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.
Cave
Reef
WallSea conditions
Stay dry right now
Sea is up (4.0 m WNW) · Fresh WNW wind (40 km/h) · Gusts to 66 km/h
Done for today. Tomorrow: not looking good. Best it gets is 21 at 17:00: Sea is up (1.7 m WNW)
Forecast for the site, updated 19:45 · Models disagree
Measured at Mġarr, Gozo (11.1 km away, 20:29): 36 km/h from WNW, gusts 41. The next hours lean on it.
- Waves
- 4.0 m
- from WNW, biggest 8.5
- Wind
- 40 km/h
- WNW, gusts 66
- Swell
- 0.3 m
- 11 s period
- Sea temp
- 22 °C
- air 19 °C
Hour by hour
Next 7 days
0 4.1 m53 W
0 3.9 m49 WNW
40 1.1 m16 W
90 0.3 m15 ESE
88 0.4 m14 E
83 0.4 m19 NNW
87 0.4 m15 SSW
Sunrise 06:26, sunset 17:06
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: 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
- 1Shallow reef platform where the boat moors5 m deep · under the boat
- 2Gully channel between reef and cliff10 m deep · 25 m from the boat
- 3South-facing cavern along the wall14 m deep · 50 m from the boat
- 4Small swim-throughs and overhangs16 m deep · 70 m from the boat
- 5Large boulders on the slope26 m deep · 110 m from the boat
- 6Slope steepening towards 60 metres42 m deep · 190 m from the boat
Rocky reef and boulder slope with rubble and sand collecting in the gullies, and near-vertical cliff wall inshore.
Who you might meet
Sometimes
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. 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
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.
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)