Depth
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Home/ Dive Sites/ Blenheim Bomber
Xrobb l-Ghajn · Tec Zone · 42m

Bristol Blenheim Bomber
Upright at 42m

A Bristol Blenheim Mk IV light bomber rests upright on a sandy seabed off the SE coast of Malta. On 13 December 1941, returning damaged from a mission to Kefalonia after an Italian fighter attacked its port engine, the pilot ditched the aircraft near Malta and all three crew survived. The starboard engine retains a bent propeller; the rear fuselage has broken free and lies a few metres from the main airframe.

Book This Dive Dive Conditions
39m
Avg Depth
42m
Max Depth
Tec / Advanced
Level
15–25m
Avg. Visibility
Boat
Entry Type
May–Oct
Best Season
Depth Profile

History & Background

  • 1941
    Bristol Blenheim Mk IV, serial Z7272, ditched on 13 December 1941 off Xrobb l-Ghajn after an Italian fighter attack damaged its port engine on a reconnaissance flight. All three crew survived and were rescued. The aircraft settled upright on a sandy seabed at 42m.
  • 1970s
    Maltese divers discovered the wreck in the 1970s. The site remained largely undocumented for years, known only within the local diving community willing to make the long boat trip to the remote south-east coast.
  • Today
    Accessible by boat from Marsaxlokk or St Thomas Bay, the Blenheim is considered one of Malta's finest deep dives. At 42m, bottom time is short. Advanced certification or equivalent is required as a minimum.

The Bristol Blenheim is a rare encounter with intact WWII aviation history at depth. The twin-engine light bomber retains its basic form: fuselage, both wings, tail assembly, and engine nacelles all identifiable. The rear fuselage has separated and lies a few metres to the side. Scorpionfish rest on the wing surfaces, conger eels inhabit the fuselage, and grouper patrol the perimeter. Penetration into the cockpit is possible for those trained and equipped. Plan for 15–20 minutes at depth with a decompression-capable computer. A natural pairing with the Um El Faroud for a full south Malta wreck day.

BLENHEIM BOMBER DEPTH PROFILE (42m) OW ADV DEEP TEC 0m 18m 30m 40m 42m Fuselage ~40m Sand 42m SURFACE (boat)
Marine Life

What You Might See

Species commonly encountered at this site, based on depth and habitat. Click any card to read the full species guide.

Greater Amberjack underwater Malta 20–70m
Bony Fish

Greater Amberjack

Seriola dumerili
Common Dentex underwater Malta 15–200m
Bony Fish

Common Dentex

Dentex dentex
Conger Eel underwater Malta 5–500m
Bony Fish

Conger Eel

Conger conger
Mediterranean Fairy Basslet underwater Malta 5–200m
Bony Fish

Mediterranean Fairy Basslet

Anthias anthias
Yellow Gorgonian underwater Malta 10–100m
Cnidarians

Yellow Gorgonian

Eunicella cavolini
Dogtooth Grouper underwater Malta 10–200m
Bony Fish

Dogtooth Grouper

Epinephelus caninus
Violet Sea Urchin underwater Malta 5–100m
Echinoderms

Violet Sea Urchin

Sphaerechinus granularis
Mediterranean Feather Star underwater Malta 0–200m
Echinoderms

Mediterranean Feather Star

Antedon mediterranea
Dive Conditions

When to dive the Blenheim Bomber

MonthWater TempVisibilityConditions
Jan–Mar15°C15–20mCalm, cold
Apr–Jun17–21°C20–25mWarming, clear
Jul–Sep25–27°C20–25mPeak season
Oct–Dec20–22°C18–22mSettling conditions
Summer visibility (Jul–Sep)
Winter visibility (Jan–Mar)

Currents

The SE Malta coast can see localised current at depth. Conditions are checked on the day. The open sandy seabed gives no shelter from any surface surge, so this site may be stood down in poor weather.

Entry / Exit

Boat only. A shot line is placed directly over the wreck. Descend positively to depth; at 42m there is no time to waste on a slow descent. Exit is on the line with a 3-minute stop at 5m minimum.

Equipment Notes

5mm wetsuit June through October; 7mm or drysuit for winter dives. A dive computer is mandatory at this depth. Redundant air source recommended for divers operating at or near their open-circuit limits.

Dive Briefing

Safety and planning

Certification Level Required

Advanced Open Water certification is the minimum for this site. At 42m, divers are operating at the limit of recreational no-decompression diving. diveshack reserves the right to restrict this site to divers with a verified deep dive record.

NDL Management Required

At 42m on air, the no-decompression limit is approximately 10 minutes. Plan the dive conservatively, start the ascent when any diver's computer reaches the pre-agreed limit, and add a mandatory 3-minute safety stop at 5m.

Dive Computer Required

A personal dive computer is mandatory on this site. No exceptions. The guide carries a backup computer but cannot monitor individual NDL status for every diver. Each diver is responsible for their own decompression status.

Shot Line Protocol Required

Descend and ascend on the shot line only. At 42m in open water, losing reference on the ascent creates a serious decompression risk. The line is your rate-of-ascent control and safety stop reference point.

SMB Deployment Required

Every diver deploys an SMB before leaving the bottom. The SE coast of Malta is exposed to boat traffic. The guide signals the start of the ascent sequence; deploy your SMB at that point, not before.

No Penetration Required

The open fuselage sections are not for entry. The structure is partially collapsed and the depth leaves no margin for entanglement incidents. External observation of both airframe sections is achievable within a single dive.

Book This Dive

Dive the Blenheim with diveshack

diveshack Malta runs guided dives to the Blenheim Bomber as a dedicated boat dive. All divers are briefed on NDL planning and the two-section layout before entering the water. Full diving equipment is provided. Group sizes are kept small to allow adequate bottom time and individual attention at depth.

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