The double arch is definitely one of Gozo’s most spectacular under water geological features. A smaller arch stands on top of a larger one on a rocky headland protruding from the reef in deep water some 300 metres off shore near Xwejni bay on Gozo’s North Coast. This dive site could be accessed by boat but is mostly dived from the shore. It is exposed to all north winds. The reef over the top arch is 17 metres deep and the foot of the bottom one reaches beyond 40 metres. Because of the depth and the arduous surface swim necessary to access this site, it is only for experienced divers. Fish life is prolific above and around this extended rocky headland and the two large archways.
This dive site is on Gozo’s north coast, west of Xwejni bay and about 300 metres offshore in line with the salt pans. Boats can be anchored immediately over the double arch reef but most go there from the shore and enjoy the long dive back south, over Posidonia meadows towards the shore. Dive vehicles are parked just off the Xwejni coast road and divers carefully cross the salt pans to enter the water at a small rocky inlet on the coast known as the washing machine because that’s exactly what it looks like on stormy days. The Double Arch reef is about 300 metres to the North. Divers often surface swim the first 200 metres.
The salt pans are actively harvested and in order not to damage or dirty them, divers are urged to only walk on the rocky ridges dividing them
From the washing machine divers head out north on the surface about 200 metres before descending to 14 metres on the reef near a drop off. The drop off leads down to some house sized boulders at an average depth of 25 metres. Past the boulders the majestic double arch becomes visible and this is one of Gozo’s classic unforgettable scenes.
Divers then usually slowly dive over the boulders and through the bottom arch, dividing their attention between the various forms of marine life found here and the incredible views of the arches above. Grouper, blennies, nudibranchs and anemones are commonly seen while the shaded undersides of both arches are covered in small, colourful sponges and golden cup corals (Astroides calycularis).
Divers may choose to stay at 40 metres and dive around the rocky headland to the west or drop a bit deeper and follow the reef wall to the north east before turning around to look at the view of the double arch from this deeper angle. Slipper lobsters, large octopus and various species of sea urchins can often be seen here.
The numerous crevasses on the walls and the different sized boulders on the sea bed here are alive with marine life but time is limited because of the depth. The dive usually continues through the upper arch and up the wall slowly to reach the top of the reef at about 17 metres. A large shoal of barracuda are often encountered here whilst amberjack and tuna can often be seen hunting off the drop off. Divers take a last look at the double arch and start their long dive south towards the shore over large meadows of Posidonia. This is a 20 minute dive that gets progressively shallower and the final safety stop is done looking for cuttlefish, octopus and wrasse along the rocky Xwejni shoreline.
thel6710/10 for Gozo Dive Second time with St Andrews. Fab instructor Ericka for my OW course, learned loads & went on further dive with Simon, hugely informative. Sites were amazing, what an island under & over water. Mark, Natalie & staff very welcoming, & organised our transfers, accommodation & gave suggestions. Very impressive team, working hard to cover everything & ensure safety. 10/10. Thanks Gozo Dive 💝
Erik SSt Andrew’s dive shop, Gozo Amazing dive shop! Martin made our week dive experience. Easy to work with and very accommodating. Recommended for diver with experience. My group is all advanced open water and Nitrox certified with no need for dive guide. Very knowledgeable about conditions and very accurate daily dive site recommendations.
Rory KIncredible people and excellent place to learn I did my Advanced Open Water padi course with St. Andrew’s Divers Cove the experience was exceptional. my instructor Simon is one of the best instructor I’ve had, friendly, excellent knowledge and amazing instructor. Simon has made me better and a more confident diver through conducting the padi course in a knowledge able and entertaining way!thel67Comes with Free bananas 😂😎 New to this dive school - happy customers. Well experienced staff, confident, informative, attentive & fun. Owner presence & oversight ensures well run system & quality delivery with good vfm. Thanks for the fun days out, til next time 🤗💚
SandraSuper Super ! Club très bien organisé, à l'écoute, polyglotte. Pour un séjour avec 10 plongées, l'objectif a toujours été de nous faire découvrir à chaque fois de nouveaux sites. Une mention spéciale pour Simon, qui a été notre guide, et qui est extra.
chris gSt andews dive shop gozo As a diver I have always known of this dive shop in Gozo and have had air fills from there . On a recent holiday we visited Gozo and my friends car who keeps his car in malta to use on holiday/ diving trips broke down with a broken clutch cable . I suggested we go to see Mark at St Andews dive shop to see if he could recommend a good mechanic . Well to cut a long story short Mark the governor was so helpful he arranged his mechanic to fix the problem and the car was fixed within four hours . We were delighted as we were only on gozo for one day and were due to fly out a few days later so thankyou Mark and his mechanics !! On my many visits to Gozo the St andrews dive shop is always busy and customer friendly . If your planning a diving trip give that diving shop a go
Olivier LBelles vacances plongée Pour une première à Gozo, réussite parfaite... Centre très pro,tant au niveau des plongées bien cadrées et sécurité,tant au niveau des sites magnifiques, tant au niveau encadrants agréables et vraiment disponibles ainsi qu'à l'orga des transferts et hébergements. De vrais vacances détendue, à renouveler sans aucun doute.
