Image: Mojo_oo, Redit
Malta keeps calling to technical divers for one simple reason: the wrecks are serious, and there are plenty of them.
FATHOM Expeditions has announced Malta 2026, a dedicated technical wreck-diving trip running 27 September–8 October 2026. The expedition centres on eight full days of wreck diving with Techwise Malta, with normoxic and hypoxic trimix options depending on diver training and depth targets.
Participants will stay for 11 nights at Vivaldi Malta, with a mid-week break that connects the dives to Malta’s wartime history through visits to Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum.
The Details
A structured week of deep technical wreck diving in Malta, scaling from deep recreational-plus depths to full hypoxic trimix territory.
- Dates: 27 Sept – 8 Oct 2026 (11 nights)
- Diving: 8 full days of technical wreck diving with Techwise Malta
- Depth range: approx 40m to 115m
- Targets: submarines, aircraft wrecks, warships and merchant vessels
- Rest day: Valletta history visit including Fort St Elmo
- Price: $4,200 (double) / $5,100 (single)
Why Malta Is One of Europe’s Most Important Technical Wreck Diving Destinations
Malta has quietly become one of Europe’s top technical wreck diving hubs.
The island’s central position in the Mediterranean meant heavy naval and air activity during World War II, leaving a seabed scattered with aircraft, submarines, destroyers and merchant ships.
For technical divers, Malta offers several advantages:
- Clear water and consistent visibility
- Deep wrecks accessible by short boat rides
- Large variety of military and civilian wreck sites
- Strong technical diving infrastructure
That mix makes it possible to build an expedition that ramps depth through the week while still focusing entirely on wreck exploration.
The Trip Structure:
Eight Dive Days Plus a History Break
The itinerary is deliberately simple.
Divers spend eight full days diving wrecks, with one mid-week rest day designed to decompress both physically and mentally.
That break also leans into the island’s wartime context. Many of the wrecks on the schedule were lost during the siege of Malta in WWII, so the stop at Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum connects the history on land to what divers see underwater.
Accommodation throughout the trip is at Vivaldi Malta, which acts as the base for the expedition.
Wreck Targets:
From 40m Warm-Ups to 115m Hypoxic Dives
The expedition list spans a wide technical depth range, allowing divers to scale complexity during the week.
✅ 40–56m:
Deep warm-up dives
- MV Karwella: 40m
- HMS Stubborn: 51m
- B-24 Liberator bomber: 56m
✅ 65–73m:
Advanced trimix depths
- Schnellboot: 65m
- HMS Southwold (bow): 65m
- HMS Nasturtium: 67m
- SS Polynesian: 70m
- HMS Southwold (stern): 73m
✅ 90–115m:
Hypoxic territory
- HMS Trusty Star: 90m
- ORP Kujawiak: 98m
- HMS Russell: 115m
- Olympus submarine: 115m
This spread gives teams the ability to plan dives across normoxic trimix and hypoxic trimix profiles, depending on certification level and expedition planning.
What’s Included in the Expedition
Technical trips depend heavily on logistics, and this one includes several key gases and consumables.
Included
- Oxygen
- Diluent
- Sorb
- Twin 7L bailout cylinders with LOLA valves
- 3L oxygen and inflation cylinders
- Bailout deco cylinders
Not Included
- Airfare
- Meals
- Bailout gas used
- Travel insurance
- Dive accident insurance (required)
Pricing and Booking Details
- $4,200 per person — double occupancy
- $5,100 per person — single occupancy
Bookings and enquiries: info@fathomdive.com
What This Expedition Means for Technical Divers Planning a Trip
For experienced divers, this type of trip sits closer to project diving than a typical holiday. Several practical factors matter:
⚠️ Training alignment
The itinerary spans 40m to 115m, meaning dives may range from advanced nitrox-level profiles to full hypoxic trimix decompression dives.
⚠️ Dive loading
Eight dive days in technical conditions can create significant physical and cognitive load across a week.
⚠️ Budget planning
Gas logistics are always a major factor in technical diving. While oxygen, diluent and sorb are included, bailout gas used is not.
⚠️ Rest day usage
The mid-week break isn’t just tourism. It’s an opportunity to review equipment, check procedures, and reset before deeper dives later in the week.
sdm knowledge
Malta has an unusually high density of wartime wrecks from World War II naval and air operations, many lying between 40m and 120m in clear Mediterranean water.
Normoxic trimix contains enough oxygen to breathe safely at the surface, while hypoxic trimix contains very low oxygen and is used for deeper dives where high oxygen fractions would become toxic.
Yes. The itinerary includes dives well beyond recreational limits. Divers typically require advanced trimix or equivalent technical training, depending on the depth profiles they plan to attempt.
The expedition includes eight full days of wreck diving, targeting multiple sites across different depth ranges around Malta.
