If you’re planning a shore dive on the North side of Gozo, visiting some of the most iconic dives there such as Reqqa Point, Double Arch, Cathedral Cavern and other in the area that can be reached from shore, beware of fishing nets.
Reports have been seen from divers (local and foreign alike) that have been amazed at how at such popular diving sites, nets are still allowed to be set extremely close to shore, on protected Posidonia Oceanica meadows and/or reef walls. Entanglement with such nets is also a deadly affair – as if one loses his concentration for a second, especially visiting tourists who might not be expecting this, the result may be panic and possibly, death.
In one recently reported instance, divers reported this was literally laid on them during their dive!
Similar reports have been already featured on this site for the Ghar Lapsi divesite earlier this summer and a fishing pot was even found on the recently scuttled M/T Heaphastus.
It is to be noted that such nets are not illegal to be laid close to shore. The relevant laws allow this, since these laws were written mostly in 1934 – well before Cousteau & Gagnan had invented the SCUBA regulator that we now know… and diving became one of the major year-long tourist industries in Gozo.
Furthermore, as we remarked a few weeks ago, the diving industry is still awaiting for a central body that is in charge of dive sites, possibly with a remit to work on protection of divers and the environment at such sites. Whilst this body was mentioned in the Diving Strategy 2022, not much has yet been seen happening.
