Malta has lots going for it for freediving including amazing visibility of 30m+ and impressive underwater topography including caves and caverns. One thing that always stands out to our divers visiting Malta at One Breath Freediving is the abundance and accessibility of shipwrecks available to see.

Here I have made a list of our favourite wrecks for freediving. All have been sunk on purpose as an artificial reef and diving attraction and all are in the depth range (or viewing range) of 10-20m. Next to each listing is a link that takes you to a video of the wreck on the OBF YouTube channel so you can get a better impression of the amazing experience that is wreck freediving here.

I hope you enjoy. Let us know in the comments which is your favourite wreck to freedive!

1) Patrol Boat P-29:
LOCATION: Cirkewwa | DEPTH: 20-35m | VIDEO: HERE
​Former East German patrol boat built in 1960's before being sold to the Maltese navy in 1997. Scuttled as a diving attraction in 2007. Sits in 35m of water at Cirkewwa in North Malta, this is one of the wrecks we see most as we frequently train at this location. 52m long and 8m wide and sister ship to P-31 in Comino.

HIGHLIGHT: 
Seeing the dark shape below from the surface and if able to dive just to 10-15m above it, gives an amazing view of the whole ship, so perfect for new freedivers and as a first wreck.

2) Tug 2:
LOCATION: Sliema | DEPTH: 12-20m | VIDEO: HERE
A former working tug from the Valetta port, this boat was sunk in 2013 as a diving attraction and artificial reef. It is quite a swim from shore (10 min surface swim) but well worth the effort as it is a great looking wreck in a typical 'tug' form. Doors and windows are all removed to make it safe for divers to explore.

HIGHLIGHT:
Perfect depth and size for freediving on and to access safely inside. Great fun and ideal for making cool freediving videos.

3) Um El Faroud:
LOCATION: Wied Iz Zurrieq | DEPTH: 15-35m | VIDEO: HERE
This former oil tanker is an impressive 115m long and 16m wide and sits on the seabed at 35m in two parts having been broken apart in a particularly fierce storm. This part of the coast is susceptible to strong currents so this particular wreck is more suitable for advanced freedivers. If you are lucky and probably with a strong current present, you might see schooling Barracuda around the upper decks.  See photo above for this ship being positioned for sinking.

HIGHLIGHT: 
The pure size of this wreck is immense and amazing to see for the very first time. The propeller is very impressive if you are comfortable down at 35m.

4) Patrol Boat P-31:
LOCATION: Comino | DEPTH: 10-20m | VIDEO: HERE
This is the sister ship of the P-29 at Cirkewwa so shares the same specifications but sits shallower on a sandy bottom at 20m deep making it another wreck perfect for all levels of freediver. Scuttled in 2009 it is still in good condition as it is sheltered from the worst storms. Accessing the wreck is by boat as it lies off the uninhabited island of Comino. Beware of other boat traffic, especially in the summer months.

HIGHLIGHT: 
Being able to see the whole wreck from the surface (see photo above) is amazing. So also perfect for snorkellers. Often lots of scuba divers which adds more fun with the accompanying bubbles.

5) MV Scotscraig:
​LOCATION: Anchor Bay | DEPTH: 10-20m | VIDEO: HERE
This wreck has an interesting history as it was used for the Popeye movie (1980), firstly to transport the material into the secluded bay to construct the film set, and then in the movie itself. The boat is a river ferry 25m in length and relatively wide, sitting at 20m depth on a mix of rocks and seagrass. The visibility here is never great by Maltese standards (15m maybe) and it is a LONG swim (or better by kayak) just North of Anchor Bay.

HIGHLIGHT: 
Not frequently dived on because of its more isolated location, so feels more of a real 'discovery' and the marine life can be more abundant because of this.
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Come freediving with One Breath Freediving to see these and more wrecks in Malta. Exploring and fun freediving sessions available to already certified freedivers.
Interested in deeper and historical wrecks in Malta? At this underwater museum website you can view numerous amazing Maltese shipwrecks in a 3D interactive experience: HERE
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By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

Freediving in the Maltese Islands has lots of wonderful features that make it spectacular; the stunning underwater visibility of up to 40m, the cliffs and caves that are prevalent across the islands, the deep blue colour of the water that is unique to the Mediterranean Sea. But one thing that really draws freedivers to Malta is the chance to dive on ship wrecks. Malta has a LOT of wrecks, some sunk by nature (storms), by humans (wars), or on purpose to create artificial reefs. The P-31 wreck falls into the latter category.

