T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E
MARCH / APRIL 2014 2014 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President nbassily@vol.net.mt Joseph Azzopardi Secretary guzeppi56@gmail.com Denise Baker Treasurer denise.baker63@ymail.com Nicholas Agius PRO agius.nick@gmail.com Anton Debattista Activity Officer andeb@go.net.mt Reuben Borg Activity Officer reuben.borg@vodafone.com.mt Daniel Fenech Activity Officer 1977deepdiver@gmail.com
IN THIS ISSUE
page
• Note from the Editor -
2
• My Egypt Experience - Dorian Law
3/5
• Discover & Monitor our changing Marine Life - Dr Adriana Vella
6
• Species Page Sponges - Edward Vella
7/9
• Maltese Marine Wildlife - Dr Adriana Vella
10
• Dive Logs Lantern Point - 23/03/14 - Edward Vella
11/12
Crocodile Rock - 13/04/14 - Edward Vella
13
Ta’ Cenc - 27/04/14 - Edward Vella
14
Dive Sites Location Map - Joe Formosa
www.atlam.org
Janolus cristatus
Photo by Tano Rolé
info@atlam.org
15
The Editorial
It might have been noticed that the Atlam boat dive season has kicked off again. At the time of writing, three of them have taken place – we have been to Lantern Point in Comino, and to Gozitan dive sites at Crocodile Rock and Ta’ Cenc. ( You may read all about them in the Atlam Dive Logs in this issue). The boat dives are an excellent way to dive those sites which first of all are accessible only from the sea, and then our dive boat the spacious Atlantis II is, fast and stable and gets us to those remote places and back in time for lunch! Obviously the reader here is invited to spare a moment to realise that to organise these boat dives, entails quite a bit of hassle and of course responsibility, so well done to our super Dive Master – Guzi Azzopardi! Speaking of boat dives, the sea temperature has already gone up two degrees from its coldest this year, and it is now 17 degrees – it can only get better. During May, it should get even warmer, so come on in – the water’s fine! Join the boat dives! As explained by Dr Adriana Vella during the very interesting Why conservation evening held at the clubhouse on the 13th March, we divers can be of valuable assistance by reporting our sightings to BiCReF – The Biological Conservation Research Foundation – by using the dedicated Sightings Information form. By doing this we will be participating in their Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Project. I imagine this as being similar to a complicated mosaic, with every entry submitted being an infinitesimal but important bit to the overall picture. You may request a copy of the Sightings Information form by sending me an email at the below address, and then leaving the completed forms at the clubhouse. The sub-committee apart from taking care of your favourite diving e-magazine, is also involved in organising evenings of interest at the clubhouse. We have been loosely discussing the idea of making individual short presentations of underwater photography. Far from being intended to be a competition, the intention is that this will give an opportunity to the Atlam photographers to show their photos to the club. There have been several of these photographic presentations in the past, and can vouch for them myself, that these presentations have been very well received and appreciated. Therefore start thinking about it – your best shots, and a little background music. We all look forward to it! The next Bubbles will obviously be the May / June issue – Summer would be just round the corner, and with summer come the barbecues, and the cool sea breezes, relaxing on the clubhouse rooftop barbecue while taking in the fantastic moonlit view….. Now really looking forward to summer activities for our first summer at the new clubhouse. Keep diving
Edward Vella
evella@onvol.net
Bottlenose Dolphin in Maltese waters. (see page 10)
Photo: Dr Adriana Vella
JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses. • Free e-magazine
Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbecues • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.
For more info contact the President Nader Bassily on 99499101
My Egypt Experience by Dorian Law
It is every diver’s dream to explore the underwater world of his country, but being able to dive the seas of a foreign county is another different experience that will never be forgotten.
