The P31, formerly named Pasewalk was the sister ship to the P29 formerly named Boltenhagen that was scuttled near the Cirkewwa Gozo ferry terminal in Malta in August two thousand seven. They were East-German Kondor I class mine sweepers built in nineteen sixty-nine before being transferred to the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) in nineteen ninety-two. Quad fourteen point five mm machine guns were fitted and the vessels were used for patrols around Maltese territorial waters. They were involved in several rescue missions involving immigrants and anti-contraband operations.
The P31 is fifty-two meters long and seven meters wide. In two thousand nine it was scuttled in an area with practically no current at eighteen meters on white sand close to Cominoâs Blue Lagoon, a short boat ride from Mgarr harbour and half an hour away from the St Andrewâs Divers Cove shop in Xlendi. It is one of Maltaâs most popular wrecks and because of its depth it can be enjoyed by qualified divers of all levels. It is often a first wreck dive for divers who just qualified as first level or Open Water divers. Prior to the scuttling, doors, windows, hatches and engines were removed while wires were cut in an effort to render the wreck as safe as possible for divers and free divers.
The P31 wreck with its prolific marine life and clear sandy bottom offers enthusiasts many photo opportunities. Shoals of small fish like damselfish live above the P31, Cardinal fish inside it and scorpion fish on and below its decks. Spirographs and colorful Flabellina nudibranchs are often seen hanging on to the algae growing on the steel structure while Amberjacks hunt above the wreck at certain times of the year. Small rays and many fish species live on the sandy bottom around the wreck making this dive a really enjoyable one.
The P31 is also a great attraction for skin divers practicing âAPNEAâ since it is visible from the surface and only between ten and eighteen meters deep.
Access to the P31 Wreck is by boat, a 10 minute ride on our dive boat Divemania from Mgarr harbour or a 30 minute scenic trip along the Sanap and Taâ Cenc cliffs from Xlendi Bay. The boat anchors close to the wreck and a shot line is dropped from the dive platform to facilitate descent and ascent. We often visit the Blue Lagoon or the Crystal lagoon caves after the dive. The P31 wreck is often organised as part of a full day, 2 tank trip to Comino.
Divers meet on the surface near the dive platform and descend on a shot line before heading off to the bridge, the shallower part of the wreck at a depth of 12 metres. There is no best route around the wreck but divers have ample time to dive around the wreck and explore the bow and the stern as well as the mid-section and the engine room. Divers often spend some time on the sandy bottom looking for rays and the many types of fish that live there. The view of the wreck from afar is also stunning.
Divers swimming through safe open sections of the wreck could easily encounter larger Scorpion fish or Moray eels hiding within. A torch is not absolutely necessary but it does help to spot camouflaged creatures and the colourful anemones within the P31 wreck.
At the end of the dive, divers usually return to the bridge at 12 metres and dive around the chimneys before starting their slow ascent towards the boat. Safety stop is done on the anchor line or on the boatâs shot line.
ExcellentBased on 316 reviewsthel6710/10 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 đErik SSt Andrewâs 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. Andrewâs Divers Cove the experience was exceptional. my instructor Simon is one of the best instructor Iâve 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 đđ 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 đ€đSandraSuper Super ! Club trĂšs bien organisĂ©, Ă l'Ă©coute, polyglotte. Pour un sĂ©jour avec 10 plongĂ©es, l'objectif a toujours Ă©tĂ© de nous faire dĂ©couvrir Ă chaque fois de nouveaux sites. Une mention spĂ©ciale pour Simon, qui a Ă©tĂ© 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 goOlivier LBelles vacances plongĂ©e Pour une premiĂšre Ă Gozo, rĂ©ussite parfaite... Centre trĂšs pro,tant au niveau des plongĂ©es bien cadrĂ©es et sĂ©curitĂ©,tant au niveau des sites magnifiques, tant au niveau encadrants agrĂ©ables et vraiment disponibles ainsi qu'Ă l'orga des transferts et hĂ©bergements. De vrais vacances dĂ©tendue, Ă renouveler sans aucun doute.Laetitia WA faire Super moniteurs, trĂšs pro et bienveillants. Un bon bref de prĂ© plongĂ©e, un bon dĂ©brief, d'excellents conseils. Merci Ă vous ! En revanche attention ce n'est pas clair, vous ne pouvez pas partager un pack plongĂ©e Ă plusieurs. Les prix sont par personnes ! Donc 3 personnes qui font une plongĂ©e le prix est de 3 fois une plongĂ©e... Dommage đąEvercuriosGreat days diving We had the best refresher day with st Andrewâs dive centre. We hadnât 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 recommendDamian MDive & tour with Gozoâs most experienced and best! My wife and I booked a private boat tour and scuba dive with Mark Busuttil, the owner of St Andrewâs 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.
ExcellentBased on 173 reviewsthelma 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. Andrewâs gave a very welcoming and family-like feeling, all very communicative and helpful. I recommend this place hands off!FĂ©licien PageUne premiĂšre expĂ©rience absolument unique ! Une baie magnifique, des instructeurs trĂšs 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 Andrewâs 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 đ
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