The easternmost point of Gozo, dived from a boat. A rocky shoreline gives way to a drop-off at around ten metres, then a boulder-littered sandy slope, all in very clear channel water.
ReefSea conditions
Stay dry right now
Sea is up (3.7 m NW) · Fresh WNW wind (41 km/h) · Gusts to 59 km/h
Done for today. Tomorrow: not looking good. Best it gets is 13 at 17:00: Sea is up (1.4 m NW)
Forecast for the site, updated 19:45 · Models disagree
Measured at Mġarr, Gozo (7.5 km away, 20:29): 36 km/h from WNW, gusts 41. The next hours lean on it.
- Waves
- 3.7 m
- from NW, biggest 6.1
- Wind
- 41 km/h
- WNW, gusts 59
- Swell
- 0.4 m
- 10 s period
- Sea temp
- 22 °C
- air 18 °C
Hour by hour
Next 7 days
0 3.8 m54 W
0 3.6 m52 WNW
43 1.0 m20 WNW
87 0.4 m15 ESE
73 0.5 m15 E
70 0.5 m22 ENE
74 0.5 m21 ESE
Sunrise 06:25, sunset 17:05
Waves: Copernicus Med-Waves 4 km + MFWAM 8 km + EWAM 5 km + ECMWF WAM 9 km. Wind: ICON-2I 2 km + ECMWF IFS 9 km + ICON-EU 7 km + UKMO 10 km + ARPEGE 11 km. Read a few km out on the side the site is open to, then blended.
Exposed to wind and swell from: N (0°), NE (45°), E (90°), SE (135°). An east-facing point, so northeasterly and easterly weather closes it and makes boat work unpleasant. Westerly and southwesterly winds leave it calm and glassy. Always ask the skipper about the channel current before you drop; it is usually light but it can pick up. Best season: May to October. Settled westerly spells give the flattest water and the best of the already excellent visibility..
The dive
Ras il-Qala is the corner of Gozo that points at Malta. The shallows are a chaos of rock, ledges and small gullies, and at about ten metres the whole thing tips over into a modest drop-off before settling into a sandy slope scattered with boulders. Nothing here is deep: most dives stay inside fifteen to twenty metres and there is no real reason to go further.
What the site trades on is water quality and landscape. The channel between Gozo and Malta flushes constantly, so visibility is regularly in the twenty to forty metre range and the light on the rock is spectacular. The crevices and overhangs along the drop-off are the interesting part: stick your torch into them and you find wrasse, spider crabs, red mullet nosing at the sand and bream in loose clouds above.
Because it is shallow and easy, this is a good site for newer divers doing their first boat dives, and a good second dive after something deeper. It is also quiet. Popularity is low, which on a busy island in August is a feature rather than a criticism.
The catch is exposure and current. It is a point in a channel, so water moves and eastern weather hits it directly. On the right day it is effortless. On the wrong one the boat simply goes somewhere else.
- Gozo's easternmost point with big channel visibility
- Drop-off from ten metres with crevices and overhangs to explore
- Shallow, forgiving profile ideal for early boat dives
- Quiet site that rarely sees a crowd
Typical plan
Drop from the boat onto the shallow rock, follow the shelf to the drop-off and turn along it with the wall on one shoulder, staying between twelve and twenty metres. Work out over the boulders on the sand for the middle of the dive, then return along the shallower ledges and finish over the gullies at five or six metres, which is where the light and the fish are best. A single twelve litre on air gives fifty to sixty minutes here. Carry a delayed SMB given the channel traffic and stay aware of any current as you round the point.
What the bottom looks like
- 1Shallow rocky shelf and gullies5 m deep · under the boat
- 2Lip of the drop-off at around 10 m10 m deep · 45 m from the boat
- 3Short wall with crevices and overhangs15 m deep · 70 m from the boat
- 4Boulders scattered over the sand slope19 m deep · 125 m from the boat
- 5Open sand running deeper24 m deep · 185 m from the boat
Rock ledges and gullies in the shallows, then a sandy slope strewn with boulders of every size below the drop-off.
Who you might meet
Almost always
Marked ones can hurt you. What they do and what to do about it is under Getting in and staying safe.
Getting in and staying safe
Boat only. Charters and club ribs run from Mgarr harbour on Gozo, a very short ride, and boats also come across from Ċirkewwa and Marfa on Malta. There is no usable shore entry with kit at the point itself and no facilities, parking or shade. The dive is typically combined with the Qala anchors or Hondoq sites on the same trip.
- Current through the Gozo Channel, sometimes noticeable around the point
- Heavy boat traffic including the Gozo ferry route and fast pleasure craft
- No shore exit, you must return to the boat
- Surge over the shallow rock in any easterly swell
- Fishing line and lost tackle on the ledges
- Jellyfish drifting through in late summer
Marine life to respect
Mediterranean moray · Morina Can hurt you
Bites hard if a hand goes into its hole. Keep hands out of cracks and never feed one.
Red scorpionfish · Ċippullazza Can hurt you
Venomous spines, and it sits still on the rock. Look before you kneel or hold on; hot water if stung.
Divers say
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Further reading: Divers Guide, Ras il-Qala site information · MaltaDives, Ras il-Qala · Greatest Dive Sites, Ras il-Qala or Qala Point