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Malta

Rdum tal-Vigarju

A stepped west coast wall just south of Ras ir-Raheb that drops in stages to 50 m, with a small cave at the surface, a boulder field to the north and grouper wedged under every big rock.

Advanced🧱 Wall25 to 50 mBoat divePopularity: lowAlso called Blata tal-Melh, Rdum tal-Vigarju Wall, The Vicar's Cliff
Plan this dive

Sea conditions

85

Excellent right now

Some chop (0.4 m ESE)

Forecast for the site, updated 01:47 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 0.5 m
0 N
Sat🌤️86 0.4 m
0 N
Sun🌤️87 0.4 m
0 N
Mon🌤️98 0.2 m
0 N
Tue🌤️85 0.4 m
0 N
Wed🌤️72 0.6 m
0 N
Thu🌤️74 0.6 m
0 N

Exposed to wind and swell from: W (270°), NW (315°), SW (225°). Sheltered from the north-east, which is the local land wind, and fully open to anything from the west. In practice that means it is a summer site that goes from glass to unworkable with one change of forecast. Best season: June to October, best in the settled easterly spells of late summer.

The dive

This is the piece of coast immediately below the Ras ir-Raheb headland, and it dives quite differently from the headland itself. Instead of one vertical face, the ground falls away in a series of narrow terraces, each one a few metres lower than the last, until you are standing on flat rock and sand somewhere around 50 m. That staircase makes it far easier to control than a sheer drop, which is why it suits an advanced diver rather than a deep specialist.

The wall itself is well grown in. Sponges, algae and encrusting life have taken over the vertical bits, and clouds of damselfish and small silver fish hang off the face wherever there is a current line. Head north along the section and the terraces break up into boulders, and that is where the grouper live, tucked under the overhangs with just a lip and an eye showing.

There is a small cave right at the waterline. It is shallow and open, more of an alcove than a system, so it makes a nice ten-minute finish rather than a project. If your skipper drops you a little further north on the neighbouring Blata tal-Melh ground you get much the same profile plus a broad valley that works beautifully as a place to hang out your stops.

  • A wall that steps down rather than falls, so the depth stays manageable
  • Grouper under almost every boulder on the northern section
  • Small surface cave that makes an easy landmark and a nice finish
  • Colourful sponge growth on the vertical sections

Typical plan

In at the cave, straight down the terraces to a planned 30 to 35 m, then north along the boulder ground looking under the overhangs for about fifteen minutes. Turn, come up one terrace at a time so the ascent is built into the route, and spend the last part of the dive between 12 and 6 m on the wall growth. Air works fine if you stay at 30 m, but nitrox 30 makes the whole thing more relaxed. Carry a DSMB and a torch.

What the bottom looks like

0193852m🤿12345100 m from entry
  1. 1Small open cave at the waterline2 m deep · 3 m out
  2. 2First terraced step18 m deep · 20 m out
  3. 3Narrow ledges dropping in stages30 m deep · 40 m out
  4. 4Boulder ground to the north with grouper holes36 m deep · 55 m out
  5. 5Sand and flat rock at the base52 m deep · 100 m out
Cartoon cross-section along the usual route from the boat drop. Depths are approximate.

Stepped limestone ledges and tumbled boulders over a floor of sand mixed with flat bedrock at around 50 m.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

Boat only. Boats come from Cirkewwa or Gnejna, or across from the south when the west is unusually flat. The skipper will typically put you in at the small surface cave so you have a landmark to work back to, then follow the coast. There is nothing on shore here beyond cliff and scree, so plan for a full live-aboard-the-RIB day with your surface interval spent afloat.

  • Depth: the terraces make it easy to keep stepping down past 40 m
  • Exposed west coast swell and surge against the wall
  • Current along the wall, stronger the closer you get to the Ras ir-Raheb point
  • No shore exit and no phone signal worth relying on
  • Discarded fishing line caught on the boulder edges

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Further reading: Calypso Sub-Aqua Club: Rdum tal-Vigarju · Calypso Sub-Aqua Club: Blata tal-Melh · Malta Dive Sites west coast index