SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014THE ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB E-MAGAZINE

Photo by Tano Rolé

www.atlam.org

info@atlam.org

IN THIS ISSUE page

• Note from the Editor 2

• Viewing Bubbles on ISSUU 2

• Book of the Month - Shipwrecks - Dorian Law 3

• Asinara - Sardinia - Paolo Marino 4/5

• Species Page - Sea Grasses - Edward Vella 6

• Dived Overseas - Cozumel - Dorian Law 7

• Dive Logs

Fomm ir-Rih Bay - 07/09/14 - Tano Rolé 8

Crocodile Rock - 05/10/14 - Edward Vella 9

Double Arch - 12/10/14 - Joe Formosa 10

Xlendi Reef - 19/10/14 - Edward Vella 11

Ras il-Hobz - 26/10/14 - Edward Vella 12

Dive Sites Location Map - Joe Formosa 13

Edward Vella evella@onvol.net

One of the advantages for us scuba divers of living on such a small island as is Malta is that we can go diving whenever we feel like, at any hour and at any time of the year. In addition, since nowhere is too far away, one can always go to a sheltered dive site. These comfortable conditions (forgot to mention that we do not know what tides are), I think, should make us realise what diving determination is needed to for example dive in the UK, where one has to contend with the weather, the low water temperature, low visibility, weather, tides and the distances involved – no chance of rushing home and back if you left your mask on the kitchen table! All of this should really make us thankful of all the diving bounty that surrounds us, but it should not be taken for granted! This - and any other natural environment for that matter – are very fragile, and depend on man’s goodwill which can make or break what has built up over countless years in a matter of days. We should therefore be very determined to protect our underwater environment. Of course one very valid way to enjoy our marine surroundings is by joining the Atlam boat dives. As in every Bubbles, the dives carried out in the previous two months are duly logged – Bubbles style. Included among which in this issue, is the now epic Crocodile Rock dive, which took place on the 5th October – that was the one when the storm hit on the way back, and which will surely go down in Atlam SAC’s annals – but this is just to whet your curiosity - the whole story may be seen on page 9.Meanwhile, apart from boat dives, there were other social activities organised these past two months. The Atlam Unique Annual Majjalata on the 27th September plus another Barbecue at the fabulous Club House at Bahar ic-Caghaq on the 24th October. Plus of course, the club is regularly open on Thursdays from 2100 onwards.The first signs of an approaching winter season are now being felt. Sea conditions which become more unpredictable, and the temperature is slowly going down – still tropical by mainland Europe standards – but none the less it is cooling. So it is getting close for that extra layer or thicker neoprene to enjoy our sea in winter.Keep Diving!

The Editorial Dear MembersThe next Bubbles - Atlam SAC’s e-Magazine will be the 14th issue on the Issuu website! Through Issuu, apart from reaching the Atlam members we are getting regular reads from all over the world – Issuu also makes known how many readers have read, or even looked at Bubbles. Moreover this fantastic website also tells the editorial team which pages are the most popular. This useful information will obviously help to keep improving Bubbles.Feedback from the readers, is most appreciated - and that is the reason behind this circular. Some Bubbles readers find the ‘magazine’ type view a bit ‘slippery’ – and sort of skids in the opposite direction that they want to go. However, the Issuu website permits the reader to choose the way to read Bubbles, by giving two options.

1. ‘Magazine’ type – flip pages. Some readers find this view ‘slippery’.2. Page by page - scroll up or down.Readers who prefer to view Bubbles Page by Page just click the icon indicated by the red arrow. Then just scroll up or down!Hope that the above helps to better enjoy your Bubbles!

The Bubbles Editorial Team

Viewing BUBBLES e-Magazine on ISSUU

Name of Book: Shipwrecks. Amazing History. Author: James Stewart.

Publisher: Franklin Watts. London.

ISBN Number: 978 - 0 – 7496 - 7535 - 6.

Book in short: This book is an Appleseed Editions book and forms part of the Amazing History collection series. Although the book is targeted for young readers (book found in young readers section), it is full of information regards shipwrecks from the early days of shipping to the recent days of wreck disasters and wreck discovery.

