GOZO I CHOOSE YOU!

travels

GOZO I CHOOSE YOU!

Text and photos Wojciech Karkusiewicz

MALTA, GOZO AND COMINO ARE DEFINITELY AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, WITH A RICH HISTORY THAT IS EVIDENT ANYWHERE YOU GO, FROM NEOLITHIC TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY.

Above all, the history of the archipelago is visible in neolithic structures dating back to approx. 3500 years B.C. and, secondly, in saltpans used until today, which will never allow you to get bored when visiting the island. This can be done in a number of ways, starting from a regular bus, through individual, organized trips with small cars and tuktuks or by bike. Driving through the island is a fun experience and an adventure, while the mountainous shape of the island guarantees spectacular views at every turn.

But let’s get back to Gozo and diving. This small island, about 15 km long and 7 km wide, offers some extraordinary dive sites.

I have moved to Gozo with my family quite recently. We are opening the Diveworld diving base in Marsalforn – a tourist destination and the largest accommodation base. Gozo is Malta’s smaller sister, but it has much to offer. Sometimes Gozo is referred to as a quiet village. We have spectacular views and megalithic ruins of Ġgantija in Xaghra. The Citadel towers over Victoria, the capital of Gozo (also known as Rabat), with its massive fortifications. It offers a beautiful view over the entire Gozo. The largest, red-sanded beach in Gozo, Ramla Bay, where you can relax and take a swim in the sea, and watch the sunset from the Tal-Mixta cave, provides an unforgettable experience.

What will surely catch your attention is that there is a church in every village in Gozo (all worth seeing, as they have beautiful interiors), surrounded by bars with delicious food – also highly recommended. The community of Xewkija is home to the basilica of St. Johannes der Taufer with allegedly the third biggest dome in the world. One should of course also mention the Ta Pinu basilica as a place of Marian devotion.

Saltpans are spread throughout the island, but most of them are in the north. They are used to source salt from sea water – and you can even buy yourself a bag of this salt. Wied il-Gharsi is a paradise for people seeking tranquility. This secluded fiord, as one could call it, attracts with the possibility to swim among unearthly views, compensating for any missing infrastructure. And Ta Cenc cliffs are perfect for viewing sunsets which, you can believe me, are definitely worth it!

Dwejra – a remnant of the Azur Window, Inland Sea and Blue Hole. Boats can take you for a short trip on the Inland Sea for a small fee out to the open sea to watch the cliffs from the water.

Let me just add that a trip to Comino is a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, this paradise island is crowded in the summer, but if you do not mind that, you can spend a nice day there or at least a couple of hours. It features a marvelous blue lagoon, you can enjoy a sandy beach and crystal clear water.

One could write about Gozo endlessly, but I prefer you to come and see for yourself why we decided to live and work here.

We have the most interesting dive sites here. When the Azur Window collapsed, it created several interesting rock formations that you can swim through. It is an attraction both for beginner divers and for those who want to take a deeper dive. The Dwejra region, also known as the Blue Hole, offers a few caverns with depths ranging from 12 to 30 m. You could basically spend 3–4 diving days here, each time diving somewhere else. Of course, it all depends on the diver’s skills and certifications, and recreational divers do about 4 dives in a week here.

We also have caves that are safe to swim inside, the largest being the Billinghurst Cave, about 130 m long, with a spectacular air chamber at its end, which is about 50 m wide and a few meters high. The view is astonishing, especially when there is someone already in the dome, illuminating it. On your way back, you swim through the dark part of the cave and you cannot be deceived seeing the entrance lighted up by the sun. You need to monitor your depth to slip through the upper part of the entrance and ascend.

Not far from the Billinghurst Cave, we have another large cave with an air chamber and an additional opening in the wall, letting in a small amount of light, but the main source of light here is the light coming from the huge entrance, causing a blue glow in the entire chamber and the water around us. It is a spectacular show!

In the northern part of the island, there are a few more caves and rock formations, such as the Double Arch or Triple Arch, Bottle Neck Cave, Shrims Cave and many more. Most of them are available for OWD divers, while some require appropriate equipment and decompression gases.

The next diving chapter is wreck diving and also here we have a lot to be proud of, as in the area of Malta and Gozo there are several wrecks sunken especially for divers and some historical ones, including ORP Kujawiak at about 100 m and HMS MAORI at 14 m. We have three wrecks off Gozo, all of which are accessible from a single site – the Wreck Dive Site – with a comfortable car park and access to water. In Malta, right next to the ferry harbor in Ċirkewwa, we have two wrecks: the patrol boat P29 and the tow boat Rozi, while south off Malta, the huge tanker Um El Faroud. All the wrecks lie at the depth of some 40 m.

One can say that diving near the third island of the archipelago, called Comino, is a separate story. It offers the patrol boat P31, lying picturesquely on the sand at about 18 m and some minor, beautifully located caves and rock formations.

There are tuna farms around Malta and Gozo, with nets reaching up to 40 m of depth, where for a socalled small fee you can dive with large tuna fish.

Personally, I do not recommend it, but if you are OK with meeting a 2-meter tuna in captivity face to face, then why not…

In my opinion, Malta and Gozo are the most beautiful sites in Europe due to their incredible diversity. No more than 3 hour’s flight away, connections from almost every airport in Poland (and Europe) even three times a week, good weather and warm sea water guaranteed. Maltese and Mediterranean cuisine with seafood and local wine at affordable prices… This should suffice for a comfortable vacation or to spend some time training in warm water with visibility reaching up to the horizon.

PERFECTDIVER No. 4(22)/2022 15