Sign in
All sites

Wied iż-Żurrieq · Malta

East Reef

Turn left out of the valley and the reef runs east for a few hundred metres as a broad ledge that tips over into a wall dropping past 30 metres. Big shoals, big visibility, and far fewer divers than the wreck.

Open Water🪸 Reef🧱 Wall5 to 36 mShore access: easyPopularity: mediumAlso called Left Wall, Zurrieq East Reef
Plan this dive

Sea conditions

71

Good right now

Some chop (0.5 m ESE)

Forecast for the site, updated 01:45 AM

Waves
0.5 m
from ESE
Wind
n/a
Swell
0.5 m
5 s period
Sea temp
29 °C

Next 7 days

Today🌤️68 0.5 m
0 N
Sat🌤️79 0.4 m
0 N
Sun🌤️81 0.4 m
0 N
Mon🌤️94 0.2 m
0 N
Tue🌤️81 0.4 m
0 N
Wed🌤️72 0.8 m
0 N
Thu🌤️43 0.8 m
0 N

Exposed to wind and swell from: S (180°), SE (135°), SW (225°), E (90°), NW (315°). More exposed to easterly weather than West Reef because it faces out that way, and it takes southerly swell head on. A strong northwesterly still reaches this coast after wrapping around the island. Current is the underrated factor: local reports include days where the flow kept divers above 20 metres regardless of plan. Best season: April to November, with autumn often giving the best visibility. Also the site of choice for night dives from the inlet..

The dive

East Reef is the quieter half of Wied iż-Żurrieq and, on its day, the prettier one. The reef runs three to four hundred metres east of the inlet as a wide ledge sitting somewhere between 9 and 16 metres, which makes for an easy, well-lit swim with plenty to look at. Then the ledge ends and the ground falls steeply away towards 36 metres, which is where the dive stops being a beginner's cruise if you let it.

The wall face is the good part: cliff-like, dotted with sponges and small growth, with big boulders piled at its foot where grouper sit and watch you go past. Because it gets far less traffic than the wreck side, the fish behave differently, and it is normal to swim into a wall of small silver fish thick enough to lose your buddy in, with something larger cruising the edges deciding what to do about it.

Visibility here can be genuinely outstanding. Thirty metres is a normal day and forty is not unusual, which is what turns a decent reef into a memorable one.

One practical quirk: there is a separate entry point along the path east of the quay steps that puts you straight onto the reef, but you cannot climb out there. Everything comes back to the inlet.

  • A wall dropping past 30 metres, with fallen blocks and grouper at its foot
  • Shoals thick enough to swim through, thanks to light diver traffic
  • Visibility regularly 30 metres or better
  • Shallow ledge at 9 to 16 m that suits newer divers perfectly
  • One of the best night dives on the south coast

Typical plan

Enter at the quay or the east rock entry, turn left and follow the ledge east at 9 to 16 metres. Around two thirds of the way out, drop over the edge and run the wall at 20 to 28 metres for ten minutes or so; go deeper only if you have the gas and the training for it. Turn, come back up onto the ledge and cruise home shallow, finishing around 9 metres for a safety stop before the swim into the inlet. Roughly 45 minutes. Nitrox 32 is worth it if you plan to work the wall, and a DSMB should be on your hip on this side of the bay.

What the bottom looks like

0132636m🤿123456420 m from entry
  1. 1Start of the broad ledge9 m deep · 100 m out
  2. 2Boulder clusters on the ledge13 m deep · 200 m out
  3. 3Edge of the ledge16 m deep · 280 m out
  4. 4Main wall face with sponges25 m deep · 330 m out
  5. 5Fallen blocks at the foot of the wall34 m deep · 390 m out
  6. 6Sand at the base36 m deep · 420 m out
Cartoon cross-section along the usual route from Rock entry east of the quay steps, entry only, exit back at the quay. Depths are approximate.

A broad limestone ledge with scattered boulders, then a steep rock face down to fallen blocks and sand around 36 metres.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

Shore dive from Wied iż-Żurrieq. Two options. Follow the path east from the quay steps to a rock entry that drops you straight onto the reef, but note that this is entry only, you will not get out here. Or simply enter at the quay ladders or slipway and swim left out of the inlet. Parking at the bottom of the hill, at the top of the ramp, or in the two official car parks 150 to 200 metres back. The concrete quay is slippery with algae, especially the slipway. Ladders can be missing in winter, so check first. Cafes, restaurants and public toilets on the quay.

  • The east entry point has no exit, you must swim back to the inlet
  • Wall bottoms out past 30 m, easy to overshoot for a nominally beginner-friendly site
  • Strong and variable currents reported, sometimes enough to keep you shallow
  • Boat traffic to and from the Blue Grotto, use a DSMB on this side
  • Choppy water makes the exit awkward
  • Lost fishing line and the odd broken bottle on the reef
  • Slippery concrete and rock
  • Mauve stinger jellyfish in spring and autumn

A bit of history

No wrecks or legends, just limestone. The reef is the underwater continuation of the same Upper Coralline cliff you drove past on the way down, undercut and stepped by the sea into the ledge and wall you dive today. The inlet behind you has been a fishing landing for centuries and is still where the luzzu boats moor.

Divers say

Sign in to rate this site and leave a note for the next diver.

  • No reviews yet. First one gets bragging rights.

Further reading: Divers Guide: Zurrieq East Reef · Dive Systems Malta: Zurrieq Reef and Caves · Malta Tourism Authority, Dive Site Report 8 (PDF) · Dive Shack Malta: south Malta dive sites