The author starts by answering the simple question as to why ships sink. Further on in the book, he elaborates these answers by describing what happened during the cause of the shipwreck. Some examples include the shipwreck of the United States battleship Maine in Havana, Cuba, sank due to an explosion, King Henry 8th’s warship, the Mary Rose that sank in Portsmouth due to a design fault and the Herald of Free Enterprise sank in 1987 due to crew error.

Another subject to be found in the book includes treasure ships, wrecks and famous wreckers who made a fortune from these ships by running them aground to loot their cargo. These include various Chinese treasure wrecks with pottery and silk cargoes, King Gustavus Adolphus’s warship, the Vasa and the SS San Francisco with its US$1.5 million in gold.

The story of the ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic leads the reader to the pages dedicated to wartime wrecks like the SS Lusitania and Pearl Harbour. The following pages describe harbour or crew disasters like the rolling over of the liner Eastland on Lake Michigan. The recent history of the worst polluting wrecks ends bitterly this part of the book. These include the disaster of the Exxon Valdez off the coast of Alaska in 1989 and the Torrey Canyon off Cornwall in 1976. The book ends with a description of finding wrecks today.

The following quote from the last pages of the book defines the importance of underwater archeology, gives tribute to underwater archeologists and makes this, the book of the month:

“We explore wrecks not just for the value of their cargo. Ancient wrecks are like time capsules, which give valuable clues about how people lived in the past. Underwater archeologists uncover history’s secrets by studying their finds in great detail…. Many divers risk their lives searching for long-lost ships, in the hope they will learn more about the ship, how and why it sank.”

Availability: Item 004.296.735. Malta Public Library.

Article by Dorian LawBook of the Month

Asinara is a long and narrow island at the north western tip of Sardinia.

For over a century Asinara was a penal colony and therefore closed to all visitors. Only in 1999 the penal colony

was closed down and in 2002 the island was turned into a

national park including the surrounding

waters.

Asinara – Kingdom of the dusky grouper Article & photos by Paolo Marino

Thanks to a strict conservationist policy and the relative low tourist exploitation of the coastline facing the island, Asinara is today a nature paradise. Specifically for us divers its waters are teeming with life probably like the Mediterranean used to be 50 years ago.

There are only two dive centres, both located just north of Stintino, which is the only village in the area including a few tourist resorts.

I dived with the Asinara Diving Centre http://www.asinarascubadiving.com/ that is based in a small marina called Porto dell’Ancora. They also have a small shop called Rocca Ruja Diving Centre at the Rocca Ruja hotelhttp://www.roccarujasub.com/, both run by the same enterprise.

They use two 8m RIBs with 250HP outboards and rent out 15l steel cylinders although some 12l cylinders are also available.

Depending on the weather and the divers they can organise two tank dives or single tank dives both morning and afternoon.

Weather can be a problem as all dives are performed either on the west side of the island or on the northern tip: places that are open to North West (maiijstral). Actually for the first few days we couldn’t dive as the NW was blowing at force 6. It was mid July by the way.

All dive sites have a mooring buoy as anchoring straight to the bottom is not permitted. So the number of dive sites is limited, but the same spot cam be done in

different ways and the abundance of life makes repetitive dives

still a lot of fun.

Anyway when finally we got wet the spectacle was worth the waiting. I had read a lot about the amount and size of groupers that were supposed to be seen there; but you never know how much of what you read in magazines is just marketing, and have been burnt before.

But this time the descriptions were spot on. I have never seen so many dusky groupers (cerna) in a single dive in the Med: only the famed Merouville of Lavezzi in Corsica comes close; but for me this is better as the groupers are not hand fed and behave more naturally.

On average I think I spotted between 10 and 20 groupers every single dive. They are not afraid of divers as they have never been hunted down so they let you come close, before slowly swimming away. Some of the bigger ones actually swim just a few metres from you to check you out!

Dives are relatively shallow as fish life starts in few metres of water. For most of the dives the max depth was 20 metres and just a couple of places we dived to 35m to search for lobsters (without luck, I must say).

Apart from the groupers there is an abundance of brown meagres everywhere, often in sizes not easly seen in Malta, big groups of breams of various types and some sizeable groups of barracudas. Morays, congers and octopus are also found; but with all those groupers around they tend to hide deeply in cracks and holes.

In several dives we found squat lobsters and fork-beards hiding in cracks and small caves. I spotted few stingrays as well and I just missed a tuna being on the wrong side of a rock..(damn...).

