Day one

Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day Four	Day Five	Day Six	Day Seven

It’s 4.30 in the morning, pouring with rain and decidedly cold for what should be the beginning of summer! But I haven’t got a care in the world as Chris, my boyfriend, and myself are on our way to Gatwick airport to catch a plane to Malta. Once at the airport we discover the check-in desk is open so we hand over our e-ticket, check in our baggage, a quick look around the shops and it is time to board!

After a quick and easy flight we arrive in Malta with the whole afternoon ahead of us. We meet our taxi driver inside the airport terminal and walk outside into bright sunshine and a warm breeze. The half hour drive to our apartment is spent surveying our surroundings. Our first impressions were of old buildings, new buildings, half finished buildings and a lot of dust!

We soon arrived at the Sands Apartments in St. Paul’s Bay where we would be staying for our 3 nights in Malta. The apartment was basic but clean, spacious and comfortable with a private balcony. It was made all the more welcoming by the breakfast hamper awaiting us. The apartments are just down the road from Maltaqua, the dive club I would be diving with the following day. After unpacking we strolled down to say hello and complete the necessary documents. The diving regulations have recently changed to self-certification so you do not need a medical unless you answer yes to any of the questions on the form.

So with introductions done and knowing what time we needed to be at the club in the morning (a fairly civilised 8.30am) we set off to have a wander around. Chris being the food, wine (and beer!) connoisseur on this trip had asked Simone at Maltaqua for some restaurant recommendations so we decided to check out the different options. We wandered into the first restaurant that was recommended to us ‘Nostalgia’ and made a booking for that evening…. more details later!

After having a look around St.Pauls we stopped at a hotel and had the essential first beer of the holiday. I would highly recommend the local beer ‘Chisk’. While we sat at our table breathing in the fresh sea air all thoughts of home drifted from our minds. From this moment we really started getting into the much slower, relaxed pace of life of the Mediterranean. Bliss!

After stocking up on supplies from the local supermarket we headed back to the apartment for yet more rest and relaxation.

Refreshed and now completely relaxed we set off for a pre-dinner drink. There are a number of bars to choose from in the area and just a 10-minute walk away from the apartments. Now to our first meal in ‘Nostalgia’… the restaurant itself is in a traditional old building with pillars and arches, great if you are after a romantic evening. One word of warning – if you want to be able to eat the whole of the main meal do not have a starter! This is truly one of the best meals I have ever had. If you are in Malta I would definitely recommend it.

Truly full and content we head back to get some sleep for the following day.

Day Two

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We wake up the next morning to more clear blue skies and bright sunshine. Feeling a little nervous as I have only 7 logged dives at this stage we make our way down the road to the dive club. Though Chris is a non-diver he decides to join me for the day and see what it is I get up to. After sorting out what gear I needed and loading up the van we set off on our way to the first dive site, ‘The Blue Grotto’. Aware that I was feeling nervous my dive guide Andrea walked me down to the site and gave me a detailed briefing of the dive. Everything was really relaxed and I could do everything in my own time. So we kitted up and made what seemed like a very high jump into the water! Of course the first thing to happen is that my mask steams up! So once that is sorted we start the dive. This is an excellent dive to start off with, we just had a relaxing swim around whilst I was getting used to being in the water again. Visibility was good at around 15m. I saw tubeworms and some damselfish but unfortunately we did not see the resident sea horse this time, unlucky! What I was most taken back by was the amazing underwater scenery. There were various caves that could be explored (though I didn’t feel quite confident enough this time), it was like being above water in an area of outstanding beauty but having the added advantage of being able to float half way up a mountain! We went to a maximum depth of 18 metres but there is the opportunity to go deeper to around 30 metres. After about 30 minutes I was really starting to get chilly, the water temperature was 19 degrees and I was wearing a 5mm full (so if you feel the cold I would recommend something a bit warmer!), so we began our ascent. Once on the surface I saw that to get out of the water would be a bit trickier than getting in, it involved climbing a rickety old ladder whilst still fully kitted up, but I managed it, much to the amusement of the sunbathers, I must have looked a bit like the loch ness monster!

