T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015 2015 Atlam Committee Members :Joseph Azzopardi President guzeppi56@gmail.com Reuben Borg, Anton Debattista, Victor Fabri, Klaus Farrugia, Alfred Muscat Alvin Pace.
IN THIS ISSUE
page
• Note from the Editor
2
• Shipwrecked - Dorian Law
3/5
• Species Page - Crabs - Edward Vella • Dived Overseas Where - Dorian Law • Diving the Web - Edward Vella • Um El Faroud - Tano Rolé
7/8 9 10/13
www.atlam.org Photo by Edward Vella
6
info@atlam.org
The Editorial This is the deep winter issue of Bubbles – the issue where the editorial team have to think hard how to find enough interesting features to make up the number of pages that you readers have grown accustomed to find. This state of affairs comes about, as you might have guessed, due to the absence of the boat dive logs, so a bit on the diet side for this time, but it is the quality that counts… Following hard on the beginning of the new year, the Annual New Year party, was held at BiC, then come February, a sneak preview of two episodes of the local production Mera ta’ Dinja Ohra were held – these were presented by the series’ producer, Emi Farrugia. Then on the eve of the 10th February public holiday (St Paul’s shipwreck – read the special feature about this historic shipwreck in page 3 to 5 of this issue), a Spare Ribs & Chicken Barbecue event was held – real finger lickin’ good stuff! The next ‘event’ on the calendar, is for sure, the most important activity of the year - the Annual General Meeting. This year it was held on February 26th. This was the meeting that will now determine which future course our soon to be 60 year old SAC will take, and this time it was significant due undoubtedly to the change of President. Nader Bassily and his committees have ably steered Atlam for the past seventeen years, through some pretty rough weather as well, but the reward at the end is there for all to see – of course, our super clubhouse! This time round Nader decided to pass the torch, for some well merited time to enjoy the fruit of past labours. A heartfelt well done from all the members! The new committee is now headed by Guzi Azzopardi – previously Atlam’s hard working Hon. Secretary – best wishes and full support to our new President! The other committee members elected were (in alphabetical order): Reuben Borg, Anton Debattista, Victor Fabri, Klaus Farrugia, Alfred Muscat, and Alvin Pace. Congratulations to all - their assigned committee roles should be presently advised. This has really been a very stormy and disruptive Winter, dishing out bad weather mostly on weekends, but now perhaps March will be kinder, and the first boat dives should not be too far away now….. Keep Diving.
Edward Vella evella@onvol.net
Frederick Catania earned his living as a full-time diver until he suffered a serious bend that has left him paralysed from the waist down and unable to properly support his wife and three young children. All Local Diving Clubs and Sponsors are teaming up with Caritas to raise some funds to help this family. Join us for some good food and drinks in a divers’ den, all for a good cause.
Shipwrecked Dear Atlam divers, What follows is a recount of events of a shipwreck on the island of Malta, as recalled by the survivors.
The Voyage Starts. When it was decided that we would sail for Italy… we boarded a ship from Adramyttium (Edremit, Turkey) about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. The next day we landed at Sidon (or Saida, Lebanon). From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia (southern Turkey), we landed at Myra in Lycia (Demre, Turkey)… found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy… made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus (Knidos, Turkey)… sailed to the lee of Crete… moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens (Kali Limenes, the Greek name that translates to Fair Havens, situated on the southern coast of Crete). This was a harbor in Crete, facing both Southwest and Northwest. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix (Phoinikas, Crete) and winter there.
