallower wrecks in Malta and suitable for Open Water Divers. DIVE SITE HIGHLIGHTS The Marine Life On both wrecks, the chance that you find a lot of Nudibranchs is really high. So when diving the tugs, bring your camera if you’re a fan of marine life. Experience Needed You must be certified to dive to a depth of 18 meters to dive this site. We would also recommend Nitrox Diver or being an Advanced Diver DIVE SITE SPECIFICATION Location: Marsaskala, Malta Type Of Dive: Shore Dive Max Depth: 21m Minimum Certification: PADI Open Water Diver Recommended: PADI Advanced Open Water & PADI Nitrox Diver

Mosquito Fighter Bomber was a twin-engine multipurpose aircraft with two seats. This is one of three airplane wrecks we know of around Malta. Her full name is De Havilland Mosquito. It was mainly used as a fighter plane. This plane was built practically solely of wood apart from it’s tail, which was made from aluminium. The wreck lies at a depth of 40 metres on a sandy seabed along with some small reefs nearby. With regards to specifications of the plane, she was 13.6 m long and had a wingspan of 16.5 m. In 1949 on the 26th of March, it’s starboard engine had problems while on a mail run and the plane tried to land back at Hal Far. Unfortunately it crash landed into the sea. Located around 500m off Dellimara Point and it’s coast. It is on the East side of Malta. Experienced divers are the only certified divers able to dive the Mosquito Fighter Bomber, also because of the occasional strong currents. Obviously the wooden parts of the plane have long since deteriorated. What is left however is a metal frame with a heap of cables running through. Also the two engines are still intact as well. The tail however, is buried quite buried within the sand. There are also pieces of metal around the site of the wreck. Mosquito Fighter Bomber Guide Interest – Wreck Popularity – Low Depth – 42m (max) Qualification – Advanced Shore access – Boat only Location – 35.8300°N 14.5700°E (Approx)

The Bristol Blenheim Bomber is an airplane wreck in Malta from World War II. It was originally built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company where it served in the British Royal Air Force. With a twin-engine it carried a maximum of three people. It was a light bomber aircraft of about 13m in length and 17.2m in wingspan. While on a mission to Kefalonia in Greece, this Bristol Blenheim Bomber was hit by an Italian enemy aircraft, damaging the port engine. The Blenheim then turned back to land in Malta for safety. However the pilot had to ditch the plane in the nearby sea. Luckily the crew suffered only minor injuries and survived the landing. The location of the Blenheim Bomber wreck is around 500m off Xrobb l-Ghagin which is on the East Coast of Malta. For those who wish to dive this wreck, it is important to note that there are strong currents sometimes. To get to the wreck it needs to be a boat dive and only experienced divers can dive this wreck. The Bomber is at a depth of 42m on the seabed with sand and small reefs. The wreck itself is in pretty good condition with the wings and radial engines still more or less intact. The port engine propeller is missing however the starboard engine propeller is still there but bent. On another note, the cockpit cover is also missing whereas the fuselage was broken off and now lies a few meters away, in front of the plane wreck. It is also upside down and mostly buried under the sand. There was also the pilot seat once, however that has since been removed. Blenheim Bomber Guide Interest – Wreck Popularity – Low Depth – 39m (avg), 42m (max) Qualification – Advanced Shore access – Boat only Location – 35.8353°N 14.5747°E (Exact)

HMS Hellespont was scuttled around 1.5 km from the Valletta Grand Harbour Entrance. She is another World War II wreck, one of many which are lying around Maltese waters. It was sunk during an air raid between the 6th and 7th of April 1942. After the harbour had been cleared after the air raid, the boat was scuttled off of Rinella, where she is now situated. The first time the HMS Hellespont Wreck was discovered was on the 15th of May in 1999 by some divers. At 41 metres she sits upright on a sandy bottom at 46m long. Most of the wreck is still intact, the only exception is of 15m of the bow section, which had been completely destroyed. HMS Hellespont Guide Interest – Wreck Popularity – Low Depth – 35m (avg), 41m (max) Qualification – Experienced Shore access – Boat only Location – 35.9015°N 14.5411°E (Exact)