entry point at Susie’ s Pool. Before long the outline of the wreck appeared below us and Neville signalled our descent to deck level.
P29 was a Kondor-class minesweeper built in East Germany in the 1960s and then used for border patrols in Malta until being decommissioned in 2004. The ship was purchased by Malta Tourism Authority to be environmentally cleaned and sunk as a diver attraction in 2007, sitting at a maximum depth of 38m at the bows.
It’ s an enjoyable dive, still fully intact and sitting upright on white sand. Even in clear water there was no way I could photograph the entire ship, so I followed Neville around shooting detail of the deck features and the communications tower, enveloped by a school of silvery bogues.
The wreck is bearded with seaweed that sways gently, indicating the light current moving across the site. This made it tricky to venture beyond the protection of the main structure. I settled for photographs of Neville posing with the deck gun, which I suspect was welded on just before the boat was sunk, as there’ s no sign of it on archive photographs.
The second of Cirkewwa’ s big wrecks is the Tugboat Rozi, built in Bristol in 1958 and sold to a Maltese towage firm in 1972. She was sunk as an artificial reef in 1992, primarily as an attraction for a tourist submarine. These days, the only visitors are divers, but the Rozi is a popular feature at
Seaweed trails from the bow of the patrol boat P29
Cirkewwa, sharing star billing with the P29.
We entered the water via a set of steps at the south end of the lighthouse, navigating the reef and seagrass until the Rozi’ s stately form materialised. All due respect, I’ d describe the Rozi as a bit of a thumper, a heavy-duty working vessel built for durability. Still, as we approached the
wreck, I found myself admiring the curve of the stern. With the white sand standing in contrast to the margin of the seagrass, it’ s a beautiful scene. As you sometimes find with sizeable wrecks and clear water, there is a sense of space and geometry, the only sign of life a few bream sheltering in the( propless) area behind the rudder.
Neville brings out the big guns on the P29
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