Malta
Rdum l-Ahmar
Massive boulders and swim-throughs on the wild corner of coast beside Ahrax Point, with amberjack cruising overhead and eagle rays turning up often enough to be worth watching for.
Sea conditions
Excellent right now
Flat, sheltered and calm
Forecast for the site, updated 02:29 AM
- Waves
- n/a
- Wind
- 4 km/h
- S, gusts 8
- Swell
- n/a
- Sea temp
- n/a
- air 25 °C
Next 7 days
Sunrise 06:47, sunset 19:05
Exposed to wind and swell from: N (0°), NW (315°), NE (45°). Faces the open north. A northerly or north-westerly puts swell straight into the boulder field and makes the shore entry unsafe long before it makes the diving unpleasant. Best in a southerly or south-westerly, which is also when the water tends to be at its clearest here. Best season: May to October, with September the sweet spot for warm water, good visibility and slightly less boat traffic.
The dive
Rdum l-Ahmar is the red cliff section near Malta's northern tip, and like much of this coast it is built from house-sized blocks that have dropped off the ridge and landed in a heap. Between and under them are gaps, tunnels and arches at every scale, from ones you look through to ones you swim through with room to spare. The maximum depth is a friendly 36 m, so you can enjoy the architecture without watching a computer count down.
As you work outwards the boulders shrink to rubble and then to open sand. That transition zone is the productive bit. Smaller grouper hold station in the deeper block piles, and the open water above the sand is where amberjack come through in packs. Eagle rays are a recurring report here, which is not something you can say about many Maltese sites.
The catch is traffic. This corner of the island is prime summer boating water, with day boats, jet skis and charters running between Ahrax, Comino and Mellieħa Bay all day long. The diving is lovely. The surface is not, and that has to shape how you plan the dive.
- Swim-throughs between boulders the size of small buildings
- A real chance of eagle rays over the sand
- Amberjack schooling in the blue above the rubble line
- Max depth of 36 m keeps it within recreational limits
- Wild, empty corner of coast with a view of Comino
Typical plan
Head out over the boulders to around 30 m where the blocks meet the rubble, spend the first half of the dive working that line and looking up for amberjack, then turn and come back through the swim-throughs at 20 to 12 m. Finish shallow in the big blocks. Forty five to fifty five minutes on a single cylinder, air is fine, nitrox 32 gives you more bottom time at 30 m. A DSMB is essential here rather than optional because of the boat traffic: deploy it before you start your ascent, not at 5 m.
What the bottom looks like
- 1First boulder cluster in the shallows6 m deep · 15 m out
- 2Swim-through between two large blocks17 m deep · 45 m out
- 3Longer passage under leaning slabs23 m deep · 70 m out
- 4Deep block pile with resident grouper29 m deep · 105 m out
- 5Rubble giving way to open sand34 m deep · 160 m out
Enormous fallen limestone boulders in the shallows, breaking down into rubble and then clean sand by the middle thirties.
Who you might meet
Two-banded bream
Almost always · Sargu
Mediterranean damselfish
Almost always · Kaħlija
Amberjack
Often · Aċċola · Late summer
Dusky grouper
Often · Ċerna
Scorpionfish
Often · Ċippullazza
Common eagle ray
Sometimes · Rajja
Octopus
Sometimes · Qarnit
Moray eel
Sometimes · Morina
Common spiny lobster
Sometimes · Awwista
Flying gurnard
Lucky day · Bies
Getting in and staying safe
Officially shore accessible but only just: you need a four wheel drive to get down the dirt track towards Ahrax, then a 90 m walk over sharp, fissured coralline rock to the water. It punishes soft boots and bare hands. Most divers take a boat from Cirkewwa or Mellieħa instead, which also solves the exit problem. Nothing on site: no toilets, no shade, no water, so bring everything and take it away again.
- Heavy boat and jet ski traffic through the summer
- Sharp, needle-like rock on the walk in and out
- No easy exit point if the sea gets up while you are down
- Swim-throughs and overhangs that need a light and care with kit
- Exposed northern aspect with swell wrapping around Ahrax Point
- Remote location with a slow route for emergency help
Divers say
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Further reading: Calypso Sub-Aqua Club: Rdum l-Ahmar · Malta Dive Sites northern coast index