Egypt. At the Northeast corner of Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, bordered on the West by Libya, on the South by Sudan and on the East by the Red Sea, the Gaza Strip and Israel, lies Egypt, one of the most populated countries in Africa and the Middle East. With over 85 million inhabitants it has been continuously inhabited since the 10th millennium BC. It is known worldwide for its ancient archaeological ruins, such as the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. Tourism plays an important role in Egypt’s economy and diving tourism is second only to tourism related to Egypt’s historical sites. Most diving in Egypt is done in the Red Sea, an ecosystem formed millions of years ago as a result of the movement of the Red Sea Rift, when the Arabian Peninsula broke off from Africa. It is about 2250 km long and 355 km wide. The Red Sea is closed on the North by the Sinai Peninsula’s connection to Egypt, Israel, & Jordan, but it is open to the South through the Mandib Strait (Bab-el-Mandeb; ‘Gate of Grief’) to the
Gulf of Aden, connecting to the Arabic Sea and the Indian Ocean. Being surrounded by desert climate makes the Red Sea warm and pretty salty. Due to minimal waterfall each year much evaporation occurs as a result of heat, with average water temperatures varying between 22°C in February and 30°C in August. I was sure that diving this vast ecosystem was going to be amazing.
Wadi Lahami Trip. November 2009.
Destination: We left Malta towards Cairo airport to make a connection flight to Marsa Alam airport. A three hour two van journey took us about 200km towards our destination, Wadi Lahami Eco-Diving Village run by Red Sea Diving Safari. Wadi Lahami is on the edge of Wadi El Gamal national park on an extensive lagoon just above Ras Banas and as far South as you can stay on the Southern Red Sea in land based accommodation. Apart from diving, this area is known for
kitesurfing activities and its proximity to a protected mangrove area makes this village particularly special for its birds and wild life where sightings of Sea Eagles are very common. We arrived in the early hours of the day and were welcomed by one of the resort’s personnel who accompanied us to our ‘rooms’. Accommodation, food and daily schedule: We stayed in pairs in a 4meter by 4meter hard canvas beige tent. My roommate for this trip was Peter and I think we were both a bit worried about how this type of accommodation was going to provide us with any sort of commodity, something that has passed through the minds of the whole
group. We were wrong! The tents had generator supplied electricity, carpets covering the floor, ample room to store personal belongings, two single beds 2meters apart and two canecushioned chairs outside the tents with panoramic sea-view. Daily room service included carpet sweeping and the making of our beds. A lighted walkway on the sand leaded to the toilets and shower areas and also to the main building comprising the kitchen, ‘mobile phone free’ eating area and the dive shop. The day started with selfservice continental breakfast at 6am. Departure to the off shore reefs for 2 guided dives was at 7am. Punctuality was not our forte’ and it was thanks to the ability of Mohammed, our rib driver, that we could reach and
we dived included Shabrour reef, just a mile off-shore with quiet impressive formations of hard coral areas on the East and West reefs. The reef at Ras Bone forms a long coral block with three connected pinnacles in a straight line from North to South with tops from 7-14meters, inhabited by a huge abundance of reef fish. Daisy and Gazelle (Habili Gazallah) are two reefs at the entrance to a large bay and we saw big fish at this site. A 25minute trip took us to the first offshore reefs and we dived areas like the North and South reefs of Lahami, the gateway to the offshore reefs abundant in both coral and fish species. In this area I got a glimpse of a small reef shark that was cruising in shallow water along the reef. The area’s most noted dive is surpass the other two ribs and be the first at the dive sites and in the water. Briefing was done on board on arrival at the 1st chosen dive site. Tea, coffee, water and cake were served during the surface interval before the 2nd dive of the morning, returning to the village at about noon. We washed our equipment and headed for lunch. After lunch we had our obligatory and pleasurable siesta in the sunbed area under the palmed terrace’s shade. At 2.30pm we went for the 3rd dive at the inshore house reefs, returning at around 4.30pm. Dinner was served at about 5.30pm and night dives started at around 8pm. The food served was varied and I cannot recall eating the same thing from the menu in the first
