Gozo

Qala Quarry

A gentle boat dive on Gozo's east coast where a boulder-strewn reef slides from six metres down to thirty-five, with a handful of enormous old anchors lying among the rocks.

Open Water🪸 Reef6 to 35 mBoat divePopularity: lowAlso called Ghar Dorf Anchors, Għar Dorf Anchors, Qala Anchors, The Old Quarry

Plan this dive

Sea conditions

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: 0.3 m; 5 s period
Sea temp: 29 °C

Next 7 days

Today🌤️82 0.5 m
0 N

Sat🌤️89 0.4 m
0 N

Sun🌤️93 0.3 m
0 N

Mon🌤️100 0.2 m
0 N

Tue🌤️87 0.4 m
0 N

Wed🌤️65 0.7 m
0 N

Thu🌤️68 0.7 m
0 N

Exposed to wind and swell from: N (0°), NE (45°), E (90°), SE (135°). An east-facing coast, so easterly and northeasterly weather puts swell straight onto it and boats will not run. Westerly and southwesterly winds leave it flat. Channel current is worth checking before you drop. Best season: May to October. Best in settled westerly weather, which is also when the boats run reliably..

The dive

Qala Quarry is a slope, not a wall, and that is what makes it work. The reef starts shallow enough to snorkel over at about six metres and then rolls downhill in long, easy steps to sand at around thirty-five, with boulders scattered the whole way like somebody emptied a very large bucket. You can dive it as a straightforward beginner boat dive in the shallows or push down the slope for a deeper, more atmospheric one.

The reason to come is the ironmongery. Four or five huge old anchors lie among the boulders on the slope, encrusted, half settled into the rock, and considerably bigger than most divers expect. Nobody seems entirely sure how they all ended up here, which is part of the appeal. Finding them is the dive: a guide who knows the ground makes the difference between an anchor hunt and a shrug.

Marine life is honest rather than spectacular. Bream and wrasse work the boulders, octopus tuck into the gaps, morays do their thing, and the sand at the bottom of the slope is worth a slow look for flatfish and small rays. Reviews of the site are lukewarm, and that is fair: this is a pleasant, easy, uncrowded dive rather than a headline act.

It is also a good second dive of a boat day. Shallow enough to be relaxed after something deeper, interesting enough not to feel like filler.

Four or five oversized old anchors lying among the boulders
A long, easy slope that suits almost any certification level
Quiet site with very few other divers
Works nicely as the shallower second dive of a boat day

Typical plan

Drop from the boat onto the reef top at six metres and follow the slope down on a heading, working out to twenty-five or thirty metres to find the anchors on the way. Turn at about a third of your gas or when no-stop time gets tight, then work back up the slope slowly, finishing on the reef top where light and life are best. A single twelve litre on nitrox 32 is comfortable; keep an eye on the deeper section where the bottom time disappears fastest, and surface close to the boat or deploy a marker.

What the bottom looks like

1Shallow reef top, boat mooring ground6 m deep · 15 m out
2First boulder field on the slope14 m deep · 70 m out
3Large old anchor among the rocks20 m deep · 120 m out
4Second and third anchors further down the slope26 m deep · 165 m out
5Deepest anchor near the base of the boulders30 m deep · 210 m out
6Sandy bottom at the foot of the reef35 m deep · 255 m out

Cartoon cross-section along the usual route from the boat drop. Depths are approximate.

A boulder-covered rock slope running from six metres down to clean sand at around thirty-five.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

Boat only, and an easy one. Trips run from Mgarr harbour on Gozo or across from Marfa and Ċirkewwa on Malta, usually combined with other Qala and Comino channel sites. Boats moor over the shallow part of the reef and divers drop straight in. There is no practical shore route in with kit and nothing at the site: no parking, no facilities, no shade. Take everything with you.

Boat traffic, including the Gozo ferry route and pleasure craft crossing the channel
Current can run along this coast in the channel between Gozo and Malta
Depth on the lower slope reaches 35 m, watch gas and no-stop time
Old anchors and surrounding rock can be sharp and encrusted
Discarded fishing line and nets around the boulders
No shore exit if you get separated from the boat

A bit of history

The name comes from the old stone workings on the coast above, where coralline limestone was cut and, as at several Maltese coastal quarries, loaded onto boats directly from the shore. The anchors on the slope are consistent with that kind of traffic, vessels working and moored off a loading point over a long period, though no source documents them individually.

Divers say

No reviews yet. First one gets bragging rights.

Further reading: Atlantis Gozo, Għar Dorf Anchors · MaltaDives, Qala Quarry · Divers Guide, Qala Quarry · Visit Gozo, Għar Dorf Anchors