MV Xlendi – Xatt l-Ahmar, Gozo
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🌊 MV Xlendi – Xatt l-Ahmar, Gozo
(inverted wreck, difficult access – for experienced divers)
📄 Description
The MV Xlendi is one of three wrecks deliberately scuttled at Xatt l-Ahmar in 1999. Unlike the others, it flipped upside down during the sinking, making exploration more technical and challenging. The wreck lies inverted on a sandy seabed with the keel facing upward, making interior access impossible. It’s a dive site suitable only for experienced divers, often approached as a technical dive.
🧭 Dive Type
Boat dive – inverted wreck on sandy bottom
🤿 Required Dive Level
Advanced / Expert – technical diving recommended
📏 Depth
From 42 m to approximately 46 m
⚠️ Difficulty
High – deep site, no interior access, possible current
🛳️ Wreck Features
- Length: approx. 80 m
- Position: inverted, keel visible
- Interior access: difficult and not recommended
- Visibility: generally good
- Requires: technical planning and excellent buoyancy control
🐟 Marine Life
Occasional groupers, moray eels, and pelagic fish schools. Sponges and filter feeders grow on the exposed hull.
🌊 Environmental Conditions & Safety
Dive requires boat support. Deep sandy bottom with potential currents. Interior penetration is hazardous and only suitable for trained technical divers. Good visibility, stable bottom.
📆 Seasonality
Year-round – best conditions from June to October
📚 Curiosities & History
The MV Xlendi was once a passenger ferry before being scuttled alongside Karwela and Cominoland to create an artificial reef. Its upside-down position transformed it into a less visited, yet highly intriguing challenge for experienced and technical divers.
✅ Final Summary
A deep, upside-down wreck offering a unique challenge. MV Xlendi is only suitable for experienced or technical divers. A dramatic and stimulating site for well-planned deep dives.