seven days of the trip. Diving: From this superb location we made more than 20 dives at the stunning offshore reefs collectively known as Fury Shoal. The rib normally stopped on the South side of the reef, sheltered by the reef from the North wind and waves, giving us ample time to put on our equipment. The group would then be dropped on the Northern side of the reef, following the current towards South where the dive ends. The inshore house reefs that
certainly ‘The Stairway to Heaven’. The first part of this dive is much like the other dive sites with some rare large bushes of black coral, but just around the East corner, where the North to South current eases, a wonderful arrangement of hard corals rising from 20 to 8meters form a stairway at the end of which an archway, with some of the best examples of soft corals, forms a stunning frame for the deep blue water on the West side of the reef. The arch is impressive, with one foot of the arch lying in very deep waters, probably the best place ever to perform decompression / safety stops. Abu Galawa (father of pools) is a large reef with pools inside. On the Southern reef we dived the wreck of a yacht which sank during the 80’s at18meters before entering into the main pool. We also dived on a tugboat wreck that sank on the North reef at around 1945 with the bow just under the surface and the aft at 19meters. The inner side of the hulls was full of glass fish, while crocodile fish were also observed on the decks. With both wrecks surrounded by coral gardens, we could observe how the reef was taking over the boats’ hull. Other dived sites in the area included the pinnacles of Bloomen, Claudia and Indiana and also, the caverns a nd swim-troughs of Walking and Salah reefs. It took us about 45minutes to reach the outer reefs, but the trip proved to be worth the humps and bumps that we had to endure on the rib. We dived at Malahi
where it was very easy to get lost in the lots of channels, caves, swim-troughs and holes which lead to the next like a network of channels. At Angel many pinnacles make up pools between the pinnacles and the reef. We entered the first pool, moving from one pool to the other, passing on top of the reef, until we reached the Southwest side of the reef, where we finished our dive. At Satayah ‘Dolphin’ reef, the rib was anchored at the entrance to the lagoon and we snorkeled for more than an hour with a large school of bottlenose dolphins. Unforgettable: Having arrived at Wadi Lahami Eco Village in the early hours of the morning, we woke up for a late breakfast, followed by a walk along the beach. Not willing to wait for our first dive in the same
afternoon, I joined Joe and Steve for some snorkeling inside the lagoon. Apart from the variety of fish we saw in the lagoon, like the five lionfish lying under a rock, we also saw a big turtle that Steve generously pointed to us using his ‘lungs to the full’. I remember saying to myself “What are we to expect at the offshore reefs if there is such abundance close to shore?” In the following days I got the answer. All dives had something to remember, like when we saw a 2meter long Napoleon Wrasse at Habili Gazallah, the grand finale of the Stairway to Heaven at Lahami or snorkeling with the dolphins at Satayah. Even the crew left their mark on us. On one of the trips, the compass fell from the driving console to the rib’s floor. After playing football the rib’s driver, while still driving the rib, Mahmoud, the younger of the two crewmen, put the compass back in its place, but upside down. This
clearly showed us that they did not use a compass to get their bearings. We asked them how they got their bearings to and from the reefs. Their answer was simple. In the morning they drive towards the sunrise (East) then, since they recognize the reefs’ shape and size they adjust the heading to where they have to go. On the way back they can see the land from the closest offshore reefs and adjust their heading with the contour of the land and the mountain range. Non-diving Activity: On the last day prior to our departure, our dive guide organized for us a trip to the Camel Market at El Shalatin, the biggest camel market of the country, 280 km South of Marsa Alam and a 2hour 140km drive from Wadi Lahami, that we made accompanied by two Italian couples. For many years the area between Marsa Alam and the Sudanese border was closed. Bedouins tribes like the
Rashaidas from Sudan with their purple Galabiyas visit the market to sell camels for cash or using the old traditional barter and trade method. From the market the camels are taken to the loading area where trucks are backed up against natural ramps in the sand. The animals are loaded, ten to a truck, through a combination of coercion and brute force and tied down before being taken away. The market is also famous for handicrafts, herbs and other goods from African countries. We ate camel for lunch in a local restaurant ending with Bedouin coffee before heading back towards the village.