Since being purchased by the Maltese Tourism Authority and sank as an artificial reef attraction for divers, the P-31 now sits upright on the sandy seabed West of Comino( just South of Blue Lagoon and just West of Crystal Lagoon), approximately 200m from shore. The depth on the bottom here is 20m and the top of the wreck is at just 10m deep. In fact the P-31 sits so shallow that it was necessary to cut off the mast of the ship before sinking her so as not to obstruct boat traffic. The wreck can often be seen clearly from the surface when you arrive by boat and I have even seen it occasionally from out of the airplane window when arriving or leaving Malta on certain days! In the summer months you will see a yellow ‘X’ marker buoy above to indicate the wrecks position.
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Since her sinking, the P-31 has had to weather some rough storms as the prevailing winds on the islands are from a NW direction and sitting this shallow in the water means that waves and swell have had an impact, but considering that she has been underwater for 10 years already the wreck is still in very good condition. Before sinking she was thoroughly cleaned and made safe for divers. This means doors and hatches were removed and obstructions such fixtures, wires and cables were cleared out. There are a number of levels to explore and for a freediver it is normally clear and obvious which direction it is possible and safe to go in.

Monofin Training Drill:
Here Jose is using a kick board to help stabilise the upper body and a front snorkel to allow him to breath during the training exercise. This takes away the 'apnea' element away from this particular drill and allows him to focus on technique over breath hold while he adjusts to using the full sized monofin.

​How do you think he is doing?

The freefall can be one of the nicest aspects of depth freediving. The moment on the descent when you become 'negatively buoyant' and start to sink independently of effort. This of course has it's advantages, most prominently; saving energy (and therefore oxygen) and aiding relaxation (saving oxygen and facilitating ear equalisation).
So what is involved in a good freefall? Let's take a look:

• Correct weight: This allolws you to stop kicking at the correct point of the dive to start the freefall. Too light and you wont freefall early enough. Too heavy and you will waste energy on the ascent.
• Body position: Tucked in (elbows and knees), legs together, looking ahead (not down), and relaxed shoulders and neck.
• Equalisation: Remember to equalise! Use the movement of the lanyard or your fingers on the line to help judge the speed you are falling. Equalise frequently and before pressure is felt.
• Turn: With the correct hand position to turn, the momentum of the freefall can mean very little effort is needed to make a smooth turn at the bottom of the dive.
• .....and not forgetting..... The Way up!: Using POSITIVE buoyancy to finish your dive by stopping kicking in the last 3-8m  before the surface.

Those of you following One Breath Freediving on your social media channels will already know that I have been using the Paralenz dive camera quite extensively already, for both photos and videos, so for this review part 2 (part 1 is un-boxing and initial impressions),I wanted to look at it's use in the water. More than numbers such as pixels and frame rates, I wanted to discuss it's functionality and how well it works specifically from a freediver's point of view. 

Firstly, it's primary mount method that I have employed so far with the Paralenz dive camera has been the mask mount. For me this has been the most convenient as I am normallly using it while teaching or guiding. Once the mask attachment is threaded to the mask strap, you clip the camera on using the 'T-Rail' mount system that gives a reassuring double 'click' when properly secured.

The first thing you notice while wearing it in the water is.....that you don't actually notice the camera! Despite feeling substantial and solid when held in the hand, once attached to the mask I can honestly say that I forget that the camera is actually there. Being so non-intrusive is a huge plus for freedivers as we take in the water minimum equipment and definitely don't like things that create drag or resistance.

Functionality from this position is another massive plus. The feedback loop of vibrations of the camera unit, mean that you do not need to remove the camera (and mask) at all to know what setting you are in! For example, rotate the selector ring clockwise while turned on gives one vibration for video, two vibrations for camera, three for settings etc. And then long or short holds of the activation switch can start or stop recording or offer other functions. This creates a simple user and selector operating system and excellent hands free usability.

Now lets look at the quality of photos that Paralenz is capable of (for videos, check the OBF YouTube channel). All the snaps in this review were taken from the mask mount position, so just a reach to the side of the head and a short pull on the activation switch can give you some great photos. While primarily a video camera, the photos are surprisingly clear, sharp and lacking in distortion at the edges (as can be common for extremely wide angle cameras). In these photos I had Depth Colour Correction (DCC) turned on and Depth & Temperature overlay turned on. The photo above from 5m displays nice blue water and clear white logos on the wetsuit hood. The first photo handles the reflecting light from the shallow water very well and also created a shot that is not blurred or distorted from the divers movement.

Initial in water conclusions:

• Mask mount is very useful for hands free use
  
• Unit vibration feedback is a great idea and super useful with mask mount 
• Photos lack distortion and are very sharp
• DCC is perfect for multiple depth change diving (such as freediving)

Look out for part three of the test where I will review the features of the Paralenz App.

One Breath Freediving is now renting a full freediving set up (buoy/rope/bottom weights) as well as weights and weight belts, to certified freedivers (AIDA3 certified or above).
So if you are visiting Malta and want to do your own training and exploring, we can now accommodate your needs. Contact us for more information, or find the price list, here.

TripAdvisor has awarded One Breath Freediving a 2018 Certificate of Excellence! Thanks to all the freedivers that learnt and trained with us and especially a big thank you for all the wonderful reviews, it is greatly appreciated.