About the dives I did:

Punta Sabina: is one of the few dives on the east coast: this is done when the NW blows: several medium size groupers; lots of brown meagres; moray, congers, scorpion fish and crabs in the cracks.

Punta Agnadda: (west coast) is the the dive with most fish life. Groupers all over (some 20 kg+), big shoals of breams, brown meagres, 50+ barracudas, fork-beards in a couple of de ep swimthroughs.

Punta Tumbarino: is where I saw the biggest groupers. There are plenty of all kinds of fish around but the highlight is the shallow rock (10 m away from the anchorage) with several huge (30/40 kg) groupers lazily swimming around and not afraid of a close-up shot!

Cala Tumbarino: nice group of barracudas, medium size groupers and brown meagres

Pedra Bianca: barracudas, breams and more groupers and brown meagre.

Unfortunately due to weather we never managed to dive what are supposed to be the two best spots, both on the northern tip of the island:

Punta dei Corvi: where the biggest groupers are supposed to be and Punta dello Scorno, still being explored......

I guess I’ll try next time.

Species Page Research & photos by: Edward Vella S e a G r a s s e s (Hxejjex tal-Bahar)

Nov-Dec - Dentex - DenciP L E A S E S E N D P H O T O S

As we all surely know and seen, submerged reefs made of natural rock as well as artificial reefs made out of man-made materials, become covered in what may be termed as marine growth very quickly. The first comparison to this growth is to the vegetation that grows on dry land – with what would seem to be branches and leaves – but this really would not be a good comparison. Growth on these hard surfaces will inevitably be algae – and these are not plants, since they do not require roots to absorb nutrients, and neither do they bear fruit and seeds. They are of a different biological family altogether – although they seem to be, they are not grasses at all.

It might come as a surprise to know that in the sea around Malta there are only three species of sea grasses. All of these three require soft sediment where to grow their roots, need sunlight for their chlorophyll, and they produce flowers and fruit – much as their relatives need on dry land. But which are they?

First and foremost is the extremely important Neptune Grass (Posidonia oceanica) Locally known as Alka - Posidonia oceanica is a species which has colonised the sandy sea floors of the Mediterranean, and is abundant enough to form meadows. Since this is a grass, and therefore needs sunlight to produce its chlorophyll, the depth in which it grows is as previously stated, tied to the adequate level of sunlight penetration, which locally would be in the region of 40 metres.

However, its slow growth rate, susceptibility to pollution, and the consequences to be faced should the Posidonia oceanica meadows be compromised, make this species essential to protect. The local underwater environment is heavily influenced by these meadows. Their tangle of roots and fibres serve to stabilise the sand on which the plant is growing, furthermore, the canopy of leaves, provide an effective barrier against the effect of sea currents protecting the nearby coast against erosion. Much like terrestrial plants, these meadows oxygenate the waters and retain carbon dioxide.

Apart from the above, it is estimated that in the Mediterranean, up to 1000 plant and animal species inhabit and depend upon the Posidonia meadow environment. These may be permanent dwellers, or juveniles of animal species which find refuge there from predators.

Halophila stipulacea: This species originating from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, entered and colonised the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, and then spread beyond it crossing the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean Sea.

As with many invasive species, Halophila stipulacea, is very adaptable and can thrive under a wide range of ambiental conditions. In addition to the above, it produces flowers, fruits and seeds regularly and in abundance between July and September, which are then carried by the currents over large distances.

Although it appears that Halophila stipulacea can outperform the native Mediterranean Sea grasses, it does not seem to be displacing them.

Posidonia oceanica

Cymodocea nodosa: This is another marine plant, which looks similar to Posidonia oceanica, but it is much smaller, both in height and in leaf width. Colonies grow in warm calm waters on fine surface sediment and do not form thick canopies. Cymodocea nodosa patches are readily identified by their smaller size and the distance between each plant. The plant propagates via thin runners called rhizomes which are beneath the sand’s surface.

Halophila stipulacea

Cymodocea nodosa

“Dived Overseas Where"!!!