Dorian Law
In next issue my experiences at Dahab, Ras Muhamed and M/Y Blue Horizon Liveaboard. Also an assessment of pros and cons of the visited sites.
BICREF 2014 Marine Biodiversity Campaign: Discover and Monitor our Changing Marine life Conserving local marine life depends on regular surveys and observations, side by side with careful identification and quantification of the species found around our coasts and in our seas. This important conservation assessment measure has been launched by the Biological Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF) in 2002 (EcoTourism Year) with the preparation of slates and forms distributed to interested SCUBA centres, clubs and schools. This year BICREF will continue to increment this necessary monitoring effort by involving SCUBA Centres in a Campaign for the Best BICREF Monitoring Reporting effort in 2014. BICREF shall be promoting the SCUBA centres forwarding the greater amount of forms by the end of September with an Award/Certificate: THE BICREF BIODIVERSITY AWARE SCUBA CENTRE. The best photos forwarded with the fill-up forms will also receive a separate award: THE BICREF BEST SEA LIFE IMAGE to be awarded at the end of September 2014. The image will need to be followed by the detailed fill-up form and a brief description of what this image means for the person who took the shot. All entries would need to be forwarded by the 15th of September 2014. The winner will be given a certificate, free BICREF DVD of the International Accolade Award winning documentary Waves of Life and a free BICREF T-Shirt depicting marine biodiversity. The BICREF Biodiversity filled-up forms may sent: BICREF, PO BOX 30, Hamrun.
In a changing environment it is essential to be able to monitor distributions and presence of previously recorded and unrecorded species found in our waters. These indications can then be studied further by BICREF members and University students under the supervision of Dr. A. Vella (Conservation Biologist). Such monitoring and observations have in the past already produced interesting and relevant conservation information, such as the recording of locally unrecorded or rare species, the decline of typical species usually found in certain areas, and the presence of dead fish in large numbers. The ongoing record keeping and data analyses are also considered side by side with human activities around our coasts and offshore in our territorial and “conservation zone”. The successful collaboration of BICREF, the Conservation Biology Research Group at the University, SCUBA divers, fishermen and sea-users is allowing an excellent exchange of experiences, observation and knowledge that are at the core of conservation science and practice – A beautiful example of how specialists and the general public can work together.
JOIN US AND SHARE THE INCREDIBLE JOY OF CONSERVATION
Species Page Research & photos by: Edward Vella
One of the colour sources of the underwater world is that provided by sponges, which are to be found in many different marine environments. As soon as hit by your torch beam, brilliant oranges, yellows, reds and white stand out from the monochrome blue grey of their surroundings. We see sponges as growths on hard substrates such as rocks or covering wrecks, and may therefore be in some way excused for thinking at first that these are some form of vegetation. Well we could not be farther from the truth. Sponges in fact belong to the animal kingdom – although one of the simplest form as far as animals go. In biological classification, kingdoms are then divided into phyla (singular phylum). Sponges belong to the phylum porifera – meaning “having pores”. The Porifera phylum is in turn made up of an over 5,000 species of sponges. It is through the “pores” that sea water is absorbed, passed through the sponges’ structure and ejected from a large hole like cavity called the oscula. The water that circulates within the sponge carries tiny particles which are trapped and from these it extracts the nourishment required to grow and reproduce. Obviously an internal current needs to be created, and the sponge does this by means of specialised cells, which have a whip like appendice. Multitudes
Sponges
of these cells cause the water inside to move in one direction creating the nutrients carrying current. The internal structure is essentially made up of passages for water circulation, this and its structure in which silica is present, as well as the rubbery consistency of a certain sponge species, made it ideal for human use – with soap and water - during bath time… Thank goodness for the invention of artificial ‘foam’ sponges!
