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Overview
A Tribal-class Royal Navy destroyer that joined the 1941 hunt for the battleship Bismarck, HMS Maori was sunk by a German air raid in Valletta's Grand Harbour in February 1942. The salvaged forward section was later scuttled off Fort St Elmo, where it now lies broken and upright on sand at 12-16 m, making it Malta's shallowest wreck and an easy shore dive after a 120 m surface swim. Flattened hull plates and exposed framework shelter moray eels, octopus, scorpionfish and shoals of salema and bream, while nudibranchs, cuttlefish and the occasional seahorse work the wreckage for macro divers.
Briefing note
Shore entry is over concrete steps, a platform and rocks that get very slippery; steel railings aid the exit. The wreck sits near a busy harbour mouth, so carry a surface marker buoy and watch for boat traffic. Reports of vehicle break-ins at the parking area mean you should leave nothing visible in your car.
What you'll see
7 species curated- year-roundMediterranean moray
- year-roundCommon octopus
- year-roundSalema
- year-roundCardinalfish
- year-roundRed scorpionfish
- seasonalCommon cuttlefishPeak: Mar · Apr · May
- rareLong-snouted seahorse
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15–16 °C | 12–20 m | none |
| Feb | 14–15 °C | 10–18 m | none |
| Mar | 15–16 °C | 12–20 m | none |
| Apr | 16–17 °C | 15–22 m | none |
| May | 18–19 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jun | 22–24 °C | 18–30 m | none |
| Jul | 25–26 °C | 20–30 m | none |
| Aug | 26–27 °C | 20–30 m | none |
| Sep | 25–26 °C | 18–30 m | none |
| Oct | 23–24 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Nov | 20–21 °C | 12–22 m | mild |
| Dec | 17–18 °C | 12–20 m | none |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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