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Ras il-Hobz · Gozo

East Reef

The sunny, shallow half of Ras il-Hobz: a gently stepping reef off the eastern side of the headland that rarely passes 20 metres and makes an easy second dive or a relaxed training site.

Open Water🪸 Reef5 to 20 mShore access: easyPopularity: highAlso called East Reef, East, Ras il-Hobz, Ras il-Hobz east side
Plan this dive

Sea conditions

88

Excellent right now

Flat, sheltered and calm

Forecast for the site, updated 01:45 AM

Waves
0.3 m
from SE
Wind
n/a
Swell
0.2 m
5 s period
Sea temp
29 °C

Next 7 days

Today🌤️100 0.5 m
0 N
Sat🌤️100 0.4 m
0 N
Sun🌤️95 0.3 m
0 N
Mon🌤️100 0.2 m
0 N
Tue🌤️100 0.4 m
0 N
Wed🌤️60 0.6 m
0 N
Thu🌤️63 0.6 m
0 N

Exposed to wind and swell from: NE (45°), E (90°), SE (135°). Faces roughly east into the Gozo channel, so it is happiest in anything with north or west in it and lumpy in an easterly. Being shallow, it stirs up and loses visibility faster than the pinnacle after weather. Best season: May to October. Good all summer, and pleasant on calm winter days when the north coast is out of action..

The dive

If the Middle Finger is the showpiece, the east side is the quiet room next door. The reef runs out from the eastern shoulder of the headland in a series of low limestone steps, dropping through the single figures into the mid teens and then easing on towards 20 metres and a bit beyond. Nothing dramatic happens. That is rather the point.

What you get instead is light, time and detail. The shallow rock is thick with algae turf and spiral tube worms, wrasse and damselfish are everywhere, and the crevices reward anyone willing to slow down and actually look: blennies, small octopus, scorpionfish sitting still and hoping you have not noticed. It is a good spot for a camera, a good spot for a nervous open water diver, and a good spot for a long, undemanding second dive after the pinnacle has eaten your no stop time.

Be honest about the coverage, though. There is very little written about the east reef specifically, and most centres treat it as part of the wider Ras il-Hobz plan rather than a named site of its own. Expect variation between guides about where exactly the east reef ends and the headland slope begins.

  • Shallow, bright and forgiving, ideal for skills or a second dive
  • Easy rock entry compared with most of Gozo
  • Good macro hunting in the crevices and under the overhangs
  • Shares a car park with the Middle Finger

Typical plan

Drop in off the eastern rock, follow the reef out keeping it on your left, and let the profile carry you gently to 15 or 18 metres. Turn at a third of your gas, come back along the shallower steps at 8 to 10 metres, and finish poking about in the 5 metre zone until you are bored or cold. Fifty to sixty minutes is easy on a single 12 litre, air is perfectly adequate, and nitrox just buys you more bottom time you probably will not need.

What the bottom looks like

0101926m🤿1234250 m from entry
  1. 1Shallow algae covered shelf5 m deep · 25 m out
  2. 2Scattered boulders with overhangs11 m deep · 70 m out
  3. 3Stepped reef edge17 m deep · 140 m out
  4. 4Sand and rubble patches at the reef foot23 m deep · 210 m out
Cartoon cross-section along the usual route from Rock shelf on the eastern side of the Ras il-Hobz headland. Depths are approximate.

Stepped coralline limestone reef with algae turf, opening onto sand and rubble patches as it deepens.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

Park on the Ras il-Hobz headland as for the main site, then walk to the eastern side of the point. Entry is over low rock into shallow water, so it is kinder on the knees than many Gozo shore dives, but there is no ladder and the limestone is sharp, so boots are worth it. No facilities on site; the nearest shops and toilets are back in Ghajnsielem.

  • Sharp rock on entry and exit, no ladder
  • Swell from the east or south makes the entry surgy
  • Fishing line and lost tackle on the shallow reef
  • Boat traffic in the Gozo channel
  • No shade at the parking area

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Further reading: Atlantis Gozo Diving site guide · New Dimension Scuba dive site notes · Divers Guide site data