Spongia officinalis
Sponges have been very successful in colonising hard substrate underwater environments, be it in their encrusting or free standing forms as can also be witnessed locally. On this page are pictures of sponge species taken during dives around Malta. Finally would recommend viewing the following short but instructive video at the below address: h t t p : / / w w w. b l u e w o r l d t v. c o m / webisodes/watch/the-biology-ofsponges
Cocospongia sp.
Ircinia variabilis
Spirastrella cunctatrix
Chondrilla nucula
May- June 足- Red Mullet - Trill PLEASE SEND PHOTOS
Discovering Maltese Marine Wildlife Marine Mammals and more After sharing with Atlam the documentary Waves of Life, it was clear that participants wished to know more about the incredible wildlife our seas possess away from our sight. Dr. Adriana Vella’s research efforts since 1997 has revealed how important our waters are to marine mammals, turtles, seabirds, fish and a complex diversity of life forms so different in size, shape, colour and behaviours. All uniquely contributing to sustaining life and providing goods and services vital to us and this planet’s future. A diversity of forms that was also reflected in the different species of marine mammals Adriana has been studying in her conservation research projects through these many years. From the more well known Bottlenose dolphins found closer to coast to the Striped dolphins, Common dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, Pilot whales, Sperm whales, Fin whales and occasional sightings of other dolphin and whale species all distributed in our waters! All discovered and studied by Adriana and shared with us all through the efforts of BICREF in their various documentaries aired on TV channels, locally and abroad and also now available with a simple donation for current and future generations to enjoy. Without a doubt the effort to study and monitor these species is not trivial, in time, effort and money. Ongoing collaboration of the Conservation Biology Research Group (CBRG-UoM) at the University of Malta, The Biological Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF) and various other local maritime entities have allowed this local efforts to place Malta on the map with regard to cetacean research and conservation awareness, may years ago. This work still goes on. Notices to Mariners are issued each year to encourage the reporting of cetacean and turtle sightings by sea-farers, thus complementing her long-term research efforts. Since 2001 Adriana has also promoted cetaceans through her photographic exhibition which has been made available to various local schools and entities for educational purposes. Dr. Adriana Vella, Ph.D (Cambridge) is and has been for many years the National Contact Person for the European Cetacean Society which promotes cetacean science and conservation.
PORTS AND YAC HTING
DIRECTORATE
LOCAL NOTICE TO Our Ref: TM/PYD/0 1/14
MARINERS No 03
of 2014
21 January 2014
Turtles, Dolphins/W
hales and Jellyfish stu dy
by the
University of Malta The Ports and Yacht ing Directorate, Tra nsport Malta notifie of Malta is conduc s that the Departme ting research studie nt of Biology of the s on marine biodiv around the Maltese University ersity within the Ce Islands (from coasta ntral Mediterranea l to offshore) in res n Region pect of: 1) Turtle, Dolphin and Whale sightings. 2) Jellyfish Blooms sig htings. Mariners are reques ted to cooperate and
support the research by reporting sightin gs as follows: 1) Turtle, Dolphins and Whales Dr. Ad riana Vella email (ad 99429592) riana.vella@um.edu. mt), or sms (+356 2) Jellyfish Bloom s may also be forw arded to the email: JellyWatchMalta@g mail.com The information for each sighting should include: a) date and time of obs ervation; b) number of Turtles, Dolphins/Whales/Jel lyfish; c) location (GPS coordin ates if offshore); d) photos when possib le; Photos of sightings are appreciated wh en these are possib strange looking jell le and in particular yfish. CIESM colour should be taken in ful posters identifyin JellyWatchMalta@g the case of g jellyfish types ma mail.com y be requested by emailing to The participation of mariners in such an initiative is necessary to devise an early wa to ensure regular mo rning system for bat nitoring of Maltese hers and assist in Me research. waters diterranean wide ma rine conservation
Lantern Point This was the first of the Atlam boat dives for 2014. Originally this dive was announced to take place at Cominotto Rock, but given the worsening sea conditions, an alternative destination – Lantern Point was proposed, and an almost unanimous show of hands soon settled that matter! It can be said without any risk of error that Lantern Point has the shortest
- Comino 23.03.14
transit time of all the boat dive destinations – about 10 minutes, and is also within sight of the Marfa jetty departure point. This meant that the divers were more or less all kitted up and ready to go immediately they got onto the dive boat. (This time it was the Lucky Lady, since the usual Atlantis II was still in the last stages of its winter re-fit) This was a pretty standard Lantern Point dive with the dive boat anchoring on the reef in about 6 to 8 metres and as close as it can get to the entrance of the chimney.
