Fra Ben cave
Dive site · Malta
Is it worth the trip?
85Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: Sea: flat, Visibility about 25 m, Water 22 °C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 85 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 21°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 237, poor
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 486, good
- Thu 587, good
- Fri 686, good
- Sat 785, good
- Sun 886, good
- Mon 986, good
- Tue 1083, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 22 °C5 mm wetsuit
- Faces NEswell from there reaches it
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 37, poor | 0.9 m | 22 kn | 30knboats in | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 0.8 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 86, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 87, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 86, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 5kn | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 85, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 11kn | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 86, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 86, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 8kn | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 83, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 13kn | 23°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:47 −0.0 mHigh 09:47 +0.1 mLow 16:13 −0.0 mHigh 22:33 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:41 −0.0 mHigh 11:18 +0.1 mLow 17:23 −0.0 mHigh 23:38 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:48 −0.1 mHigh 12:11 +0.1 mLow 18:07 −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
No month stands out
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
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 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 Tue 3 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
Fra Ben cave 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 Fra Ben cave
More diving near here
5 places
- Qawra Tramuntana 0.1 km away
- Qawra Nofsinhar 0.2 km away
- Jesus of Qawra 0.7 km away
- MV Imperial Eagle 0.7 km away
- Sirens 1.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fra Ben cave
A cave dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NE: swell from the NE reaches it, and wind from the SW blows out to sea. 18 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 27°C in August, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is San Pawl il-Baħar. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 11 dive sites.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 18 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away.
Water about 22°C: 5 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 25 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 and Aug (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$1,060–US$2,040 each
about US$1,060–US$2,040 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$33–US$54 |
| 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$1,060–US$2,040 |
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: San Pawl il-Baħar
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 53 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About San Pawl il-Baħar 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 55m
About 18h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MLA, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → MLA on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in San Pawl il-Baħar · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in San Pawl il-Baħar · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Subway Scuba Diving 1.6 km
Corsair Diving Malta 1.7 km
Plongée Malte 1.9 km
Octopus Garden Scuba Diving 2.2 km
Maltaqua Scuba Diving 2.3 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
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.