Laetitia WA faire Super moniteurs, très pro et bienveillants. Un bon bref de pré plongée, un bon débrief, d'excellents conseils. Merci à vous ! En revanche attention ce n'est pas clair, vous ne pouvez pas partager un pack plongée à plusieurs. Les prix sont par personnes ! Donc 3 personnes qui font une plongée le prix est de 3 fois une plongée... Dommage 😢
EvercuriosGreat days diving We had the best refresher day with st Andrew’s dive centre. We hadn’t dived for 15 years or more and we eeee a little apprehensive but that evaporated very quickly. We were set up so just the two of us went out with our dive master Erika in xlendi bay. She really helped us to feel comfortable and in control and we had full faith in her. She obviously new the bay well and gave us a beautiful experience pointing out various fish and squid then ultimately taking us through the ledge. She went above and beyond by taking many great photos of us diving and the things we saw which she sent to us as a memento. Mark in the office was reliable and well organised and all the team were super friendly. Really recommend
Damian MDive & tour with Gozo’s most experienced and best! My wife and I booked a private boat tour and scuba dive with Mark Busuttil, the owner of St Andrew’s Divers Cove, Xlendi, on the island of Gozo, Malta. What a fantastic day we had. Nothing was too hard for Mark. He is an excellent boat skipper, amazing tour guide and superb dive master. Mark took us to the best sites around Gozo and Comino, steered me through an amazing cave dive, and showed us why these islands are so popular with tourists from all over the world. Thank you Mark! We loved our day with you. Regards, Damian and Michelle.
thelma bleheinCompleted OWD with Erica & follow up dive with Simon. Really positive experience with GozoDive overall. Instructors were clear, with good briefing prior to each session- learned loads with ease & look forward to learning more. Would definitely recommend this dive centre, well organised, confident in their focus on safety, and good range of dive locations in what I saw. Mark Busuttil and team in the office were always cheerful, happy to help with any dive related, advice, as well info on locality. Transfers to/from airport, snorkelling for others in our group, accommodation all arranged seamlessly. This was my second time with Gozo Dive & will no doubt be back again. All in all a very enjoyable positive experience- a breath of fresh air !
Theunis vanAardtFrom the beginning of planning this trip for a group of 8 people, the people at St Andrews was wonderful. Helping with arrangements to get from airport and back. Giving good instructions for where to dive (we were there in March so windy days) and helping individuals with gear. I cannot stress how much I will recommend this store to anyone that plans to dive Gozo. Special thanks to Charlayne and Mark. We loved every dive - and the organization within the store (tanks and gear room) was brilliant! They would be the first name on my list for any future Gozo trips. Sadly I cannot give more stars and sadly we had to leave......
Matteo BizzottoIn school, a teacher can make you love or hate a subject. For me, the same was for diving. Dawn was such a great instructor, she made me fall in love with diving from the very first lesson. Professional and knowledgeable, she made me feel totally safe even before I stepped into the water, and all the time after. But being honest, the whole team at St. Andrew’s gave a very welcoming and family-like feeling, all very communicative and helpful. I recommend this place hands off!
Félicien PageUne première expérience absolument unique ! Une baie magnifique, des instructeurs très sympas et professionnels ! :)
David ApplebyBeen using St Andrew's for years now including when I was living in Malta. Mark and the team are always fantastic, always happy to help, and, free with their advice. Genuinely first class dive operation.
Taylor GloverSuch an incredible experience with Mark from the beginning. He was so personable and experienced with the weather and equipment advice that he provided. We were visitors from Australia who wanted to snorkel in the winter and the company were brilliant. Highly recommend!
Lillian NelsonHad an amazing experience with St Andrew’s Dive Cove! We wanted to snorkel in winter in Gozo, and these guys really looked after us. Checked the weather forecast, advised on best dive spots, fitted us out with gear (lots of sizes for wetsuits). Kind, organised, professional and very affordable. Definitely recommend!!
MarcelI rented equipment here for snorkeling in Xlendi Bay. I found it very inexpensive and the equipment was fine for me. The people in the shop were very helpful and helped me get into the warming neoprene suit.
Armelle DuvieusartWe had a wonderful experience diving with Charles the first week of January! Great guide and equipment, the whole team at the dive shop were lovely, helpful and interesting 🐙
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