Article by Edward Vella
The Chimney! Located close to the lantern which warns shipping of the point’s location and gives its name to the English name of this site (Maltese: Il-Ponta l-Irqieqa), the chimney is a vertical shaft in the reef which according to my dive computer goes down from about a little less than 6 metres into a rocky corridor cave at about 17.5 metres which then exits into a small canyon formed by boulders which have fallen off the reef. Here the diver can either chose to proceed on a Southerly heading and descend along
the reef face onto the sand which is at about 42m, or else stay mid-reef and proceed in a North Westerly direction. The route to the Southern face of the reef can be taken through a nice swim through beneath one of the huge boulders, to then exit in a window over the drop off.
Photo: Joe Formosa
Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Joe Formosa
Photo: Edward Vella
There is also the option to proceed eastwards along the reef, but in that direction, I am told that the reef gets shallower and monotonous. This time the group I was in decided to take the mid-reef North Westerly direction, where we kept at about 30 metres. Visibility was not bad but not too good, but we were concentrating on finding photographic targets of opportunity - so really it was more than acceptable. For some reason, however whenever I have dived this site, such visibility was frequently encountered. The dive here takes you on a slope covered with Posedonia, and littered with large truck sized boulders, where we hopefully searched with our torches on their underside. After a couple of hundred metres we turned to the right towards the reef, and then followed the reef wall which took us back to the canyon at the previously mentioned tunnel exit. We had gone in a clockwise circuit. As regards the previously mentioned photographic targets, we did not have much luck, but while ascending I did manage to spot a large moray eel. Other divers who took the Southern reef face were luckier and came across a couple of lobsters and some amberjacks. All in all, a very agreeable dive, to kick off the Atlam boat dives for this year. Now looking forward to the rest!
Photo: Joe Formosa
Crocodile Rock
Crocodile Rock must be one of the favourite dive sites with the Atlam divers, and once dived, it will become clearly evident why: during most of the times here, there have been sightings of large dentex and mottled groupers (Maltese: Cawluni), there is no effort to be made to reach depths of 45metres - of course technical divers venture further out from the reef to depths greater than 60 m, the reef shows the way clearly, so there is no navigational hassle, at the recommended turn around point there is a nice cavern waiting to be explored, on the way to which, the sponge and algae covered reef wall keeps the diver exploring and hoping to make an interesting encounter such as a lobster or a moray eel in its den. This was an early season dive, so there were not as many divers as during the peak summer months (somebody unselfishly said that this actually improved the chances of meeting a nice dentex). In addition to sea temperatures still around 16 deg C, the day dawned rainy with a moderate South Easterly with a low swell from the SW which made the Atlantis II roll. Lightning could be seen on the horizon away to the west. One careful diver determined to keep dry at all costs even brought an umbrella – just in case. Conditions on the site however,were ideal this time! So down we went through the breach in the reef onto
- Gozo 13.04.14
Article & photos by Edward Vella
Flabellina affinis
the first ‘platform’ at about 45 metres – beyond it, the sea bed just keeps on sloping down. As if it was there waiting to have its picture taken was an usual looking nudibranch which seemed to have multiple spike shapes with tiny spheres at their tips. I remembered having come across that one during the preparation of the Species feature in the previous issue of Bubbles, and sure enough it was confirmed to be a
Janolus cristatus (see Tano Rolé’s shot on cover). A short distance away at about 38m we came across another nudibranch – this time a common purple Flabellina affinis. A large dentex came in from seaward and disappeared in the boulder mass beneath the reef. I would estimate that this individual must have been close to a metre in length.