The Storm. When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the
by Dorian Law
shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Euraquilo (Northeastern or Maltese; Grigal), swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda (Gavdos, Southwest off Crete in the Libyan Sea)… Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis (body of water between northern coast of Libya and eastern coast of Tunisia), they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
The Shipwreck. On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight… Altogether there were 276 of us on board… they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy
Saint Paul Shipwrecked on Malta. Laurent de La Hyre, France, 1606 - 1656. Birmingham Museum of Art,
beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf… ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. Then we found out that the island was called Melite (Melita, Malta). The natives showed us extraordinary kindness… This extract, taken from the Bible, Acts 27 / 28 of the Apostles, narrates the events that brought to our Islands not only the Apostle Saint Paul but most importantly the Faith, which gave us our Roman
Catholic Religion and so began a Christian influence in Malta that has continued down through the centuries. Today, Malta is the most religious nation in Europe. But you might ask if such an article fits in our scuba diving magazine, Bubbles. May I just remind you that a shipwreck involves a ship lost at sea, what divers call, a wreck. Many people might consider the wrecks of the RMC Titanic, HMS Victory, HMS Mary Rose or the Vasa as the most famous wrecks. In my humble opinion, none of these wrecks can be compared to the St. Paul’s shipwreck. Although the story of the wrecking is written in the most sold and printed book, the Bible; the unnamed wreck is still to be found. The place of the actual sinking is still being debated today, after nearly 2000 years, thus this article can only touch the tip of the subject. I will hope it will inspire further research and reading on the subject.
The Melite Debate. ‘Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta’, the story reveals. The whereabouts of the site are shrouded with controversy, mystery, social, political and religious affairs. Apart from Malta, there are many aspirants for this honour. These include, the Dalmatian island of Meleda (Mlyet) in Croatia, Mitylene (Mitilini ) and Cephallenia (Melaina) on the Greek Island of Lesvos. Many illustrious figures form part of this debate, every one of them arguing in favour of their chosen wreck site. These include, Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (945-959), Konrad of Quernfurth versus Maltese Jesuit Girolamo Manduca and Benedictine abbot Ignazio Georgi versus Count Giovanni Antonio Ciantar (17th century). The 19th century saw a very heated debate between Mgr. V. Palunko, pro-Meleda, versus Pope Benedict XIV who was pro-Malta, with Francesco Lanzoni, an authoritative ecclesiastical historian, dismissing the Meleda claims. Recent contributions to the Journal of Theological Studies and the Biblical Archeologist, show that this debate is far from over. The last leg of the voyage, from Fair Havens to Melite is the cause of much controversy. St. Luke narrates how the Northeastern gale drove the boat under the lee of the island of Gavdos, with the fear of being driven on to the sands of Syrtis. They were driven off course and drifted about in the Sea of Adria. This part of the recount of events by St. Luke poses the first three topics of the debate, namely, the direction of the gale, the Syrtis sands and the Sea of Adria.
Euraquilo; the precise name is doubtful, but ‘Euraquilo’ is more easily explained as a compound of the Greek word euros, ‘east wind’ and the Latin word aquilo, ‘northeast wind’, hence euraquilo ’east northeast wind’. Sailing ships are fully dependent on the wind speed and direction for propulsion and navigation. Sailing at beam reach (wind from the side) in strong winds puts a sailing ship in great danger of capsizing. Tacking (sailing approximately into the wind) in strong winds is very difficult even for small modern yachts, imagine what possibilities the crew of St. Paul’s shipwreck had against a ‘wind of hurricane force’, as described in the Acts. The direction of travel is described clearly in the Acts; ‘…and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along’. Today’s technology can be put to good use to show the probable path of the voyage. Gavdos can easily be located in Google Maps and a Northeasterly wind would have blown the ship in a Southwesterly direction towards Sirte in Libya. This would have taken the ship away from Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, but closer to Malta in the center of the Mediterranean. The Syrtis Sands lie more than 500kms away from Gavdos, not really an imminent threat but a probable one for an uncontrolled ship sailing in that direction. The Sea of Adria (Adriatic Sea) lies between the East side of Italy and Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. This brings Meleda into the debate. For the ship to be anywhere near Meleda (Croatia) it would have travelled due Northwest from Gavdos, along the coast of Greece and Albania. This 1500km coastline, sheltered from the Northeasterly wind, would have
provided a safe port for the ship. This route is un-probable when one considers the writing in the Acts 28:11-15; ‘It was no less than three months later that we set sail in an Alexandrian ship which had wintered in the island. We put in at Syracuse… from there we tacked round to Rhegium (Reggio)’. Had the shipwreck taken place on Meleda, such an itinerary would not have made geographical and navigational sense. Studies have shown that for ancient seamen, the Sea of Adria extended towards the central Mediterranean sea.
