Um El Faroud

The Um El Faroud is a Libyan tanker that sank in an explosion at Malta's Wied iz-Zurrieq dry docks in 1995, killing several dockyard workers, and was later scuttled off the coast near Zurrieq in 1998 as an artificial reef and dive site. The wreck is around 100 metres long and sits upright on a sandy bottom, though storm damage over the years has broken the hull into two main sections. Depths run down to around 36 metres at the seabed, and the dive is rated technical, with divers needing to manage air consumption carefully around the enclosed spaces of the hull, plus a long surface swim from shore and currents that can be unpredictable. Barracuda are regularly seen on the wreck, and divers have also reported damselfish, nudibranch, octopus, and triggerfish among the structure. Its size and profile make it one of the better known wreck dives in Malta.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
• Dusky SpinefootSiganus luridusReported here · unconfirmed
• Reticulated LeatherjacketStephanolepis diasprosReported here · unconfirmed
• TriggerfishTriggerfishReported here · unconfirmed
• DamselfishDamselfishReported here · unconfirmed
• NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed