Blue Grotto
Dive site · Malta
Is it worth the trip?
83Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 47 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 19 kn
- Gusts
- 27knboats in
- Air
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 184, good
- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 488, good
- Thu 589, good
- Fri 688, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 888, good
- Mon 986, good
- Tue 1086, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 10 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 22 °C5 mm wetsuit
- Faces Sswell from there reaches it
- Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 84, good | 0.3 m | 11 kn | 15kn | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 47, fair | 1.0 m | 19 kn | 27knboats in | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 0.9 m | 14 kn | 19kn | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 88, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 89, good | 0.2 mflat | 5 kn | 8kn | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 88, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 6kn | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 4kn | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 88, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 6kn | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 86, good | 0.4 m | 7 kn | 9kn | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 86, good | 0.2 mflat | 10 kn | 13kn | 22°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:47 −0.0 mHigh 07:26 +0.1 mLow 14:31 −0.0 mHigh 20:36 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:41 −0.0 mHigh 09:31 +0.1 mLow 16:08 −0.0 mHigh 22:40 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.0 mHigh 11:02 +0.1 mLow 17:14 −0.1 mHigh 23:42 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jun–Sep
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Blue Grotto on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Blue Grotto
More diving near here
5 places
- South Reef 0.3 km away
- Sikka Xellugija Żurrieq 0.5 km away
- Wied iż-Żurrieq 0.5 km away
- Sikka Leminija Żurrieq 0.6 km away
- West Reef/Caves 0.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Blue Grotto
A cave dive. It goes down to 10 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 9.4 km away. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 28°C in August, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). For Advanced divers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Birżebbuġa. Within 5 km we also list 9 dive sites and 1 climbing area.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 10 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 9.4 km away.
Water about 22°C: 5 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep and Oct (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,050–US$2,020 each
about US$1,050–US$2,020 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MLA, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$556–US$1,150 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$221–US$368 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$248–US$462 |
| Total | about US$1,050–US$2,020 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Birżebbuġa
11 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Birżebbuġa its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$80 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 18h 50m
About 18h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MLA, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → MLA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Birżebbuġa · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Birżebbuġa · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Subacqua supplies services 9.4 km
Aquamarina 9.8 km
Malta Blue Diving Shop 11 km
Dive Systems 11 km
Dive Med 12 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Siganus luridus
Seen in 3 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Citizen Science Records of Marine Alien Species in Malta; Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species 2001-2020. Credits
This week: visibility about 25 m, about usual for the month (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.