The Malta Debate. Located on the North of the small village of St. Paul’s Bay, St. Paul’s Island is said to be the site of this maritime event. St. Paul’s Shipwreck Church, which lies on the site where the Maltese inhabitants lit the fire for the survivors, makes a strong statement regards the authenticity of the wreckage site. The Malta debate revolves around the actual wreck site. The three main contenders are St. Paul’s Islands, the Marfa Ridge and Munxar Reef in Marsascala.
The Ship. More than 1000 ships carrying over 350 tons of grain were used to supply Rome with nearly half a million tons of grain per year. The ports of Ostia and Pozzuoli saw the arrival of five grain carriers per navigable day. With the famous ‘mare clausum’ (closed sea) of the Romans, navigation was suspended during the four winter months, leaving only eight months to deliver the precious cargo. Risks were taken! Dimensions mentioned by writers or voyagers of the era describe the Egyptian – Roman grain carriers with the following dimensions; 55meters long, a beam of 14meters and a 13meter deep cargo hold. A nicely sized wreck! Former Los Angeles Crime Scene Investigator Bob Cornuke began a 10 year search for the true location of St. Paul’s shipwreck. He based his search on four factors, namely; a bay with a beach, a reef or sandbar where two seas meet, the seabed at about 90 feet (30meters) depth and a place the sailors did not recognize. St. Thomas’ Bay or Munxar Reef in Marsascala fits the four criteria. But the crux of the story revolved around the four anchors. To corroborate the theory, Mr. Cornuke involved local diving pioneers Mr. Ray Ciancio and Mr. Joe Navarro. It was Atlam Sub Aqua Club Honorary Member Ray Ciancio who informed Mr. Cornuke that back in the early 60s, four anchors were dug out at about 90 feet of depth just outside St Thomas’ Bay, near a dangerous sandbar called the Muxnar Reef. The anchors were later donated to the National Maritime Museum, and expert analysis confirmed they were Roman era anchors.
The controversy of the four anchors is still going on. Recent discoveries of huge anchors in the area between Ghallis and St. Paul’s Bay work in favour of the theory that the shipwreck actually happened in the St. Paul’s Bay area. A 700kg lead anchor inscribed with ISIS-SARAPIS; the names of ancient Egyptian deities, was found by diver Mark Gatt in the Salina – Ghallis area. This is a typical anchor size for an Egyptian grain carrier. Marfa Ridge lies approximately 4kms away from St. Paul’s Island. It also fits in the four criteria as set by Mr. Cornuke, making the beaches of Ghadira (Mellieha) Bay or Imgiebah Bay a probable landing site for the survivors. Only the four anchors are missing from this site. The debate is still ongoing, until the wreck is found!
The 10th February is the feast of Saint Paul. No visitor to Malta today can ignore the prominence of St. Paul in the Maltese society. Numerous paintings and sculptures commemorate St. Paul and his shipwreck. More than twenty churches and chapels are dedicated to St. Paul, including the Cathedral
in Mdina and the Anglican Cathedral in Valletta. Four churches commemorate St. Paul’s arrival on Malta, two churches are dedicated to St. Paul Shipwrecked, one to the Shipwreck itself and one to his welcome on Malta. The wreck, if only it can be found, will put an end to the debate. God’s plans for the Maltese Islands were clear, as told by Saint Paul himself; ‘But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ”Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you”. So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island’. So, if you are diving in any of these areas, keep a watchful eye on anything that might put light on the discovery of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck.