Given its size, it moved about quite rapidly – too fast in fact for me to get the camera to bear – and I managed to get a hazy picture of the boulders. Up to now I have not made out where in the picture is the dentex ….. if it is there, that is! We then ascended slowly until we were back against the reef wall and proceeded to the planned turnaround point – the so-called Roger’s Cave whose sandy floor lies at about 21 metres. It seemed to us that the environment inside this round shaped cave has become somewhat degraded through what we concluded was due to frequent diver visits. For example remnants of lace bryozoans could be seen on the sand, and the amount of sponges seemed to have gone down. This time on the bright side (literally because the diver who found them had two bright video lights), were two large slipper lobsters which were discovered on the ceiling. Then once out of the cave, we re-traced our path back along the reef always ascending until we got ourselves back into the breach. In the meantime, it had turned into a fine day….
Ta’ Cenc
- Gozo 27.04.14
Admittedly, as far as the way the Atlam boat dives work out, with the departure being from the Marfa Quay, whenever the North West rules the day and the waves, the choice of workable dive sites becomes a bit restricted and normally falls on those situated on the South facing coast of Gozo. Having stated this, it would here be very much in order to clear the air, just in case those who have never dived there start suspecting that these are lone star stuff. Nothing could be further from the truth. These sites in fact offer some very nice to fantastic diving sites. At Ta’ Cenc the divers are discharged beneath the cliffs some 200 metres to the West of the Mgarr ix-Xini creek entrance, and then collected at the mouth of this same creek where the Atlantis II can drop anchor safely (making sure that this is dropped on sand to avoid damaging any Posedonia oceanica). So after the divers had buddied up, divemaster Guzi started the diving with a classic ‘Wall on the Left!’.
Article by Edward Vella
This time, no sea life of any note was encountered, but once at the entrance, many perfectly flat and perfectly camouflaged flounders are to be seen on the sand. Other sand inhabitants like striped seabreams (Lithognathus marmyrus Maltese: Mingus) and stripered mullet (Mullus surmuletus Maltese: Trilja tal-Faxxi). Also this area is famed to be a frequent sighting spot for sea horses, but this time, we did not stay there to search for them. Instead we made it a point to visit the two caves which are to be found at creek’s entrance on the right hand side (looking seaward). We have entered
these two small but interesting caves on quite a number of previous times, but that does not detract anything from the fascination of re-visiting. The first cave has a steeply sloping floor of very fine sediment – in other words, extra attention has to be paid to the finning method used – unless you do not want to find yourself in an authentic sand storm! The large entrance and the small size of the cave eliminates danger from silt out but any photographic ambitions will also be eliminated! Pity since some very large tube worms may be found here…
the same steeply sloping fine sediment floor, but this time behind the front chamber there is a passage which first goes to the left and then straightens out and eventually rises to the surface. Fresh water may be noted at the end of the corridor, so in addition to the silt there is also the visibility hazard which occurs when two liquids of different densities meet and are disturbed by the diver. So extra attention and a minimum of cave diving behaviour is highly recommended.
All in all, an interesting and enjoyable The second and more inward cave is dive! actually much more interesting! Again Photo: Edward Vella
The cliff wall here continues straight down to just about 20 metres and then butts into a slope that leads to the sand. At this point, sand and slope meet at about 40 metres. The closer one gets to Mgarr ix-Xini creek entrance, the shallower it gets. Eventually, the cliff wall also meets the sand – at that point, the diver will have practically arrived at the creek. Photo: Joe Formosa
Photo: Joe Formosa