So after an hour or so relaxing with a bottle of water from the local café and letting the sun warm me up we made our way to the second dive site that day, the HMS Maori, a British destroyer which was bombed and sank in 1942. Now I had my first dive of the holiday under my belt I was feeling a little more confident and couldn’t wait to get into the water again. I was given a detailed briefing and we climbed back into our kit. The entry for this dive was, again relatively easy. It just involved walking down some steps onto the rocks and sliding into the water! There was a short swim to the wreck itself that involved a gradual descent in line with the rocky slope until you reach a sandy bottom and the wreck lies just a short distance from here. It was here that I saw my first octopus of the week. We took our time swimming around the wreck investigating various forms of sea life on our way. The visibility was fantastic; I was told that it could sometimes be poor as the wreck is in quite an exposed spot and relatively shallow waters. We then swam back through the top of the wreck and made our way back. This is one of the first wreck dives I have done and I found it a surreal experience actually swimming through a part of history. This is great for anybody that is interested in wrecks but isn’t that experienced a diver. Our maximum depth was 15 metres and we were able to see the whole wreck. Once again, exit was a bit trickier than entry, those rocks can be quite slippery, and I think I saw a few amused faces at my efforts!

So with the days diving over we were taken back to the dive club where I completed my logbook. There are facilities at the Sands Apartments to rinse out and store your gear so once that was all sorted we decided to go for a well earned beer and a bite to eat. It was still early (about 3.30) which was quite nice, especially as my boyfriend is a non-diver, as we are able to wander around in the afternoon and spend some time relaxing.

We found another fantastic restaurant that evening, you really are spoilt for choice, and had another great meal.

Day Three

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It is Sunday and there is no diving in Malta so we decide to have a look at St.Pauls neighbouring town, Bugibba. This is approximately a 20-minute walk from St. Paul’s and is a slightly larger town with shops, and yet more restaurants and bars. So we decided to have a wander around the shops (probably more my idea than Chris’s!) and then grab some lunch.

Here comes another recommendation for those of you who enjoy your food….’The Venus’ restaurant in Bugibba is another good one to try.

If you wish to venture a bit further a field there are regular buses going all around the island.

So after another strenuous day of eating and drinking I was all set for some more diving the next day and looking forward to seeing Gozo!

Day Four

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Before the days diving began we arranged what time we would be catching the ferry over to Gozo as Maltaqua were arranging our transfers. The ferries depart every hour so it is completely up to you when you wish to depart. We decided that we would get the ferry that afternoon so I would be able to dive that morning but if you wanted to get 2 dives in Malta that day you would just need to arrange a later time for your ferry transfer, no problems! So with our transfers sorted we made our way to the first dive site of the day and one of my favourite dives in Malta, Anchor Bay. This is situated just next to Sweethaven Village where the filming of Popeye took place, the village is still as it was when they were filming and you pass all of these brightly coloured, oddly shaped houses and feel as is you have just stepped into a cartoon. Again it was a nice small group, just two of us to one dive guide. The dive was fantastic; the seabed is covered with some giant boulders, which makes for some interesting swim throughs and strange formations. Here I saw more octopuses, starfish, some in the most amazing colours, and a moray eel. A nice easy entry and exit and, all in all, a relaxing fun dive!

So once we had returned to the dive club, said our goodbyes, and had been told what time our taxi would be picking us up, we returned to the apartment, packed our bags and then had a couple of hours to relax and have a bite to eat.

The taxi dropped us off at the ferry port where there is a truck into which you can put your suitcases so you don’t have to carry them around on the ferry. We got onto the ferry and sat down for a 20-minute trip to Gozo.

Our first impressions of Gozo were entirely different to that of Malta. It is a lot greener with some beautiful buildings and little or no building work being carried out.

At Gozo ferry port we were met and transferred back to Gozo Aqua Sports where I completed my medical forms and said hello. If anything, the people in Gozo were even more relaxed and friendly than those in Malta, you wouldn’t think this is possible until you meet them! From there we were transferred to the hotel we would be staying at for our remaining 4 nights, the Cornucopia, where again we received a warm reception.

Now here we have a bit of luxury! The room was great with TV, minibar, air-conditioning and en-suite but the rest of the hotel was fantastic. It has two swimming pools, a bar and a restaurant. So after unpacking we decided to have a relaxing couple of hours by the pool, bliss!

We decided to sample the hotel restaurant that evening as our hire car was not being dropped off until the following morning, and it is pretty difficult getting around Gozo without a car. This was another fantastic meal (you must be getting bored of me saying this!) and we knew we were going to enjoy our time in Gozo.

Day Five

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Our hire car was dropped off at the hotel at around 8.00 so we could make it to the dive club by 8.30. It is only a 10-minute drive but the streets of Gozo can be a bit confusing to navigate! And sure enough we did get lost but managed to get to the dive club on time.