Species Page Research by Edward Vella
The first crab species which was a subject in this series was the hermit crab Dardanus arrosor - and that was way back in December 2011, in this issue we shall be looking at two very different species. Sally Lightfoot Crab - Percnon gibbesi There does not seem to be a local (Maltese) name for this crab, even though it must be one of the most commonly found. This is not surprising when one realises that Sally L. was only noted in the Mediterranean in 1999, and locally during 2001. Since then, this invasive crab, has multiplied so much, that it is very likely to be found wherever there is a boulder environment. Up to a couple of years ago, I was not aware, and I am sure that many share my blissful ignorance that this crab is an invader and a very
rapid coloniser! This success has been attributed to various factors such as rapidly adapting and making favourable conditions of the local sea temperatures, the absence of
Crabs 2
(Grancijiet)
competitors, flexible feeding habits – by the way this is a herbivorous (vegetarian!) crab. Also it stays fertile for a long time, and lays eggs several times a year – in addition its larvae remain in a planktonic stage for an extended period, and therefore give the sea currents an opportunity to transport them to distant shores. Of course, the question comes, as to how Sally L. made it to our shores – and one gets the usual reasons – carried along in vessel ballast water, or released from aquaria (where this crab is sometimes bred for its lively colours), or as previously stated drifted in with Atlantic currents. While snorkelling some time ago now, but on several occasions, at Hondoq irRummien in Gozo, I could not help noting that this crab had colonised in large numbers the boulder shore to the East of the bay. It really looks like this one is here to stay.
Photo: Joe Formosa
Shamefaced Crab – Calappa granulata – (Maltese: Serduq) So called Shamefaced due to the way this crab holds its massive claws, which when folded give the impression that the crab is hiding its face in shame. The way it holds its claws serve the crab to provide a relatively sand free space in front of its mouth, as well as to push against the sand to make it rapidly submerge in it, leaving just its eyes protruding. The local name is Serduq – meaning cock – this name is also used by the French (coq de mer) – the name must result from the serrations on its forceps which remind of a cock’s comb. For the Italians it becomes Granchio Melograno – Pomegranate Crab - due no doubt to the crab resembling a fruit when it bunches itself up in a defensive attitude, - the reddish dots then make the similarity with the pomegranate?
This is not a so commonly observed crab as the previously described Sally Lightfoot Crab, foremost among which is that in its natural habitat is practically invisible – being practically submerged in the sand where it can stay immobile for days. Apart from that its colour is yellowish with symmetric reddish dots, these colours provide for excellent camouflage. In addition, it is not so abundant. Personally I have never come across a Shamefaced, due perhaps to its mimetic properties, but also perhaps due to the fact that this crab is mostly found at depths starting from 15 metres – and you have to be close the sand to make the sighting. Calappa granulate feeds mainly on molluscs – those unlucky enough to come within reach of its massive claws will regret their mistake, right as their shells are being cracked apart!
Mar-Apr : Brown Meagre - Gurbell Photo: Edward Vella
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Article compiled by Dorian Law
Crete.
Mediterranean Sea. Greece.
Destination: Crete, the largest island in Greece, is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea. The elongated island spans 260 km from east to west, with a width varying between 10km at Ierapetra and 50km between Matala and Pelagia, with a coastline of 1,100km. It lies approximately 150km south of the Greek mainland. Many smaller islands form part of Crete. Heraklion is the capital city and the Euro is the currency used. Getting there: The cost for the 4hr trip to Crete Heraklion (HER) Greece airport costs €270. This combined AirMalta – Aegean Airlines flight makes a connection at Athens International Airport (ATH). Facilities: Accommodation, from hotels to self-catering apartments, is available on the island and the choice depends on the area being dived and personal budget. High season prices start at €25 per night at the Memories Apartments and Studios in the Bay of Malia area or €50 per night at Casa Veneta in the Chania area. A good hotel choice would be the Hotel Marina in the Anogia area at €40 per night for a double or twin studio. A 5night apartment, 6dive package costs about €590 and 7nights at the Niriides Hotel with 10dives costs about €860. A 10 dive package costs about €400.
