Jun 04, 2024

Malta May 2024 Trip Report

Trip Report - Malta May 2024

Trip Attendees:

Divers:

Mel Catlin
Susan Cook
Ben Green
Will Goodbourn
Tracey Roberts
Kurt Rubenstein
Leonie Russell
Vic Russell
Rick Smith

Non Divers:

Kat Smith
Brandon Roebuck

Trip Details

Trip Dates: May 23rd - May 30th 2024

Stayed at: AX sunny beach Self Catering Apartments, Qawra, Malta

Dive Centre Used: Buddies Dive Cove, St Pauls Bay, Malta

Trip Dives

The varying qualifications of our group consisted of open water divers, junior advanced, advanced open water divers, divemasters, assistant instructor trainer - some tech trained and some not.

This meant that a few of the dives sites were not available to some of the group but this was well handled by our supporting Dive Centre who then took them on some interesting cavern swim throughs or various reef dives but all at the same location as the rest of the group.

During the week we dived at Cirkewwa Right and Left reefs, Tugboat Rozi, X127 Manoel island, Ghar Lapsi, Patrol Boat P29 and the must do dive of the Um El Faroud

We also had a day out boat diving where we dived the P31 Patrol Boat and Comino Caves.

A varied week of diving with wrecks and sea life was had by all.

The Um El Faroud

The Um El Faroud sits upright on the sandy seabed southwest of Wied il-Qrendi. Um El Faroud is 115 metres (377 ft) long and has a beam of 15.5 metres (51 ft), and a height from keel to funnel top of approximately 22 metres (72 ft). The depth to the top of the bridge is 18 metres (59 ft) and 25 metres (82 ft) to the main deck. The bottom rests at 36 metres. After a bad storm during the winter of 2005/6 the ship has now broken in two.

Wreck penetration is possible (SSI Advanced Wreck Speciality anyone?) with access to both the engine room and several of the smaller surrounding rooms in the stern section and parts of the mid and forward storage sections of the ship.

While the wreck is still relatively new, it has quickly become popular with fish, including pelagic species such as tuna, jacks, and barracuda, pretty much all were seen on our two dives.

There was this one cuttlefish, initially it was just chilling in the middle of a school of fish, but then when everyone came to have look at it, it took a shine to Will and it just hung out with him for a while, followed him round for a couple of circles, and proper acted up for the camera. Mike (our dive guide) suggested that it may have recently spawned, and it's saying "hey look at me look at me!" As a way of distracting predators from its eggs.

Video here

Trip 'Rules'

There is the obvious rule of what 'goes on tour stays on tour', but there was one rule of the week set by Buddies Dive centre and that was no wet kit in the van. So if you went in your swimming attire you needed dry pants for the return trip. What happens if you forget the rule, well you only forget once - don't you Ben?

Hanging your head in shame for 10 minutes with the pointy finger of Mike!

Dive Boat

The day we dived at Manoel island, we parked alongside this lovely boat and had to have a group picture. Then we found out the boat is available for hire at $1,000,000 a week, has 28 crew and 18 guests. Dive Rutland dive trip - anyone??

Trip Cakes

Instead of Ice-creams on this trip, Tracey and a few others decided that instead of lunch a late afternoon cake and coffee was the order of the day.

Congratulations - Bens 200th Dive

During the trip Ben completed his 200th dive, but unfortunately the risk assessement said that Ben could not complete his 200th dive in his celebratory outfit (water temperature 19 degrees celsius) but Tracey was persuaded to get back in after the dive so Ben could complete a celebration - 10 mins in the shallows and to thank Tracey he even found her a nudibranch.