DIVING OVERVIEW

Gozo offers some of the best diving sites, not only in the Maltese Islands, but to some extent even in the world. The island's coast displays a variety of bays, coves and sea inlets with natural caves of all shapes and sizes. In the sea around Gozo one finds an abundance of marine life and spectacular scenery all around. Divers might even be lucky to encounter some archaeological remains. They could also dive through an artificial reef in the form of a purposely sunken ferry boat that has become one of Gozo's diving mainstays. Water visibility is most often 40 metres and sea temperatures rarely go lower than 16 degrees Celcius.

There are several diving schools and centres on the island of Gozo. The increasing number of those who return to Gozo for diving holidays shows the high level of service provided by these centres.

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Beaches close to the Farmhouse

RAMLA BAY - The Red Sandy Beach

Ramla Bay is located at the bottom of a rich and fertile valley on the northern side of the island of Gozo. The village of Xaghra, located on one of the hills of Gozo, overlooks this valley. The Bay can also be reached from the village of Nadur. The terraced walls built by the farmers give the valley an appearance of a quilt when viewed from the high ridges surrounding this valley.

The beach is quite wide and sandy. It is a particularly golden-reddish sand which makes this beach different from all other beaches in Gozo and Malta. Locals often refer to this beach as the "Ramla il-Hamra" - the Red Sandy Beach. The area around the beach is quite interesting and provides some very rich historical treasures. Roman remains lie beneath the sand and the famous Calypso Cave overlooks the Western side of the beach.

According to tradition, this is the cave referred to by Homer in The Odyssey. The nymph Calypso lived in this cave and it is where she entertained Ulysses for seven years before he resumed his journey. Calypso Cave is in fact a series of caves and according to some, these extend right down to the sea.

DAHLET QORROT BAY

Dahlet Qorrot is a small inlet nestled in the northern cliff face of Gozo and can be reached from Nadur. The cove is used by a small number of fisherman who have turned some caves into boat houses and storage areas for fishing gear and one can observe these fishermen mending their fishing nets or repairing their colourful boats to keep them seaworthy.

The pebble beach is small but one can also swim off the quay or the rocks on both sides of the bay. The sea is deep enough in places, crystal clear and of course inviting.

SAN BLAS BAY

San Blas Bay is a pretty beach of red sand similar to that of Ramla Bay. It is accessible from the village of Nadur, but the final part of the road is closed to traffic due to the very steep passage. One therefore has to proceed towards the beach on foot, and this makes San Blas Bay a very peaceful place.

Located in the North-East of the Island, San Blas Bay lies at the end of quite the most beautiful and fertile valleys of Gozo. This could easily be observed and appreciated along the way.

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Public local transport

Public local transport is the cheapest way of going around Gozo. Its limit though, is its restricted time-table which at times can be infrequent. Gozo buses are painted grey with red stripe on each side and can carry approximately 50 passengers. The cost per trip does not exceed 20 Malta cents.

Gozo route buses serve villages around Gozo from the central Victoria Bus Terminus in Main Gate Street. They are identified by the number they carry on the front (See Bus Schedule below). In Summer, buses operate trips to Dwejra and Ramla Bay, while they increase the trip frequency to Marsalforn and Xlendi Bays

Contact Address: Gozo PTD Office - Tigrija Palazz, Victoria - Gozo Tel: 21559344 Fax: 21559346
Schedule Enquiries: Tel: 21562040 ext 218 between 5.00hrs and 21.00hrs

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Gozo Weather

Month Hours of Bright Sunshine Rainfall mm Temperature Sea Max. Min. C F C F C F January 5.02 95.5 15.5 59 9.6 49.3 15.3 59.5 February 6.28 62.9 15.7 60.3 9.4 48.9 14.9 58.8 March 7.14 42.4 17 62.6 10.3 50.5 15.1 59.2 April 8.28 26.6 19.3 66.7 11.9 53.4 15.8 60.4 May 9.53 9.7 23.8 74.8 15 59 17.6 63.7 June 10.92 0.8 28.1 82.6 18.8 65.8 21.1 70 July 11.71 0.4 31.1 88 21.1 70 24 75.2 August 10.82 5.3 31.5 88.7 22.1 71.8 25.7 78.3 September 8.51 49.9 28.4 83.1 20.4 68.7 25 77 October 6.99 82.1 24.6 76.3 18.1 64.6 23.1 73.6 November 5.89 93.7 20.3 68.5 14.5 58.1 20.4 68.7 December 5.05 98.4 17 62.6 11.1 52 17.2 63 Yearly Average 8 567.7 * 22.7 72.9 15.2 59.4 19.6 67.3 Malta’s climate is strongly influenced by the sea and is typical of the Mediterranean. The Islands have a very sunny climate with a daily average of five to six hours sunshine in mid-winter to more than 12 hours in summer. The climate in Gozo is warm and healthy. The temperature average 14C in winter and 32C in Summer. Period of observations is 1st January 1971 to 31st December 2000 * Average annual rainfall. Data collected and supplied by the Meteorological Office, Malta International Airport plc .