A 7day car hire costs around €150, ideal to travel around the island. Food prices at restaurants range from €15 for grilled beef to €8 for souvlaki (skewered pork meat), on average, lower than other Mediterranean countries. There are various dive centres, each catering and specialising in their area. Some also cater for technical diving and it is best left for the individual to choose, depending on the type of diving and dive vacation planned. Albatross of Greece offer a 7day 14dive liveaboard package on a 15meter catamaran at €1500. Non-diving activities include a visit to one of the many beaches including Elafonissi, Balos Lagoon and Seitan Limiana. Aquaworld Aquarium and the Cretaquarium Thalassocosmos are also not to be missed. For the more adventurous, walking the longest gorge in Europe, the Samaria Gorge, should not be difficult. Others might opt to visit the remains of vast Minoan palaces like Knossos, Phaistos and Malia, relax in pretty waterfront towns such as Chania, Rethymnon and Sitia, visit the Archaeological Museum at Iraklion, the Arkadi Monastery or the beautiful frescoes in the church of the Panagia Kera.
Blue Cave, Crete - Expedia.co.uk
Package cost: A 10 day package with flight, accommodation and 2 daily dives costs around €1400 depending on the choice of accommodation. About €300 is expected to be spent on various items such as food and leisure for the 10day period. Dives: The following are the most dived sites around Crete. Diving amongst anchors at Anchor Valley at about 20meters or at Big Anchor is a reminder of the area being used by seamen in the past. Spectacular cave diving around the island include, the 20meter wide Blue Cave, the Cavern with natural light penetrating from above, the El Greco Cave with its astonishing stalagmites, stalactites and
plenty of light or the two caves at St. George. Wrecks can be dived by boat to the Islet of Dia or to Analipsi where a Messerschmitt ME-109 lies upside down in 24meters. Kalypso Walls, Mononaftis, Skinaria Bay and Daedalos are relatively shallow dives for all levels. Stavros Cape offers a drop-off dive that exceeds 50 meters, while at the Aegean Window close encounters with schools of tuna are possible. Scuba centres cater for dives in their area of operation. The ideal plan would be to travel around the island and dive the best sites instead of staying in one place and do all the dives that the area offers.
Difficulty level: Low – Medium Depth: 10 to 30+ meters. Visibility: 10 to 50 meters. Wrecks: Low. Caves: Average Walls: Low. Snorkelling: All around the island. September to October are the best. Marine life diversity: Low for fish and corals. Big fish: Low Water temperature: 15 – 27 °C. Best time of the year: Spring and Autumn.
Diving the Web - Three Good Ones NGO BiCReF
Ocean Gravity
www.bicref.org. The Biological Conservation Research Foundation - have launched their new website. You will surely remember the most interesting lectures held at our clubhouse by Dr Adriana Vella and other lecturers during March, July and August 2014. An important point, always reminded during these lectures was the need for us divers to report sightings back to BiCReF (a sighting form was also distributed). Reporting these sightings has now been made easier through the website – including the facility to attach photos. Of course in addition, this website keeps one abreast of all BiCReF activities and initiatives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v11b84Okcm8 – I must have watched this one for at least six times since I have come across it some three weeks ago. I am not alone – at the time of writing this movie had 1,240,446 hits. I will not spoil your fun by reporting anything about what goes on – but it is a superb bit of choreography – the participants of which are Guillaume Nery ( 2008 world free dive champion), and the Pacific Ocean as it rushes through a break in the huge coral reef around Rangiroa in French Polynesia. This movie then led me to the apnea champion’s own website at http://www.guillaumenery.fr There you may get a feel of this background and watch the other movies made by his partner Julie Gautier, the 20 minute Narcose, and Free Fall.
