TRAVEL SPECIAL
Malta and Gozo
Destination lowdown: Located between the southern tip of Sicily and the north coast of Africa, the Maltese archipelago has long been a favourite short-haul destination for UK divers. Affordable, accessible and with some of the best diving in the Med, Malta and Gozo are known primarily for their shore diving, although some boat diving is available. The Diving: The most obvious attraction is the warm water – reaching 26 ° C in August – and the volume of wrecks and scenic sites just a threehour flight from the UK. The water is too cool for reef-forming corals, so you get seagrass meadows and rocky reefs with a few sponges and soft corals. There are silver fish such as amberjacks and barracuda in the water column, but really Malta and Gozo are all about the underwater topography, seen through the wonderfully clear, cobalt-blue water. In Gozo, for instance, there is the spectacular Blue Hole, a flooded sink-hole that provides a world class playground for divers. It’ s also a great place for a gentle entry to wreck diving, with wrecks such as the historical Maori at Marsamxett Harbour well within Ocean Diver depth limits. The Price: Malta is priced just below Egypt on the ladder of affordable diving destinations, though with the Euro as its currency the price of your holiday will be influenced to by post-Brexit currency fluctuations. Nevertheless, flights and accommodation packages are available from £ 500, so a full diving holiday is achievable for around £ 750 to £ 850 all-in.
Longhaul options
The Caribbean: The crescent of Caribbean islands have very easy diving conditions on their leeward sides, facing the Caribbean Sea, which makes them ideal as first time destinations. The principle diving islands for Brits are St Lucia with its gentle drift dives; Grenada with its array of shipwrecks and Tobago with its abundant marine life. Cuba also has excellent diving, though its most renowned site, the protected Jardines de la Reina, is perhaps a bit too shark and crocodilerich for some tastes. With its currencies linked to the Dollar, the Caribbean can be an expensive destination, but its romance is undeniable. Price range: from around £ 1,500 for a week with flights. South East Asia: East of Thailand and west of Papua New Guinea, there is incredible scope for diving. This part of the world has the greatest marine bio-diversity in the world, accounting for a variety of coral and fish species many times greater than
Top: Malta is known for its blue waters and shipwrecks
Bottom: Swimming through a tunnel in Gozo
Both photos by Elaine White
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