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Paradise Bay Reef, Malta
Paradise Bay is located at the Cirkewwa dive site on the northwest coast of Malta and is full of interesting and quite beautiful natural underwater rock features and boulders.
Suitable for: Open Water +
Depth 5m – 20m
Points of interest: Old Man’s Nose, Amphora and Ben’s Arch.
Entry/Exit: Easy
The Dive
This is a shallow dive that takes you on a journey along the left-hand reef and wall at Cirkewwa. You will see numerous rock features such as cracks, windows, holes and overhangs and a wide variety of marine life.
The entrance/exit is very diver friendly. There are steps leading down the sea wall to the edge of the water. Here there is also a handrail to use. The handrail continues into the water so you have extra support while donning fins.
The depth of the entry area goes from 1 metre and gradually slopes down to approx. 5 metres by the time you reach the top edge of the wall. Moving out of the shallows onto the wall side is always a spectacular sight and feeling for divers. The average depth at the base of the wall is 18 metres so with great visibility, it makes you feel like you’re flying!
The two main features of this dive site are Old Man’s Nose and Ben’s Arch. The Old Mans Nose sits on the corner of the reef wall at a depth of 14m. It attracts a lot of life due to its prominent position. You can see Damsel Fish and Bream swimming above the nose. Hiding under the nose are Groupers, Scorpion fish and Tube Worms.
Ben’s Arch (which is much smaller than the main right arch) sits just below the surface. This shallow position allows the sunlight to fill the arch creating beautiful colours and a shimmering effect in the water.
On your way back from Ben’s Arch, there is a stunning overhang which forms at approx. 5 metres deep. As you look up you can see the sun rays beaming through holes in the overhang and creating a wonderful lighting performance.
Final Thoughts
A perfect dive for all. If this is your first dive or your 1000th, there is a vast amount of marine life to glimpse. On your way to and from Ben’s Arch, you might notice some replica Amphora vases on the seabed. Here you may find Octopus or Moray Eels hiding.
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