Malta and Gozo boast some of the most spectacular underwater topography and historic wrecks in the Mediterranean. Yet, for the local diving community and the thousands of tourists who visit our shores, the daily reality of accessing these world-class sites tells a story of systemic neglect.
In May 2022, the government launched Developing A Sustainable Diving Industry in the Maltese Islands: A Strategy for the Future. It promised a bold, sustainable vision centered on upgrading infrastructure, enhancing site protection, and improving industry regulation. Now, four years later in 2026, a look at the latest reports from our site paints a sobering picture: the masterplan isn’t just lagging behind; in several critical areas, we are regressing.
The 2022 Vision vs. The 2026 Reality
If we measure the 2022 masterplan’s via the primary three of the five strategic objectives against the actual situation, the cracks in the foundation are undeniable.
| Strategic Promise (2022) | The Ground Reality (Spring 2026) |
|---|---|
| Upgrading Dive Site Infrastructure | Failing the Basics: As reported on April 5th, the Easter weekend saw divers greeted by missing ladders, absent railings, and a lack of basic facilities across key sites. Certain sites still as at time of writing are waiting for some simple repairs (Exiles, Żonqor Point), as well as major works (Għar Lapsi) which the moment cameras rolled away, so did the workers until the upcoming Elections were called! Ċirkewwa works started in April after Easter, but the usual snail pace is going on… even though divers have been arriving by the buses only not to find a single bench to kit up on this week! Improving boat diving infrastructure didn’t materialise at all, with more blocks coming this way as Fisheries and other competing tourism interests have been catered for much more. |
| Enhancing Site Protection | Delayed Action & Pollution Fears: The Ċirkewwa Marine Park was only legally established in February 2026. Meanwhile, environmental hazards persist, highlighted by the March 2026 ROV survey investigating a suspected drainage leak at the popular Ras il-Ħobż site in Gozo. Initially a botched up partial diving survey video was published within 48hrs from a claim being made by an Opposition Spokesman, but the ROV survey has not yet seen the light of day over two months later! |
| Improving Industry Regulation | Outdated Regulations: The current Regulations covering diving centres are from 2012 or for the mathematically inclined, 14 years ago! Plenty of court cases and advancements in the Industry are nowhere to be catered for, and the changes in the Industry seem to go unnoticed. |
You may see a full copy of the 2022 Masterplan, a list of the objectives, including the key expected deliverables on our Trello tracker at https://trello.com/b/LU5V30Td/diving-strategy-actions-tracker
Where is the Infrastructure?
The most glaring failure of the 2022 strategy is the lack of basic site maintenance. Dive centers operate 365 days a year, yet every winter, access ladders are ripped away by storms and left unreplaced well into the busy spring and eventually summer season. The divinginfo.mt Easter 2026 report is a testament to this: peak season arrived with the sun shining, but with vital access infrastructure still missing.
Our dive site issues report tracker which is used by a few dive centres and individuals on a regular basis clearly shows the ongoing nature of issues, especially in Gozo! We know a lot of others don’t like using it as they think it’s possibly damaging to the Industry, but how are such issues recorded and pressure maintained if not so?! We keep forwarding reports and chasing, but sometimes the few responses we get to our calls make us cringe and ask whether this insanity can continue! It only takes 4 months to get back two ladders at Xatt l-Aħmar between winter and spring, and some sites even longer!
When a masterplan pledges to elevate Malta’s diving product, failing to install simple railings and ladders for safe entry and exit is unacceptable. We are expecting divers to navigate perilous, unmaintained rocky shores while marketing ourselves as a premier European dive destination.
How can we even dare to market these islands as a Quality Tourism Experience when you have to go pee in the bushes at some of the major diving sites? Men may not really bat an eyelid at that, but the ladies who increasingly form a significant part of the divers visiting these shores and female guides and instructors clearly are not amused!
Small Wins Drowned by Inaction
The arrival of the Hephaestus wreck at Xatt l-Aħmar in 2022 offered a fresh attraction for experienced divers. A new wreck scuttling has been on the cards for a couple of years though no official announcement beyond internal PDSA discussions have been heard. Ċirkewwa is getting a limited makeover, most of which we call maintenance and which fails to add the much-needed first aid rooms and interpretation centre / management office it needs, a third emergency exit out of the water closer to Tug Boat Rozi and additional on-site parking.
To be fair, 2026 hasn’t been devoid of positive news. The inauguration of the new Hyperbaric Chamber at Gozo General Hospital in March was a crucial, albeit long-overdue, win for diver safety. UCHU have expanded their outreach initiatives reaching non-divers and the general public to share more our love for wrecks and history lying under the cover of the sea.
The ITS has started churning out graduates from its Diving Safety Management Bachelors programm held in conjunction with DAN, which also saw some from these being recent recruits at the MTA with a hope to finally having some safety-concious elements assisting decision makers.
However, these isolated milestones do not excuse the overall sluggish pace of the masterplan’s rollout. The recent launch of the global “Future Divers Initiative” survey via divinginfo.mt hits the nail on the head: the diving industry is at a turning point. If Malta wants to remain competitive and attract the next generation of divers, we cannot rely solely on the natural beauty of the Blue Hole or our historical wrecks.
Conclusion: Time to Surface
Four years after the masterplan’s release, it is clear that strategy without execution is just a PDF collecting digital dust. The data from early 2026 proves that our diving infrastructure is highly reactive rather than proactive.
Malta and Gozo’s diving community—and the marine environment we cherish—deserve better than outdoor fresh-air bathroom stop and missing ladders. It is time for the authorities to dust off the 2022 strategy, look at the very real struggles happening on the shoreline, and finally bridge the gap between their promises and our reality before moving forward and start thinking about really excelling!
The 2026 Masterplan is at this stage looking just a polished version of the 2011 Diving Masterplan and the 2006 Gozo-focused documents, all of which gathered shovelfuls of dust!
Seems like despite different administrations, nothing really changed, with snail like-improvements being few and far in between whilst divers are clambering over rocks despite forking out good money in Eco-taxes and Income Tax to state coffers. The little bit that has been returned is nothing but crumbs so far.