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Zurziep Reef

A small, colourful reef under the cliffs a short boat ride west of Xlendi, rising to a 5 metre platform and then sliding away past 60 metres. Gullies, overhangs and cavelets make it a photographer's site rather than a depth chase.

Open Water🕳️ Cave🪸 Reef🧱 Wall20 to 60 mBoat divePopularity: lowAlso called Zurziep, Żurżiep Reef
Plan this dive

Sea conditions

90

Excellent right now

Flat, sheltered and calm

Forecast for the site, updated 01:33 AM

Waves
0.3 m
from SE
Wind
8 km/h
SSW, gusts 14
Swell
0.2 m
5 s period
Sea temp
28 °C
air 27 °C

Next 7 days

Today🌦️67 0.6 m
13 SW
Sat☁️86 0.4 m
14 SSW
Sun🌦️89 0.4 m
8 ENE
Mon☁️98 0.2 m
15 NW
Tue☁️63 0.4 m
26 NW
Wed🌤️62 0.7 m
22 E
Thu🌤️72 0.6 m
10 NNE

Sunrise 06:47, sunset 19:06

Exposed to wind and swell from: SW (225°), S (180°), W (270°). Tucked under the cliffs on the southwest coast, so it works in most northerly and easterly weather but shuts down quickly with any south or west in the sea. Because it sits hard against a cliff, a small swell can feel larger at the surface than the forecast suggests. Best season: May to October, with the flattest boat days in early autumn..

The dive

Żurżiep sits beneath the high cliffs between Ras il-Wardija and Xlendi, about a kilometre along the coast and reachable only by boat, which is exactly why it feels untouched. Dive boats hook onto the top of the reef at around 5 or 6 metres, and from there the ground tilts away, gently at first and then with more conviction, until it disappears into blue water well past 60 metres.

The interesting part is the shallow end. A series of gullies forms a channel between the reef and the cliff face, and along it there are overhangs, small swim-throughs and a south-facing cavern worth a slow look. The cliff walls run near-vertical and are pocked with little caves that shelter cardinalfish, lobster and anemones, including the odd fireworks anemone if you know where to point a torch.

On the deeper flank a scatter of big boulders breaks up the slope and gives you something to navigate by. There is no need to go deep to enjoy the site: the best colour and the best macro are in the top 20 metres, and the boat is right above you.

It is also unusually good for snorkellers and freedivers, which makes it a sensible choice when a group has mixed appetites and a flat sea to play with.

  • Boat-only reef under the Wardija cliffs, rarely crowded
  • Gully channel with overhangs and small swim-throughs
  • South-facing cavern packed with cardinalfish and anemones
  • Reef top at 5 metres, ideal for long safety stops and snorkellers
  • Slope running past 60 metres for technical teams

Typical plan

Drop onto the reef top at 5 or 6 metres, descend the slope to around 20 to 25 metres among the boulders, then turn inshore and work the gully channel and cavern back towards the cliff at 12 to 16 metres. Finish long and shallow on the reef platform under the boat. Air on a single is fine for a 45 to 55 minute recreational profile; nitrox helps if you want the boulders at 30 metres. Bring a torch for the overhangs and a camera, since the shallow colour is the real draw.

What the bottom looks like

0244865m🤿123456320 m from entry
  1. 1Shallow reef platform where the boat moors5 m deep · 10 m out
  2. 2Gully channel between reef and cliff10 m deep · 35 m out
  3. 3South-facing cavern along the wall14 m deep · 60 m out
  4. 4Small swim-throughs and overhangs16 m deep · 80 m out
  5. 5Large boulders on the slope26 m deep · 120 m out
  6. 6Slope steepening towards 60 metres42 m deep · 200 m out
Cartoon cross-section along the usual route from the boat drop. Depths are approximate.

Rocky reef and boulder slope with rubble and sand collecting in the gullies, and near-vertical cliff wall inshore.

Who you might meet

Getting in and staying safe

Boat only. Most operators run out from Xlendi in around ten minutes, and the boat moors on the shallow top of the reef at about 6 metres. There is no shore option: the cliffs behind are high and unbroken. Facilities are whatever is on the boat, with cafes, toilets and parking back in Xlendi village.

  • Boat-only access with no shore bail-out under the cliffs
  • Slope that keeps going past 60 metres, easy to overshoot
  • Overhangs and swim-throughs that are small and silty
  • Swell reflecting off the cliff face and confusing the surface
  • Falling rock near the cliff base after storms
  • Jellyfish in late summer

A bit of history

The reef lies below the Wardija cliffs, where the hard Upper Coralline cap sits over softer beds and undercuts into caves and overhangs along the waterline. Ras il-Wardija, on the headland above, holds a Punic and Roman rock-cut sanctuary, so this stretch of coast has been watched from above for well over two thousand years.

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Further reading: Malta Dives, Zurziep Reef · Gozo Dive, Żurżiep Reef · Visit Gozo, diving · Malta Dives, Wardija Point (neighbouring site)