by Edward Vella
Reno Tonna http://renotonna.yolasite.com/ This is another local website, which can come in useful whenever the need comes to identify a fish sighting. The site is dedicated to local fish, and presents them in an alphabetic sequence of fish names in Maltese. Each fish species is illustrated either by photographs or by line drawings. In addition to the Maltese common name the respective name in English and Italian are given as well as the scientific name and classification. The website would however definitely benefit if in addition to the alphabetic listing in Maltese, there would be a similar listing in English and Italian, since it could happen that the only clue that one has to identify a fish is just in one language. Apart from this lack of multi language search function, this site could be very useful – I find myself looking this up many times.
The Um el Faroud from tragedy to living monument Twenty years ago, tragedy struck the Malta Drydocks when nine workers lost their lives in an explosion which ripped through the night of the Cottonera area on the 3rd of February 1995. I was living in Australia at the time but I got to hear about this when my mother called to tell me about the incident; news travels fast and bad news travels even faster. I still find it difficult to imagine the national grief that gripped the Maltese islands during that time despite my reading of newspaper articles and talking to friends who experienced the tragedy directly. My experience is somewhat indirect; every time I see the plaque bearing the names of those nine workers which now adorns the bridge of the Um el Faroud some 18 metres below the waves at Wied iz-Zurrieq. A ship insurance surveyor, who was involved in the case, discussed the causes of the accident on one of the local TV stations. The ship was in No.3 dry-dock undergoing repairs and maintenance. The surveyor claimed that two of the holds of the Um el Faroud had been filled with ballast water before the tanker
by Tano Rolé
was placed in dry dock. However, these holds would have normally been filled with refined petroleum products – mostly petrol and this was not revealed to MDD officials. In such cases, the holds would have required special cleaning as in the case of operations carried out at Ricasoli tank cleaning farm. As the holds were being emptied of this ballast water, the sides of the hold and the sludge, which often collects at the bottom of the tank, were exposed to the air. The more volatile compounds of the oil residues vaporised and started to leak through holes on the deck. This highly flammable vapour was eventually ignited by welding torches, operated by Yard workers, and burned back into the hold setting off an enormous explosion. Photos which featured in the local newspapers reveal the extent of the damage that was caused by this explosion. The central section of the tanker was ripped open by the blast and the ship’s structure was totally compromised. Of course, the ship was beyond repair and it ended up occupying No.3 dock for a period of three years while lawyers
representing Malta Drydocks, the ship owners, and the insurance companies had a field day. This would be considered as an insane period of time for a productive dock to be kept out of action until one takes into consideration the snail’s pace of our so-called judicial system in Malta. I would hate to be an accountant and calculate the financial losses that this incident cost the Maltese taxpayer. Sometimes it is more comfortable to live in ignorance. In the fullness of time, the decision was made to patch the tanker, tow it towards Wied iz-Zurrieq and scuttle it just outside the valley. This was meant to create an artificial reef and serve as a tourist attraction. This decision turned out to be a very wise one. The dock was freed and the local, as well as tourist diving community, gained a brand new artificial reef which was, by far, larger than anything we had at the time.
I have fond memories of the day the ship was scuttled – 2nd September 1998. I took my two young sons (at the time) down to Wied iz-Zurrieq to witness the event and I managed to get a few photos of them with the sinking ship in the background. I remember being impressed by the long time that the ship took to sink. The Faroud arrived at the scuttling site by late morning and took well into the afternoon to sink; about four hours in all. In fact, some of the bystanders gave up and left. In time, the longawaited moment arrived and the superstructure disappeared below the waves. Whoops, whistles, sirens, and fog horns from the attendant tugs and tenders joined in chorus to salute the ship on its way down to the depths.
