Diving in Malta

[chris llewellyn]

i am going diving in Malta in early May and want to know if a wet suit will be adequate or should i take my dry suit.Never been before and have notice the sea temp is a bit cooler than the Red Sea.

[Adrian Kelland]

Having used a drysuit in April there, I would still take one for May.

Adrian

[Richard Whitcombe]

I'd take the drysuit.

[Davepazzer]

Hi Chris
I'm going to Gozo on 6th May and when I rang the Dive Center the other day the water temp was 16 - 18 degrees, even with 3 weeks to go I don't think it will be anyway near 20 so we will all be taking our drysuits.

A couple of friends have just come back from diving Tenerife and it was 18 degrees, not comfortable for the guy who took his wetsuit.

The sensible woman took her drysuit with her and used it every day.

Dave

[Matt-75]

It was 16-18C out there last June when we were out and everyone dived a 5mm without a problem. No hypothermia cases. Not to mention, the idea of walking down to the water wearing a drysuit/undersuit with temperatures over 20C doesnt sound like a good idea if you are trying to avoid heat exhaustion.

Dive a 5mm or 7mm, but lumping any sort of drysuit is going to seriously hamper you on the weight factor. We all managed to keep to 25kg ish with 5mm wetsuits. My drysuit might weigh 5-10kg easily.

[Richard Whitcombe]

Depends how you feel the cold. I was there in November with water temp 20c. Was cold and shaking on the first dive of a day and cutting second one short due to uncontrollable shakes.

Malta can get windy so the surface interval isnt always hot either.

Theres no way id dive in any water <20c without a drysuit anywhere in the world.

[Matt-75]

Did you have to pay more for your baggage, or did you get it through ok with the 30kg limit?

[Adrian Kelland]

Did you have to pay more for your baggage, or did you get it through ok with the 30kg limit?
You must be taking far too much. :)

To Norway I took a full thickness neoprene suit, two undersuits, ali backplate harness and twinning bands, heavy torch and twin regs. And books to read. About 24-6kg IIRC, certainly well under the 30kg. I used the Norwegian budget airline - no generosity there.

What are people taking with them these days?

Adrian

[Matt-75]

Assorted clothing weighing 2-3kg, a 5mm suit, 1x reg set, 1x wing, wet boots, fins, 1 mask, gloves, compass, depth gauge, 2x mini torches and probably other things i've forgotten.

This year, add on a second reg set, computer, depth gauge (wrist mount), compass (wrist mount), 2 knifes and line cutter, 2 reels and a blob, 1 large torch. I'll probably be hitting 27kg give or take. If i can streamline i thought about taking my pony as well, so i could at least make sure i had some O2 for myself if things went pear.

[BIGLICKER]

I dived in Malta with my family last October and we had long sleeved shorties on (5mm), none of us were cold after the initial shock of getting in and I didn't see a dry suit at all. :eek: cheers Roy

[c0nners]

I was in end of May last year and we were OK in 5mm. One of us went in with a shortie and got stung by some kind of catapillar (insert correct name here ^).
If you suffer from the cold you may get a bit of the chill near the end of your dive but a walk out the Blue Hole will soon have you gasping and warmed up. :)
Temps were around 18 degrees.

[IainC]

The 'caterpillar' is a fire-worm, so named becasue of how it feels if you touch one :-)

Was in Malta with my club last year in late March (water 15C), all of us had drysuits, so did all the guides. Everyone managed to keep under 25kg, too.

Iain.

[Matt-75]

One of us went in with a shortie and got stung by some kind of catapillar (fireworm).

It was probably a bearded fireworm at that.

[Ben Panter]

Is that what this fellow is then? Taken in a cave in Vis, Croatia:
347

[Matt-75]

It looks quite similar. But in a cave? Was the cave saltwater or fresh?

If salt, then yes, but if freshwater i have no clue. Would need to talk to my old marine biology professor.

[Ben Panter]

Seawater, and to be honest technically it was probably a cavern. Lovely diving though... more pics of diving in Vis, Croatia (http://www.roe.ac.uk/~bdp/diving/vis).

Ben

[c0nners]

It was probably a bearded fireworm at that.
I went looking through my pics.. this is the Malta worm...

http://www.oceanviewdiving.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_worm.jpg

Although I fear we drifted off topic. Sry. :D

[Richard Whitcombe]

Standard fireworm - the things are everywhere in the med (salt water). Seem to like overhangs/dark areas. Nice to look at but dont touch.

As for weight my full set of kit with a suit and lightweight dive bag comes to 27kg normally. Thats suit, wing (abs plate), reg, fins,mask,smb with reel, torch (D8R so 5kg...).