Qawra Point · Malta

Qawra Bay

The sheltered shallow bay on the south side of Qawra Point, two to ten metres of sand and seagrass, and the place half of Malta learns to dive. Unglamorous, dependable, and better on fish than it has any right to be.

Open Water🪸 Reef2 to 10 mShore access: easyPopularity: highAlso called Inner Reef, Qawra Point South, Qawra training bay

Plan this dive

Sea conditions

Good right now

Some chop (0.4 m ESE)

Forecast for the site, updated 01:45 AM

Waves: 0.4 m; from ESE
Wind: n/a
Swell: 0.4 m; 5 s period
Sea temp: 29 °C

Next 7 days

Today🌤️78 0.4 m
0 N

Sat🌤️100 0.3 m
0 N

Sun🌤️100 0.2 m
0 N

Mon🌤️100 0.1 m
0 N

Tue🌤️100 0.4 m
0 N

Wed🌤️67 0.9 m
0 N

Thu🌤️47 0.9 m
0 N

Exposed to wind and swell from: E (90°), SE (135°). Tucked under the headland, so it shrugs off the northwesterly that shuts down most of the north coast. An easterly or southeasterly puts chop straight into it and stirs the sand, which drops visibility quickly in water this shallow. On a good day expect 10 to 20 metres of visibility, and the water warms up early in the season because it is so shallow. Best season: Usable most of the year. April to November for comfort, and it is often the only workable option on the north of the island in a winter northwesterly..

The dive

Every island needs a bay like this. Qawra Bay is shallow, protected from the prevailing northwesterlies by the headland above it, and gently shelving, which makes it the default classroom for confined water skills, try dives and refreshers when the rest of the coast is a washing machine.

The bottom is a patchwork of clean sand and Posidonia seagrass, and that combination is quietly productive. Sand flats are where you find flatfish, small rays and the odd flying gurnard doing its impression of a butterfly. The seagrass hides pipefish, juveniles of a dozen species, cuttlefish in spring and the occasional very well camouflaged seahorse if you have the patience of a saint.

Depths run from about two metres near the shore to ten at the outer edge, which means you can spend an hour down here and surface with most of your tank still full. Ideal for photographers who want time rather than depth.

Nobody puts this site on a bucket list, and that is fine. It is the one that saves your holiday when the north side is unworkable, and it is a far better night dive than its daytime reputation suggests.

Sheltered when the north coast is unworkable
Wade-in entry with no ladders or jumps
Sand and seagrass mosaic that rewards slow, close looking
Excellent and safe night dive
Cafes, toilets and the aquarium a two minute walk away

Typical plan

A slow, shallow hour. In off the shelving rock, out across the sand to the seagrass edge at 8 to 10 metres, then a lazy zigzag between grass and sand looking for cuttlefish, pipefish and anything buried. Come back inshore for the last fifteen minutes and finish in three metres. Air is more than enough and you will barely dent it. Ideal for camera work, training and night diving.

What the bottom looks like

1Shallow sand shelf used for skills2 m deep · 20 m out
2First Posidonia patches5 m deep · 110 m out
3Low inner reef and rock outcrops6 m deep · 170 m out
4Open sand flats good for rays and gurnards8 m deep · 230 m out
5Dense seagrass at the outer edge of the bay10 m deep · 290 m out
6Scattered boulders on the return leg8 m deep · 420 m out

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

Mostly clean sand with patches of Posidonia seagrass and low rock outcrops between them.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

The easiest entry on the peninsula. Park on the Qawra Point promenade or in the lots near the Malta National Aquarium, walk a short distance to the south side of the point, and wade in off the gently shelving rock and sand. No ladder gymnastics, no leap of faith. Public toilets, cafes and restaurants are all within a couple of minutes, which makes it a good site for groups with non-divers in tow. Kit up at the car, the carry is short.

Swimmers, snorkellers and pedaloes sharing the same shallow water in summer
Small boat traffic entering and leaving the bay
Slippery weed-covered rock at the waterline
Very shallow depths, easy to bump the seagrass and silt things out
Jellyfish blown in on an easterly in late summer
Sunburn and heat exhaustion while kitted up on a hot day
Discarded fishing line and litter near the shore

A bit of history

Nothing dramatic. The bay sits in the lee of the Qawra headland, watched over since 1638 by Qawra Tower, one of the Lascaris watchtowers of the Order of Saint John, which now runs as the Ta' Fra Ben restaurant. The Posidonia beds on the bottom are the oldest thing here by some margin: these meadows grow at a few centimetres a year and the ones in Maltese bays have been quietly building for centuries.

Divers say

No reviews yet. First one gets bragging rights.

Further reading: Malta Dive Sites: Qawra Bay · Malta Dive Sites: Qawra Point overview · New Dimension Scuba: Qawra Point · Wikipedia: Qawra Tower