Comino – the “island of cumin”. Named after the fragrant herb that grows along its rugged rocky cliff tops. Quieter than Malta and Gozo except for the turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon, it is a place to escape and explore. The diving here is calm and serene with beautiful caves and filtered light reflecting of the sandy sea bed.
Comino Caves / Santa Marija Caves Dive Details
Entry Point: The Santa Marija Caves have to be dived from a boat. It is not possible to shore dive.
Maximum Depth: The caves are fairly shallow and range from 10 metres to about 20 metres maximum.
Diver Level: This is a lovely dive for new divers who are experiencing diving from a RIB for the first time. the calm waters make it a safe environment to learn how to get dive kit on in a small boat as well as getting in and out of the water.
Kit Needed: Normal dive kit plus torch
Dive Plan: The dive boat will take you into a small cove which is sheltered. Once in the water the caves wind their way through the cliffs and it is just a matter of bimbling around the caves and rocky out crops before heading back into the sandy cove to return to the boat.
Photography Notes: Macro photography works well on this dive as does wide angle shots of the light beams filtering through the caves. It is shallow so there is lots of light and plenty of time to explore for the perfect shot.
READ MORE: DIVING AROUND GOZO
Diving Santa Marija Caves
Leave the Blue Lagoon with its day boats and head along the coast, the dream for smugglers with the small inlets, coves and caves and the wild side of Comino is found.
Santa Marija Caves were made famous as the caves in The Count of Monte Cristo, a 2002 film, and are some of the most interesting underwater caves that are easy to explore anywhere. On the surface the rock structures are spectacular, undulating with texture that gives the cliffs a distinct personality. However, below the surface they are even more stunning. The caves twist and turn with light reflecting off surfaces. Light dances along the cave walls, reflecting off the sandy sea floor and shards ripple through from the surface.
Nudibranchs cling to coral and the tube worms appear and disappear as they sense the presence of divers. Fish shoal up the walls, sheer from the surface, a mirror image of their appearance above the water.
Even though this is an easy dive the scenery and life on the reefs is far from basic.