I sorted out the gear I needed and we all loaded our boxes into the truck. Again the group consisted of two divers to one dive guide, which was great. The first dive of the day was to be the Blue Hole and Azure Window; an impressive natural rock arch rising out of the sea that has been weathered away by rain and wind over the years. Now this is where the entry and exits become a bit more challenging. During the briefing we walked over to the entry point of the dive site, this involved climbing over uneven ground and over a few dips and holes. And I had enough problems at this point, let alone fully kitted up! I was starting to get a bit worried! After the briefing we kitted up and made our way to the dive site, amazingly I managed to get there without falling over (with a helping hand from our dive guide, Dave) and we entered the water. This is a great dive, you descend into the Blue Hole, which is a vertical hole or chimney to about 5 metres where you turn around and see a large window of light submersed in the water. Here you swim through the underwater arch, which is teeming with different species of marine life and coral and into a magnificent blue. There is also a cave here of about 10 metres wide and 5 metres across which you can go and explore. I didn’t explore it this time as I was too much of a wimp but spent the time sitting on a conveniently placed ledge, which was a great vantage point to watch groupers, sea bream and various other forms of marine life swim by. The challenge in getting to and from this dive site was far outweighed by the dive itself; it’s definitely not one to miss.

Our second dive of the day was to be Cathedral Cave, which personally, I thought was the most spectacular dive of them all. Now after the last dive I was hoping that this one would be nice and easy to get to, boy, was I wrong! When we were driven to the site we basically ended up on the top of a cliff and I was seriously worried about how we were expected to get down to the water! Thankfully it emerged that there were steps that we could get down (lots of steps!) so we kitted up on top of the cliff and made our way down. Once down on the beach we swam on the surface through the valley of cliffs to the point near where we would enter the cave and then began our descent. After a short swim we arrived at the entrance of the cave, which is about 5 metres below the surface, swam through the entrance and resurfaced inside the cave, it was a surreal experience. We began our descent again and as we did, looked through the cave entrance into the bright blue of the open sea, a breathtaking sight. The swim back through the valley was one through huge boulders and crevices following the ascent of the seabed. I took in the sights of the differently coloured algae (if you are lucky you might even find a seahorse camouflaged amongst this) and some brilliantly coloured starfish. I didn’t want this dive to end; I could have happily stayed down there a couple of hours, if only I could breath underwater! After such a fantastic dive I didn’t mind so much the steep climb up the steps in full gear!

So, exhausted, we made our way back to the hotel to relax for a bit. That evening we decided to explore the island and found yet another good restaurant to eat in!

Day Six

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Oh no, our last full day, why does it always go so quickly! The previous day we had signed up to go on a boat trip that was being organised by the dive club so we met in the morning to be transferred to the boat. I could only dive the first dive this day, as our helicopter transfer was the next afternoon, and this was Lantern Point, just off the island of Comino. This dive has a fantastic swim-through commonly know as ‘The Chimney’, which is an almost vertical tunnel, which starts at 9 metres and descends to about 16 metres and is just wide enough to swim through without touching the sides (all the better to avoid those fireworms). On exiting the tunnel there is a maze of boulders with all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore. Here I found more octopus and starfish of varying sizes and colours. This was a great dive as although the maximum depth is at about 50 metres, there is still so much to see at just 15-20 metres that it suits all levels of diver.

Back on the boat we were served some sandwiches and soft drinks and I settled down to catch some sun and relax while the rest of the group went on the second dive of the day.

That evening we were invited to watch the England game with some people we had met at the dive club so after a bite to eat we sat down in one of the local bars (with wide screen television of course) and watched the match. It was just a shame England didn’t win!

Day Seven

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Our last day and I wish we were staying longer. Though we are quite excited about the helicopter ride back to Malta Airport! Our hire car is picked up from the hotel in the morning so we are transferred from the hotel to the heliport where we check our baggage in. Once the baggage is checked in, that is it; you don’t need to worry about it again until your flight lands at Gatwick, which was very handy. We wait for our flight to be called and climb into the helicopter. At first I don’t think it is going to be able to get off the ground (!), but once it does the views of both Gozo and Malta are fantastic.

Once inside Malta airport we have a quick look around the shops, have some lunch and wait for our flight to be called. We are both feeling sorry that the holiday has come to an end. At least there are no delays. We arrive back into Gatwick to meet the rain again!