Diving in Comino
Comino, the smallest Maltese island, is dived entirely by boat: shallow lit caverns, an easy wreck and a wall past 50m, with no resident dive centre.
Last updated July 2026
Overview
No dive centre is based on Comino, unlike Malta and Gozo. Every dive here starts on someone else's boat: out from Cirkewwa or Marfa on Malta's north tip, or from Mgarr and the Gozo dive towns. The smallest of the three inhabited Maltese islands, best known above the surface for the Blue Lagoon, has stayed undeveloped as a nature reserve rather than a base for dive shops. That absence of shore traffic keeps the water some of the clearest in the archipelago. Three families of dive define a day out here. On the sheltered north-east coast, Santa Marija Caves offer a shallow, naturally lit cavern maze that stays within Open Water limits throughout. Sea bream gather at every entrance. On the exposed south-west tip, Lantern Point drops through an L-shaped chimney onto a wall running past fifty metres. Oversized gorgonian fans mark out water that sees little dive pressure. Across the Blue Lagoon channel, Cominotto Reef splits into four faces, from beginner-accessible east-side boulders to a deep south-west cave zone anchored by a WWII grapple anchor. Near the Blue Lagoon itself, the shallow P31 wreck gives Comino its one training dive, upright and snorkelable at 7 to 20 metres. Grouper, moray eels and octopus turn up at each of these sites. Barracuda and amberjack hunt the exposed west-side walls in summer. Wind decides which coast a boat runs to, more than season does.
Planning your visit
Comino has no dive centre of its own, so book through an operator based on Malta or Gozo and expect a boat crossing before the first dive. Certified to 30 metres or beyond, you can dive independently; below that, Malta's rules put a licensed instructor alongside you, which in practice matches how most Comino trips already run anyway. May through October brings the warmest water and the calmest seas, though wind decides which coast is workable on any given day: the sheltered Santa Marija side dives more often than the exposed west coast. An SMB matters everywhere. Boat and ferry traffic toward the Blue Lagoon runs heavy in summer, and sending one up before you surface is standard practice on every Comino dive, not only at the wreck.
Geology & underwater terrain
Coralline and globigerina limestone eroded into sea caves, swim-throughs, arches and a near-vertical wall, over rock, sand and Posidonia oceanica meadow; no hard coral reef.
Top Dives
The must-do dives in this area, picked by our editors.
Comino's only cave dive within Open Water limits, naturally lit throughout
The region's shallow training wreck, exceptionally accessible for Open Water divers
Comino's deepest wall, built around a corroborated 16-18m chimney feature
Comino's multi-face reef circuit, anchored by a WWII wreck relic at 35m
Dive sites map
Diamonds mark nearby dive areas — tap to explore.
Dive sites in Comino
Cominotto Reef
A multi-face reef off Cominotto islet near Comino's Blue Lagoon: shallow boulders to a 50m wall, centred on a WWII anchor at 35m.
Lantern Point
Comino's advanced south-west wall: a 16-18m chimney swim-through opens onto a near-vertical limestone face running past 50m.
P31 (Patrol Boat)
Shallow ex-East German minesweeper scuttled off Comino in 2009; a 52m upright wreck at 12-20m and a favourite beginner training wreck.
Santa Marija Caves
A shallow, light-filled cavern maze at Comino's Santa Marija Bay, three linked chambers 2-10m deep within Open Water limits.
Photos
Videos
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a boat to dive Comino, and where do trips leave from?▾
Yes, always. No dive centre operates from Comino itself, so every dive here is a boat trip run by a Malta- or Gozo-based operator. The shortest crossings leave from Cirkewwa and Marfa on Malta's north tip and from Mgarr and the Gozo dive towns; some operators also run full-day trips from further along Malta's coast.
What are the best dive sites at Comino: Santa Marija Caves, Lantern Point or P31?▾
They serve different divers. Santa Marija Caves is the shallow, sheltered cavern maze that suits Open Water divers and photographers who want good light. Lantern Point is the advanced choice, a wall that runs past fifty metres from a chimney entry. P31 sits in between: an easy, snorkelable wreck that pairs naturally with either of the other two on the same boat day.
Are the Santa Marija Caves suitable for beginners or Open Water divers?▾
Yes. Every chamber sits within Open Water depth limits, the bay is sheltered enough to dive on most days, and even Discover Scuba participants can explore the lit entrances under supervision. Only the innermost passage beyond ambient light calls for a cavern or cave endorsement.
Can you dive the P31 wreck as a beginner, and can you snorkel it?▾
Both. At 7 to 20 metres, P31 sits well within Open Water limits, one of the few wrecks in the region a newly certified diver can experience. The hull is shallow enough to see from the surface too, so confident snorkellers and freedivers dive it as well.
Is Comino a marine reserve? Do you need a permit or pay a fee to dive?▾
No. Comino and the sea around it are a Natura 2000 site, protected as a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area for habitat and seabirds, not managed as a no-take marine reserve. That means no diving permit, quota or reserve fee. You pay only your boat operator's trip cost; the separate Blue Lagoon ferry fare is tourist transport, not a diving charge.
When is the best time of year to dive Comino? Can you dive in winter?▾
May through October brings the warmest water and the most reliably calm seas, with late July and August the safest bet for sea state. Comino dives year-round with the right exposure protection, though winter swell can rule out the exposed west-side sites for days at a time.
Can you dive Comino from Gozo, or only from Malta?▾
What certification do you need for Lantern Point?▾
Advanced Open Water at minimum. The site opens with a shallow plateau an Open Water diver can sometimes work under close guide supervision, but the wall, the chimney and the boulder caverns beyond it all sit past thirty metres, where a Deep specialty is recommended.
Is the Blue Lagoon a good scuba dive, or just for snorkeling?▾
It's better known as a snorkelling and swimming stop than a scuba destination. The shallow, sandy water suits a training or intro dive, but divers come to Comino mainly for the caverns, the wreck and the walls elsewhere on the island, not the Lagoon itself.
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