Destination: Inhabited by the Mayans since 300 AD, Cozumel has been a favourite destination for divers since the early sixties. This 48km long by 16km wide, island, off the Eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is approximately 20km from the mainland. Mexico’s main language is Spanish, while English is spoken mainly by locals who are more in contact with tourists visiting the country. Local currency is the Mexican Peso (€1 – US$1.2 – Mex$17).

Getting there: A 24hour, 2stop air trip has to be planned. Flights from Malta (MLA) to Cozumel (CZM) cost around €850 with a combined Air Malta and British Airways flight. First stop can be either at London Heathrow (LHR) or at Paris Charles de Gaulle (PCD) airports. Second stop is normally via Dallas / Fort Worth (DFW) airport. For anyone who is visiting the United Stes of America and wishes to include diving at Cozumel, flights vary from €350 from Miami, Florida to €500 from San Francisco, California. If coming from mainland Mexico, the island can be reached by ferry from Playa del Carmen. Operated by Mexico Water Jets or Ultramar, the fare for the 45minute trip costs €10.

Facilities: Accommodation is available on the island and starts from about €300 for a 5day stay in a standard twin double-bed room at the 3star hotel Plaza Cozumel. The average price for a 5day 2tank dive package is €320 and for 3tanks €470, boat included. For those travelling light, full equipment rental is €20 daily. Nitrox is available for €8 for NX32 and €12 for NX50, for those interested

Cozumel Gulf of Maxico - MEXICO

Article compiled by Dorian Law

in doing technical dives. Equipment rental for technical dives is also available. A 7day stay in a hotel with a 5 day 2tank dive package costs around €500. Bull shark trips cost around €130 for a 2tank dive.

Live-aboard trips are available on the MY Moon Diver, departing Saturdays on 7-day trips, for €1100/diver. The boat does not operate exclusively around Cozumel, but visits sites on the island during its trip along the mainland coastline.

Non diving activities include tours to areas

of Cozumel’s boundaries, including the beaches on the east side, the lighthouse in Punta Sur National Park on the south shore, or the ancient Mayan Ruins of Cozumel’s jungle-covered interior. These tours are done by bus, jeep, buggy, motorbike, bicycle or on foot. Marine tours include swimming and snorkelling with dolphins, seals and manatees at €75. Many theme parks are located, on the mainland Riviera Maya, except Chankanaab Park, which is the biggest park in Cozumel. Sian Kaan and Rio Lagartos are a birdwatchers paradise, with over 350 different kinds of birds.

Package cost: A 7 day (week) package with flight, accommodation and 10dives costs around €1400. About €150 is expected to be spent on food per week and about €250 for excursions and leisure. Another €600 should cover another week on mainland Mexico.

Dives: The following are the most dived sites. An old DC3 40-Convair airliner sunk deliberately in 1977 and a 30meter long barge sit in 12meters, both producing stunning photographs and a must for night divers. The Palancar area offers a variety of dives for all levels, from shallow gardens to deep drop-offs and from caves and caverns to open water drift dives along walls and reefs at depths from 6 to beyond 40meters. The most impressive site at Palancar is the Horseshoe, with its huge, horseshoe shaped, natural amphitheatre and caves. Many areas offer reef and wall drop-off dives like Columbia, La Ceiba, Paso del Catedral, San Juan and Yucab. Due to depths and currents, dive sites at Punta Sur, Barracuda and Maracaibo are suited to more experienced divers, accompanied by an experienced dive guide and boatman.

Swimming, snorkelling or diving in one of over 6000 cenotes is possible on the mainland, especially in the Quintana Roo and Yucatan regions. A cenote is a natural phenomenon, a sinkhole. Cenotes were the main source of fresh water for the ancient Mayan civilization. Ik-Kil located between Chichen Itza archaeological site and Valladolid, about 45meters deep and 30meters from the surface is more popular Cenote diving on the mainland.

with swimmers and snorkelers than divers. At Dos Ojos south of Tulum, an underwater cave system, almost 500 meters long, can be explored by divers of various levels. Gran Cenote (Sac Aktun) just outside of Tulum, is renowned for its fish, turtles and impressive stalactites. All inclusive 2dive packages start at €100 per day.

Dives with bull sharks can be done between November and February at €100 for 2dives. Every year female bull sharks return to their breeding ground in the shallow waters (25meters) of the coast of Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Snorkelling with whale sharks between May and September costs €120. These are available across the mainland, and are not to be missed.

