Exiles – Sliema

Location of Site:
St Julian’s Tower where the Exiles Waterpolo Club is situated

Type of Dive: Shore Dive

Condition:
Ideally diveable with southerly winds or south westerly winds

Average Depth: 14 metres
Maximum Depth: 25 metres

Certification Required:
BSAC Ocean Diver, PADI Open Water or equivalent.

The Dive:
Once in the water, you commence the dive by taking a northerly direction swimming for about 5 minutes over the rocky seabed until you reach the Posedonia fields, you keep on swimming until you reach the sand at a depth of approximately 10 metres. From here you swim in an Easterly direction keeping the sand to your left and the rocky bottom on your right. You continue the dive swimming along the wall until you get to a depth of 25 metres.

Depending on your air supply you than head back either by swimming back along the wall or else you cut diagonally swimming in a south easterly direction. This route is less interesting as you will be cutting across Posedonia fields. This site is profuse with fish life. The wide eyed Flounder is common on the sand, also Cuttle Fish can be spotted, and along the wall it is normal for one to see the Dusky Grouper. Dentex are also sometimes seen hunting for small fish. Common and Red Spotted Octopus are frequently seen at night.

A wreck was also scuttled in 2013 at the 20m mark next to the sand. Look for a car tyre on the sand just off the rocky reef on the sand at 18m (when the reef starts turning East from a North Direction). Next to the tyre, there is also a large flat rock about 1 metre high in the shape of a heart. Swim perpendicularly out on the sand and after 25m you should see the shape of the wreck. Wreck details are here.

At the end of the dive before you exit the water you can enjoy the shallow water close to the shore where you will see Scorpion Fish, different species of Blennies, together with Octopus.

Going up the steel ladder you’ll notice the odd bunch of kids that are ready to jump at the occasion of asking a few questions about the dive…Kids will be kids!