The Central Region is one of the five regions of the island of Malta, located in the Mediterranean Sea. This region provides divers with the chance to experience a variety of types of dive sites ranging from shallow reef dives with sandy bottoms to some exciting shallow shipwrecks. The dive centres and dive resorts have experienced guides who will lead divers to the best of the best sites in the region depending on the conditions. Malta definitely has four seasons, from May to October, the water temperatures are above 20 degrees Celsius, with 27 degrees Celsius being the maximum in August and 13 degrees Celsius in January being the minimum. The air temperatures range between 10 degrees Celsius in winter and 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. The visibility here is fantastic, ranging between 20 and 35 metres!

The main towns from which divers can reach these dive sites are St Julian and Sliema, both of which are gateways to very different types of diving. St Julian’s is the gateway to some exciting wreck dives including Tug Boat 2 and Fireworks Barge. Sliema has many shallow reef dives that divers can jump into straight off the coast which are ideal locations for dive courses, night dives and for underwater photographers as there are interesting rock formations as well as marine species. What makes this an attractive dive location is that the dive sites are mainly easily reached from shore, clear waters and a combination of relaxing reef dives and enthralling shipwrecks. 

Exiles Reef is the most local dive site in St Julian’s bay and is reached from shore. This dive site is the perfect location for training dives during dive courses, for night dives and for underwater photographers. This reef has an assortment of narrow gullies and overhangs with large stretches of seagrass attracting numerous species. The maximum depth here is 20 metres.

Tug Boat 2 is a popular shallow wreck dive and was a 30 metre tug boat which was sunk purposely in 2013 in hopes to create an artificial reef and easily accessible wreck dive. It lies upright at a depth of 22 metres. 
Fireworks Barge is another local, shallow wreck dive and is so named because this barge sank back in 2009 after a fireworks explosion onboard. The wreck lies at 10 metres depth which means accessible to divers of all levels. 

Fortizza Reef is a shallow dive site which can be reached from shore with a maximum depth of 15 metres. The site itself holds a collection of different underwater structures including arches, overhangs, tunnels and caverns. This dive site is often used for dive courses and is great for underwater photographers as the marine life here is in high abundance. 

Coral Gardens is another shallow reef dive which is a great site to spot small marine creatures which are hiding within the cracks and crevices in the many interesting rock formations, including swim throughs and tunnels. It is accessed from shore, has a maximum depth of 15 metres and is often used for dive courses.