Sunday 12th September
Site: Paradise Bay
Weather: Sunny, breezy
Conditions: Little choppy, but good visibility
Access from the beach, turning right. A fair few fish - Bream, Cuckoo Wrasse and Chromis. Also the remains of a car. A little
like Wraysbury, then
Monday 13th September
Site: Mistra Bay
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
Down a slippery ramp, into dirty polluted water. A few fish about, but very poor visibility. Very disappointing.
Site: Marfa Bay
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Little choppy
By the Fishermen's huts. Good visibility. Rhopilema jellyfish, parrot fish, and a big shoal of small black fish.
Enjoyable, especially after Mistra Bay
Site: Paradise Bay
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
Turning left this time, by the headland. Visbility good, and an excellent snorkel. A pipefish, lots of small green
neony jobs, a Fried Egg Jellyfish, Cuckoo Wrasse, Hermit Crab, and generally lots of sealife
Tuesday 14th September
Sites: Mgarr ix-Xini (Gozo)
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
A beautiful spot, but a disappointing dive in poor visibility. We did see an eel, crab, and a few fish, but not enough
to make it enjoyable. We also visited Xlendi Bay, and the Inland Sea, but by then the wind had got up and conditions forced us to
abandon any snorkelling plans
Wednesday 15th September
Site: Ghar Lapsi
Weather: Overcast, rumbles of thunder in the air
Conditions: Calm
After an "interesting" drive through the biggest thunderstorm since Noah took up boat-building, there were still rumbles in the air when
we got into the water. Easy access, good visibility, and lots of fish and crabs. Shoals of little fish, and our only sighting of a Flying Gurnard.
Oh, and a brilliant cafe, serving excellent Lattes!
Thursday 16th September
Site: Blue Lagoon, Comino
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
So-so as a snorkel, but a great swim across the lagoon from Comino to Cominetto. Later, a brilliant dive in the north
of the lagoon - not an easy entry, but sooo worth it. Small unidentified flatfish on the sandy bed, cardinal fish lurking in a cave, and
swimming through an arch in the rocks. The highlight though, was the best sighting of the trip - a cuttlefish
Friday 17th September
Site: Ghajn Tuffieha
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
After an aborted trip to Fomm ir-Rih (never did find it!) we settle for the beach at Ghajn Tuffieha instead. Quite a nice
snorkel around the rocks, but unpleasant getting there, with poor visibility, and lots of surface debris (some organic, some not!)
Sue did spot some tiny shrimps, though. Later, a snorkel on the other side of the bay was much more enjoyable, courtesy of some crabs and the usual selection of fish. Also
spotted - courtesy of some male nudism - some parts of the male anatomy which are never particularly attractive, least of all when
garnished with middle-aged girth
Saturday 18th September
Site: Blue Lagoon, Comino
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
Back to the Blue Lagoon, and another snorkel across it to Cominetto. Then some "extreme" snorkelling through the cave on Cominetto -
a dark, exciting, and slighty scary episode. We would have made it through to the sea, too, but our way was blocked at the last by 6 or 7
jellyfish. Cowardice or good sense took over, depending on one's viewpoint. Later we revisited our favoured arch, and looked for Mr. Cuttlefish, but
sadly he had upped sticks and moved elsewhere
Sunday 19th September
Site: Wied iz-Zurrieq
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
A deep inlet/harbour. Visibility good, but not a lot to see
Site: Ghar Lapsi
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
Back to Ghar Lapsi, where visibility was not as good as on our previous visit - due to the number of sunday swimmers stirring up the silt.
Still an enjoyable one, though
Monday 20th September
Site: Inland Sea, Gozo
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
A beautiful and popular spot, but with very poor visibility. We moved swiftly on
Site: Xwieni, Gozo
Weather: Sunny
Conditions: Calm
Visibility good, and enjoyable snorkel round the boulders in shallow water. Plenty of fish, including a
pipefish, and some huge Bream
Tuesday 21st September
Site: Qawra
Weather: Overcast
Conditions: Calm
And to finish off, a little dip in Qawra, where there didn't seem to be much to see
