In the summer of 2025, I headed to Malta with one clear goal — to explore its legendary shipwrecks. Few places in Europe rival this tiny Mediterranean nation for wreck diving. Its long maritime history, strategic location, and crystal-clear waters have left the seabed scattered with everything from WWII warships and submarines to merchant freighters, tugboats, and modern vessels sunk as artificial reefs.
Some of the wrecks, like HMS Maori, the P29 patrol boat, and MV Rozi, are just a short swim from shore — perfect for newer divers. Others, such as Um El Faroud, HMS Stubborn, and deeper wartime relics, lie far below the surface and are best left to experienced and technical divers.
Each wreck has its own personality. Some are draped in soft corals and sponges, patrolled by groupers and barracudas. Others hide octopuses in their crevices or attract clouds of damselfish. With summer water temperatures around 27°C, winter dropping to about 15°C, visibility often stretching past 30 meters, and depths ranging from shallow bays to over 100 meters, Malta offers something for everyone with a tank and fins. But diving here is about more than marine life. Every wreck is a story — of battles fought, voyages ended, or ships given a second life as underwater havens.
Malta has been called an underwater museum, and it is easy to see why. For thousands of years, its position between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East made it a busy stop for traders, navies, and explorers. Heavy sea traffic, combined with rocky coastlines, hidden reefs, and sudden storms, meant that not every ship made it safely to port.
In WWII, Malta was a vital British stronghold — and a prime target. Relentless air raids and naval battles left the surrounding waters littered with the remains of destroyers, submarines, and cargo ships. Even in peacetime, navigation errors and bad weather claimed more victims.
Not every wreck is the result of misfortune. In recent decades, several retired vessels have been deliberately sunk to create artificial reefs, including the Rozi, P29, and MV Karwela, now beloved by divers and marine life alike.
From ancient trade routes to WWII battlegrounds, from tragedy to planned transformation, Malta’s shipwrecks are more than diving sites — they are time capsules, preserving the island’s deep and enduring connection to the sea.
P29
P29 was originally the minesweeper Boltenhagen built in 1969–1970 and served East Germany as a patrol and minesweeping vessel. After reunification, she became a patrol boat for the German Coast Guard (BG31) until decommissioned in 1996. Malta purchased the ship in 1997, renaming her P29. Armed and operated by the Armed Forces of Malta, she was used for coastal patrols until 2004. In 2007, P29 was scuttled off Cirkewwa as an artificial reef and dive site.
MV Rozi
MV Rozi was a tugboat built in Bristol in 1958, originally named Rossmore and later Rossgarth. Sold to Tug Malta in 1981, she was renamed Rozi and operated for years in Grand Harbour. Decommissioned and sold to Captain Morgan Cruises, she was eventually scuttled off Cirkewwa in 1992 to serve as an artificial reef.
X127
X127 is one of many World War II wrecks around Malta. Originally built in England in 1915 as a 24-meter landing craft for the British Royal Navy, it was later converted into a water and then fuel lighter. X127 was sunk on 6 March 1942 in Marsamxett Harbour off Manoel Island, where it now lies upright on a slope. For years, the wreck was misidentified and known by divers as “Carolita” or “Coralita.” It was first surveyed in 2003 and initially thought to be X131, but in 2006 it was confirmed as HMS X127.
MV Cominoland
MV Cominoland wreck lies off Gozo. Built in England in 1942 as a Royal Navy minelayer (Miner VI, later M6), she was sold in 1966 to E. Zammit & Sons and converted into a ferry between Valletta and Comino. Renamed several times, she became MV Cominoland in 1976 and operated tourist cruises for Captain Morgan Cruises. In August 2006, she was scuttled alongside MV Karwela to form an artificial reef and dive site.
MV Karwela
MV Karwela is a former passenger ferry scuttled off Gozo, Malta. Built in 1957 in West Germany, she was originally named M/S Frisia II, later renamed MV Nordpaloma, and arrived in Malta in 1986 as MV Karwela. Designed to carry up to 863 passengers, she served as a tourist ferry until decommissioned in 2002. On 12 August 2006, she was scuttled by the Gozo Tourism Association alongside MV Cominoland to create an artificial reef.
HMS Maori
HMS Maori was a Tribal-class destroyer named after the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. She served with the United Kingdom’s Mediterranean Fleet during World War II until she was bombed and sunk by German aircraft at Malta in 1942. Her wreck was later raised and deliberately scuttled outside the Grand Harbour, where it now serves as a popular dive site.
Um El Faroud
Um El Faroud was a 5,390 DWT Libyan-owned motor tanker built in 1969 at Smith Dock Co. Ltd in England. She operated for years between Italy and Libya, transporting refined fuel. On 3 February 1995, a gas explosion during maintenance work in Malta killed nine shipyard workers. The damaged vessel was later scuttled off the coast of Malta, where she now serves as an artificial reef and one of the island’s most popular dive sites.
Anchor Bay (Popeye Village)
Anchor Bay is a dive site near Mellieha on Malta’s northwest coast. It’s best known for Popeye Village, the film set built for the 1980 musical Popeye starring Robin Williams. The set, now a theme park, was constructed in 1979 and includes 19 wooden buildings. The Anchor Bay gets its name from a large anchor, shown in this image, used to moor barges during construction, which still lies on the seabed with its long heavy chain.
Marine Life
Malta’s crystal-clear waters are a hotspot for vibrant marine life. Divers can encounter colorful Mediterranean fish, octopuses, moray eels, and groupers among thriving seagrass beds and rocky reefs. The surrounding wrecks and caves add extra shelter for creatures like nudibranchs, damselfish, and occasional rays, making Malta a rich and diverse underwater playground.