In the first of a two-parter on Malta, Andy Torbet talks about his love for the island nation, and why it’ s ideal for family snorkelling
UKDIVING TORBET ON THE TUBE
Warm water, warm welcome
In the first of a two-parter on Malta, Andy Torbet talks about his love for the island nation, and why it’ s ideal for family snorkelling
Ivory sand, azure sea and radiant sunshine
I
have visited Malta many times over the last 20 years. During my time on bomb disposal duty in the Forces I had little time for leave, but would try and fit in a week now and then to escape to Malta. There is a familiarity in Malta that makes any Brit feel at home, 1,300 miles away in the centre of the Mediterranean. Malta embraces its connections with the UK – English is the official second language and they even drive on the left-hand side. All of this makes it a very low-stress destination for sun-seeking Brits.
There is much for divers of all levels, from snorkeller to technical. What I always appreciated was that so much of the diving – reefs, caves and wrecks- could all be accessed from the shore, with no need for a boat. This meant all you needed was a set of wheels and a dive centre that would hire you some cylinders and lead; you could make up your dive diary as you saw fit, as long as you were suitably qualified.
The lack of significant tides also allowed you to improvise your schedule. This proved useful when, as a much younger and more dashing soldier, I may have embraced the culture a little too much the evening before and been desirous of a later start to the diving day.
Fast forward to the present day, and I now have a young family in tow; the late nights are a thing of the past. This particular trip was the second time we had visited Malta as a family, and now it looks like becoming an annual pilgrimage. With a 10 and eight-year-old in tow, it was a snorkel-focused sojourn that
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