Difficulty level: Low for shore dives, Medium – High for offshore dives due to currents.

Depth: 10 to 30+ meters.

Visibility: 30+ meters.

Wrecks: Low.

Caves: High.

Walls: High.

Snorkelling: Available during the inshore dives and whale encounters.

Marine life diversity: High for fish and corals.

Big fish: High

Water temperature: 24 – 29 °C.

Best time of the year: Spring and mid-November to February. Avoid end of August to end of October due to bad weather, including hurricanes.

Fomm ir-Rih Bay - Malta 07.09.14 Article by Tano Rolé

Fomm ir-Rih Bay 7th September 2014

The choice of this particular dive site was a bit of a gamble since we were hoping to do Ghar it-Trozz but it proved impossible to predict the sea conditions before we got to the site. The wind was blowing a northwesterly but there was still a slight swell from the southwest. This deflected the waves around the headland at Ras-ir-Raheb and rendered diving impossible at the Ghar it-Trozz site. In the end, we opted for Fomm ir-Rih bay since the waves were more manageable. Despite the change in dive site, some of our intrepid band of divers could not help but feel sea sick.

I do admire people who brave the elements and get aboard boats despite the likelihood of their feeling seasick. I am not prone to seasickness and I was only seasick once in my life but that was much more than enough! It seems that the best way to approach this problem is to get kitted up as fast as possible and enter the water as soon as the boat switches off its engines. This would avoid the worst part of the trip; when the boat is not moving forward under power.

Fomm ir-Rih Bay has now gained an accidental added attraction – a Beneteau Oceanis yacht which sank there some three years ago. The yacht had apparently dragged anchor and was wrecked against the cliff face. In fact, the starboard side of the yacht has very obvious signs of damage. The carbon fibre mast seems to have been salvaged shortly after it went down but, apart from the mast, the yacht seems intact. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and the yacht’s demise has provided us with a great wreck. I asked Graziella to model for me underwater and I managed to get a few shots but time was rather limited since the wreck is lying at a depth of 32 metres.

I had been hoping to come across some nudibranchs during this dive but could not spot any. Of course, I could not help thinking that, after the dive, many people on the boat would claim to have seen multitudes of nudibranchs – just to make me feel better!! That is exactly what happened. I do not have any pretensions of being some kind of a prophet but, when it comes to the behaviour of some

of our club members, I am often dead on! Joe Formosa spotted some beautiful specimens of the Dorid nudibranch (Discodoris atromaculata). Of course, many other divers chimed in and also claimed to

have seen other nudibranchs. Well, at least, Joe provided some photographic evidence for his claim; I am still not sure about the others! In the end, this dive turned out to be a very pleasant drift dive.

Dive safely

Base photo: Tano Role

Photo:

Photo: Joe Formosa Photo: Joe Formosa

Crocodile Rock - Gozo 05.10.14 Article & photos by Edward VellaIt was yet another fantastic dive at Crocodile Rock in Dwejra, and once back on the Atlantis II, I was already thinking about how I would build up this dive log. Since Atlam SAC have organised this super dive on many occasions, with the latest being only last June, I knew that it was going to take some thinking to present the story without sounding repetitive. I was going to surely mention the very strong current encountered at the tail end of the dive. A good number of divers had planned to count down their deco time on the reef, but the current made them use up a good chunk of their already dwindling gas supplies. This current did seem a bit odd, because nobody seemed to have noticed it when we entered the water. Strange…With the boat dive over, and every diver present and accounted for, the Atlantis started for home, making its way heading East beneath the majestic Ta’Cenc cliffs. Then as we rounded Ras in-Newwiela , my thoughts were immediately interrupted – on the horizon to the south there was a heavy slate grey cloud front with a curtain of even darker grey below hanging right down to the horizon – and it was moving fast – heading our way. It looked like we were in for some heavy rain! When it hit however, it was not just rain. The front was travelling on strong air currents, which in a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds, whipped up the calm surface of the sea into foaming waves.

