Malta Diving 2020

I have been diving the Maltese Islands for many years and while its not as vibrant as aother destinations like the Red Sea etc, it is very interesting with a great diversity of marine life and apart from many war time wrecks there are a number of artificial reefs like the P29 pictured above.

The octopus lives not too far from the P29 and is a good example of how by using old ships as reefs marine animals are being encouraged to breed and continue.

A fellow Malta UW photographer!  It's said that folks come for the good weather, but they stay for the sea slugs. The area Gregory mentions (Ċirkewwa) is just beautiful and one of my favourite... faffing around the sands by both wrecks is bliss.  Here are some more shots to supplement those above, taken over a few night dives in the last week in the Ċirkewwa reef area.

A Cratena peregrina from the Rozi wreck, a stone's throw from the P29:

There's plenty of macro---bring your wet diopters and 105 mm lenses. A tiny common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) right alongside the P29:

Those seen yesterday would fit easily in one's palm.  I guess these are the juveniles from this year's spawning season around May? And of course the amazing common octopus always out and about on the nearby Ċirkewwa reef:

Totally posing.  Octopuses...  On to another nudibranch---the Flabellina affinis, also on the Rozi.  These are usually more common, but seem to be been few and far between these days.  This one is chowing down on some Eudendrium racemosum (I think?).

I could go on and on... and that's not even to mention the wrecks themselves.  The waters are still warm enough for wetsuit diving, come down!

Ok, one more smiling local face hiding out under the P29 or Rozi (I forget):