Beginner Malta

Comino

The small island between the two big ones: shallow caves, natural light, and a wreck sized just right

Interior of a shallow cave with beams of light entering from the surface
Caves with high ceilings, a visible exit, and light entering from above.

Between Malta and Gozo lies a three-square-kilometer island with a handful of residents and water so clear that you can make out the bottom at twenty meters from the boat. It's the spot in the archipelago where diving is brightest and easiest.

In this guide you'll find what Comino offers compared with its two neighboring islands, what its shallow caves and wreck are like, why it's the best spot in the archipelago to start diving or to shoot with natural light, when to go, and what level you need.

It completes the Maltese archipelago with the missing piece: shallow, bright, accessible diving that complements Malta's deep wrecks and Gozo's demanding geology.

Geography and access

Comino is the smallest of the three main islands in the Maltese archipelago, sitting in the channel between Malta and Gozo, practically uninhabited and with no road traffic.

The channel is shallow with a light sandy bottom, which produces the area's characteristic turquoise color and an underwater brightness far greater than the rest of the archipelago.

The limestone coastline is riddled with caves and grottos with wide entrances at shallow depth, many with the exit always visible, which makes them accessible without specific training.

A patrol boat was deliberately sunk off the island at a very comfortable depth, resting on light sand: it's probably the most accessible wreck in the archipelago and an excellent introduction to wreck diving.

Access is by boat from Malta or Gozo, on short crossings. There's no diving infrastructure on the island itself: all trips depart from the other two.

Light sandy bottom of the channel with very high visibility
The light sandy bottom is what gives the channel its color and its light.

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