soon. (A couple of generous members bought and distributed two bags of warm pastizzi to lift the morale.) So what next? If not back home with the Atlantis, then there was only one other option – yes you have guessed – the ferry!President Nader then took the initiative, and engaged a van to load all the tanks for transport on the ferry and then to the car park at Marfa. There was also one other detail, most of the divers’ clothes were also at Marfa… there was no other choice all aboard wearing neoprene. Those were the lucky ones – diver Noel was left wearing only his swimming brief and bootees. There was some discussion about indecent exposure being prohibited on the ferry, but he was finally allowed on board (perhaps his physique had something to do with it?).During the crossing on the Malita, it became evident that we had made the right decision. The sea was still agitated, and crossing with the Atlantis II would have meant exposing everyone to unnecessary danger.Once at Cirkewwa, there remained the small task of getting the divers to Marfa, and here out of nowhere appeared, in our hour of need, none other than our legendary barman Anton! Anton single handed selflessly ferried all the soaking divers in his (almost) new car to the Marfa car park. An unsung hero for sure!

Photo: Edward Vella

The wind was strong enough to blow away the foam from the wave tops into long streaks – the rain stung like needles, and the air temperature must have gone down by an estimated ten degrees, enough to make you shiver with cold when in the previous couple of minutes it was summer warm. Visibility was also down, well not down, but really down, reducing the shore line to a vague shadow – and the Atlantis II was not happy at all!Normally very stable, the waves and the strong wind caught her broadside, causing a heavy roll. The tanks of 18 divers tied on the side benches did not help either, these must have caused the centre of gravity to lift. In addition, everyone ran to the ‘sheltered’ side of the boat causing a further centre of gravity shift. Our skipper Joseph reduced speed, but the heavy rolling persisted, on top of which of course, the rain coming down in sheets cancelled all visibility, and steering had to be done via the good old GPS…It was obvious that attempting a crossing towards Marfa would have been dangerous in those conditions, so slowly slowly, the Atlantis II hugged the south Gozo coast and put into Mgarr Harbour, to wait and review the situation. Meanwhile eighteen Atlam survivors soaked wet to the bone, and with rumbling stomachs waited for the weather to clear, but as time passed, it became evident that this was not going to happen anytime

And so ended another diving adventure! At the time when the Atlantis II was being lashed by the storm front, every one was making a joke out of it, in true Atlam fashion, but with hindsight, we all started to realise that for those few minutes, it could have been that we were all in a situation which could have gone in an unpredictable way… but on the plus side, it is perhaps adventures like this that make occasions for good bonding into the Atlam band of brothers.PS At the time I shot some movies, and put them together without any editing, so if you would like to see this ‘raw’ footage, look up:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTqhFBPA7Uor https://vimeo.com/108269627

Double Arch - Gozo 12.10.14 Article & photos by Joe Formosa

Following last weekend’s storm adventure and our return with on the Gozo ferry – the MV Malita, jokes were going around during this weekend’s boat dive, whether we should get clothing onboard just in case we had to return back the same way. Our well informed dive-master Guzi however assured us that the weather forecast guaranteed pleasant and stable conditions for the whole day.The usual Marfa Quay was closed to traffic due to third party events, so we left for the Double Arch from the Cirkewwa South Quay, passing along Comino and Gozo’s eastern coast. On arrival, there was some elaborate maneuvering with the boat to drop anchor on the exact spot above the Double Arch, but as usual our skipper Joseph got his bearings right! At this dive site, I generally descend and go through the Arch up to to a depth of 45m, then proceed to the North reef and explore ‘shrimp’ cave at 30m. This time, I decided to take the serpentine inland reef keeping to a depth of about 45m. The reef is very similar to Reqqa, a vertical featureless vertical wall dropping to over 60m, with some boulders on the seabed. During the dive, I did not encounter any sea life although other divers claimed to have seen shoals of barracuda and some large groupers. However, I enjoyed the sensation of moving weightless in the deep. Visibility was very good.I retraced my path back the same way towards the boat but this time keeping close to the top of the reef at 17m. Here, it was time to release my 12 minute decompression, this meant spending 20 minutes circling around the dive-boat anchor chain at 6m depth before surfacing.

