- Ċirkewwa
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A ferry departs at Ċirkewwa harbour from Mġarr, Gozo.
Ċirkewwa is a harbour situated on a point at the northernmost part of Malta.
It is the site of the Ċirkewwa Ferry Terminal, where regular car ferries operate to the port of Mġarr on Gozo. In the summer, boat trips to Comino also operate, as well as organised diving excursions. As Ċirkewwa is a point on the northernmost end of the island, and not a town, there is no infrastructure besides the terminal. Construction of a new terminal at the site, costing around €12 million, was announced in May 2010.[1]
Visitors travelling to Gozo can reach Ċirkewwa by car by following road signs to Gozo, and by bus from Valletta, Sliema, Buġibba and St. Paul's Bay.
Near the harbour there is a hotel and a sandy beach, Paradise Bay.
Diving in Ċirkewwa
Ċirkewwa is one of the most visited scuba diving sites on the Maltese Islands. It has underwater cliffs, caves, tunnels and an arch down to the seabed at 27 m. A short swim away is the wreck of the MV Rozi, an old tugboat sunk intentionally as an attraction for tourists aboard a tourist submarine that worked the area in early 1992. Out towards Marfa Point is a statue of the Madonna which was placed in a natural cavern by the Amphibians Diving Club.[2]
The P29 Patrol Boat was scuttled off the coast at Ċirkewwa in 2007 as a diving attraction.[3]
From the middle of 2010 divers have been cooperating to implement Cirkewwa as a Voluntary Marine Reserve. The site now has the support of the diving community which is working to gain the support of the fishing, angling and boating communities to implement a Ccod of Conduct to preserve and protect the site.
References
- ^ "Transport Malta announces tender for construction of Cirkewwa terminal". The Times of Malta. 7 May 2010. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100507/local/transport-malta-announces-tender-for-construction-of-cirkewwa-terminal.
- ^ Wood, Lesley; Wood, Lawson (2006). Malta, Comino and Gozo. New Holland Publishers. pp. 48–49. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_gWTQNJhDccC&pg=PA48&dq=%C4%8Airkewwa+ferry&hl=en&ei=nntpTab4NYKDhQfDrLXsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Patrol boat wreck attracts unwanted attention Malta Media, 28 August 2007
External links
Categories:- Geography of Malta
- Underwater diving sites
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