Of course, I was extremely keen to dive the new wreck and that same evening our group were the first divers to dive on the Faroud. We had to wait until the tugs and other boats left the area, and that took nearly until sunset. It was almost night time by the time we got into the water and we headed off in the direction of the scuttled ship. We ventured out onto the sand in darkness while our torches barely illuminated a few metres ahead of us. This was a time when powerful LED torches simply did not exist. Our puny Q-lights and Vegas’ barely penetrated the dark but I was impressed by the relatively clear water. We kept finning out onto progressively deeper waters and I kept trying to persuade myself that it would have been difficult to miss a 110 metre tanker. While these thoughts raced through my mind, the sand seemed to disappear and we nearly slammed into a black wall. I trained my light upwards and realised, with a mixed sense of relief and awe, that we had reached the looming hull of the Um el-Faroud. It was at this point that I realised just how big this wreck is; we used to think that the Rozi was a sizable wreck! I swam up the side of the Faroud and onto her deck. Strings of small bubbles were still rising from several points and my lights reflected eerily from the ship’s white superstructure. A large, red, NO SMOKING sign painted under the bridge seemed to blare a message that was poignant (because of the ship’s history) as well as ridiculous since it was now some 24 metres underwater! Open dark doorways and hatches beckoned but I resisted the temptation. Wreck penetration is a hazardous exercise at all times but, at night and on an unknown wreck, it was close to suicidal! Of course, there was little sign of marine life on such a fresh wreck and we never expected to see any but, finning back towards Wied iz-Zurrieq, we did encounter some squid and gurnards. This was a welcome indication of good times ahead.
I think that the Um elFaroud has now become my most-frequented dive site. It is a stupendous wreck; placed just far enough to make the dive a challenge while being close enough to the shore to make the dive accessible from the mouth of the valley at Wied iz-Zurrieq. Of course, the fact that I live at Zurrieq – virtually up the road – probably also contributed to this. The seventeen years that it has lain underwater have brought about some significant changes. Severe storms have battered the ship despite the fact that its keel is now resting at a depth of 34 metres. The main deck lies at 24 metres while the bridge is at a depth of 18 metres. The wreck seems to have settled over the years. The single funnel (the highest part of the wreck) was clearly visible at a depth of 9 metres and I used to love snorkelling out to the wreck and free-dive down. The funnel now seems harder to reach; perhaps it is a combination of the ship’s settling or my older age! Sand scour is very evident around the single four-blade screw and this is where divers encounter their deepest part of the dive. Without a doubt, however, the most significant structural change is the break-up of the wreck into two sections along the tear suffered during the explosion.
The bow and stern sections have now shifted and rotated so much that the port side of the bow section almost aligns with the starboard side of the stern section. The heavier mass and greater size of the stern section has also resulted in this part of the ship settling more while the bow section has tilted downwards at the prow. This has created a space between the keel and the underlying sand where quite a few fish like to gather in a semi-obscure habitat. The more welcome change in this wreck is that it has now gained a patina of algae, sponges, and other sessile organisms. In short, it has become a living, functioning, artificial reef. Most divers tend to be impressed by the larger predatory fish which often gather around the Faroud. These include large schools of barracuda and amberjacks, as well as the more solitary grouper and moray eels. In my case I tend to look at the smaller organisms. I was particularly impressed by a small gorgonian; which is quite rare in Maltese waters at such a shallow depth. For some three years, I documented the growth (or perhaps lack of ) this gorgonian by taking photos.
On one occasion, as I approached it for my customary photo shoot, I could not find it anywhere. During another dive I finally discovered it on the floor of the deck. Unfortunately, some diver must have been particularly careless and, knocked it off its mount. There is considerable academic debate about the effectiveness of artificial reefs. Many people insist that they provide micro-habitats for marine organisms and afford new opportunities for refuge. Others claim that this type of reef merely concentrates existing fish populations in one spot – possibly contributing to their eventual capture. Whatever the case, I firmly believe that the Um elFaroud has earned an enviable place in the itinerary of all divers in the Mediterranean. Dive safely. Tano