Xlendi Reef - Gozo 19.10.14 Article by Edward Vella - photos Joe Formosa

The Xlendi Reef dive is one of the more popular dives, and it was a well laden Atlantis II that left the quay at Marfa at good speed. Some forty minutes later, its anchor was rattling down on the Xlendi reef.We descended on the reef top, and after a short swim we get to the edge of the reef on the South side, we could see where the blue got bluer, which meant only one thing - the drop off! We all knew what waited beyond that edge of that underwater cliff .... a fantastic free fall skydiver style descent. We were at about 12m, and the sea bed was too far away to be seen – it was a descent into the blue... To me this is one of the highlight of this dive. It is always a buzz to watch the reef wall rush by on its way up as you go on your way down! This time descent stopped at about 36 metres, about 20 metres from the seabed, I would estimate. Water clarity was good. To the West we could see the reef heading out and disappearing into the blue, while to the East, the reef butted into the landward slope. We headed East. The landward slope is quite steep, I would say at about 45 degrees, and is littered with small to medium sized boulders. We stayed at this depth for a few minutes, and then started a slow ascent heading South along the steep wall towards the Sanap cliffs. The slope then becomes a perpendicular cliff, and the dive here becomes a classic wall dive, only the wall is far from featureless, and is full of vertical cracks, recesses and swim-throughs which are too tempting not to explore.

In previous Xlendi dive-logs, mention was made of a very interesting cave which is located on the shore cliff I would estimate about 150 meters away from the anchor point on the reef. Its largest entrance is at a depth of 17m – there is another smaller one to the left hand side, and once inside the cave, a third outlet due North can be seen. These three openings allow enough light to make most of the cave dimly lit; however, torches are still needed, and compulsory for the lower levels.Once through the entrance, there is a steep slope which ends in a sandy floor at about 27m. (This is the reason why in previous dives, we kept to the higher levels). The floor then continues on the landward side beneath a deep overhang. The sand in this section is fine, and caution has to be exercised to avoid stirring the sediment.

One disappointment was the lack of sea life encountered, but this was anticipated. A lot of shore fishing activity takes place here, witness to that are the fishing lines and lead sinkers. (Which are collected to be re-cycled into diving weights). Another group however who went towards the seaward side of the reef came back smiling after having encountered a sizeable school of barracudas hunting on the reef’s edge – see photos! It looks like next time we may be heading towards that direction, and give the caves a rest? Who knows – at this site the diver is spoilt for choice.A very nice dive!

Ras il-Hobz - Gozo 26.10.14 Article by Edward Vella - Photos by Joe Formosa

Third time this year at this site – but I do not think that anyone was complaining! The announced dive site was to be under the Sanap Cliffs close to the Xlendi entrance – as a sort of continuation of the previous week’s dive on the reef at Ras il-Bajda which is the left hand side of the Xlendi creek when one looks seaward. The North West had in fact abated significantly, but it had been doing its thing for over three days, and the swell would have probably spoiled the show, also if conditions at Sanap were as anticipated, there is no other sheltered spot along that coast, and it would have meant that we would have returned t o Ras il-Hobz anyway – apart from the waste of time and fuel!

Once at Ras il-Hobz, it became evident that weather wise we were not alone in arriving to the same conclusion. Another dive boat, plus several dive transporters could be seen on the shore – most coming from the Gozo dive operators no doubt. So it looked like the pinnacle, or as it is now becoming known – the Middle Finger, was going to be a bit busy.

Actually it was not as busy as we thought it would be - a dusky grouper sighting was in fact made, presenting a nice profile, but by the time, I got to switch on the camera and point it - there was only bare rock! Obviously we had drafted a dive plan while still

dry on the Atlantis – and circling the pinnacle was the first part of it. Normally the dive here consists of circling the pinnacle, this time we decided that after the pinnacle we would explore the reef wall heading due West (towards the coastal tower) – that was the second part.

What impresses in this reef wall is its sheerness – resulting in an almost smooth surface, with what seemed to me to be very little in the way of overhangs and fissures. After reaching our max depth of 32 metres at the base of the pinnacle, we very slowly ascended to 17 metres , and we more or less kept that depth during our reef

exploration. The reef wall descends to a considerable depth. From our 17m there were sections where the sea bed was not visible, therefore estimate that the depth here must have been close to 50m?

Sea life sightings were on the low side. Nothing of relevance was noted along the reef, and apart from the previously mentioned grouper on the pinnacle, we only saw two medium size octopus. Other divers also saw a moray eel on the pinnacle. The resident two banded bream (Diplodus vulgaris) shoal was there of course!

Something tells me that we will be back before very long!