If you are looking for a perfect place to dive, St. Peter’s cave near Ras ir Raheb, Malta, is an excellent spot for you. Ras ir Raheb is popular for its diving sites, cave, and beautiful marine gorges. The dazzling white limestone rocks and crystal-clear water provide iconic scenery for divers or people who simply want to enjoy the scenic view.
The beautiful thing about St. Peter’s caves near Ras ir Raheb is their accessibility, about 30 minutes walk or drive to the site. What is interesting about the site is that you can visit it any time of the year.
Where is St. Peter’s Cave Located?
St. Peter’s cave is found in Ras ir-Raheb, located on the western point of Malta. Divers can easily access St. Peter’s cave through public or private transport during summer, but it gets a bit difficult during winter. It isn’t easy to access the location using improperly constructed two-way roads.
I wish someone had informed us the place is not fit for huge recreational vehicles. We had to squeeze our RV through extra spaces next to the road whenever we met an oncoming vehicle. I highly recommend that anyone planning to visit St. Peter’s Cave should find a small car or a towable vehicle that can comfortably fit on a two-way road. Alternatively, taxis are available for those who don’t have cars.
The best thing about Malta is it has some pretty cool beaches containing clear water, and the weather is quite warm for divers to take a dip for roughly nine months of the year.
The Dive in St. Peter’s Cave
Photo Credits: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/364marined
The dive is a headland jutting found on the west side of the main island. Unlike other places where divers jump from rock tops, diving in St. Peters cave is done from a boat. At first, we experienced some difficulty anchoring because there is only a 20-meter small shelf. The boatman laid us close to the cliff on top of the shallow shelf. I was extremely scared at first but found comfort after discovering that divers can choose their depth.
The cave has a different exit point from where you enter it, this is because you go in then at the end of it you will find a chimney that goes up to 12 meters and you can go out from the upper cave.
The dive site has a fascinating cave starting from the surface and reaching around 25 meters. Exploring the cave was quite an experience for me. An almost vertical rock face outside the cave runs below and above the water—the rock slopes down to a sandy seabed at depths over 70 meters. The sheer cliff face was quite disorienting due to the clarity and deep blue of the water. We were also exposed to strong currents that can be overwhelming to an average swimmer. Only highly skilled and experienced divers were allowed to visit this place. In fact, there was a lot of preparation and plan to guarantee our safety before we could explore the diving site.
We also found all sorts of fish types roaming the wall at the diving location. I spotted some groupers, parrotfish, and the deep swimming Brown Meagres. I followed the wall to the west and spotted some Bream and Wrasse below 20 meters of water. Many overhangs and swim-throughs were full of beautiful red sponges and spiral tube worms. Here you can find a lot of coral with lots of fish like tuna, gropers, barracuda, rays, and many more. Generally, it was an easy and relaxing dive that lasted for approximately 60 minutes.
Why Should You Scuba Dive in St. Peter’s Cave?
Diving in St. Peter’s cave wasn’t just an exciting way for me to enjoy the ocean. The whole experience was good for my body and mind. I spent some meditation time, interacted with outdoor elements, and felt quite flexible after spending a few days in St. Peter’s cave waters.
Strength and Flexibility
I realized that my muscles tended to work harder when I was inside the water than outside. Scientifically, this happens due to the resistance of water and the current. Diving in St. Peter’s cave is a sport that strengthens your legs and lengthens your muscles. You also get a chance to build on flexibility and endurance. A few days after visiting the location, I realized that I had an improved overall posture.
Breathing
Diving in St. Peter’s cave also allowed me to learn that breathing slowly and deeply helps you optimize your air consumption while diving. I was advised to slowly breathe in and out to reduce my heart rate to invite in some calmness. I was embarrassed to learn that quick breathing puts you at the risk of a lung expansion injury and worsens a medical condition such as asthma. Yet, I’ve always boasted that I am a professional diver.
Experience Warmer Climates
Visiting St. Peter’s cave is an opportunity for you to dive into a warmer climate. The cave’s warm waters possess some comfortable and healing effects resembling a mother’s womb. The salty water will dehydrate your body and force you to drink a lot of water to replenish your cells. Diving in the cave for a few days will have us confusing you for your 15-year-old teenage kid. Switch things up a little to enjoy a new experience, particularly if you are used to living or diving in colder climates. Ras ir Raheb is a warmer region that brings holiday, adventure, and excitement to all visitors. Of course, you can’t believe it unless you try it.
Interaction with Marine Life
Diving in St. Peter’s cave floods your body with excitement as you explore the marine life surrounding the ocean. The sheer variety of groupers, parrotfish, and Brown Meagres will help put you in a good mood. In fact, the guides believe that once visitors are subjected to the bright and intense colors within the reefs, their feelings of happiness are promoted, and they come out of the waters with uplifted spirits compared to when they were diving in. Well, I can attest that it is entirely accurate. The colors immediately induced a calming effect in my body every time I came across the fishes’ brilliant and shiny surfaces.
Socializing Benefits
Diving into St. Peter’s cave was a life-changing moment for me. I was accompanied by my amazing buddies, a couple of new faces, and professional, friendly guides. I realized that we shared common interests with most of the strangers that accompanied us to the diving spot on the diving boat. By the time we were done diving, we were no longer strangers. We found ourselves together at parties and taking casual drinks while sharing our incredible diving experiences after scuba diving. Visiting St. Peter’s cave might be a chance to meet new permanent friends, some of who might play a massive role in your career, and you might as well meet the love of your life in the process.
What You Will Not Love About St. Peter’s Cave
There are a few things I didn’t particularly appreciate when exploring this place. After spending hours of driving through narrow roads, we did not find parking for our RV. We had to pack it a few meters from the road in an area that didn’t look safe for the RV. We had to cover a long distance by foot from where we had packed our motorhome.
While there was a pool provided for those who cannot swim, we were disappointed to find it was dirty with plastics and foul of garbage. I was more surprised to see that people were swimming there. However, the pool is ideal for those who love jump diving as the water is deep enough to offer a great and safe dive.
The area was full of cigarette butts, matches, papers, and other rubbish. Also, visitors had turned the small craters in the surrounding rocks into ashtrays. Unfortunately, visitors were also allowed to bring their pets, including dogs that peed and pooed on and around the rock area.
The ocean was also tricky for my buddy, who was looking to experience a nice swim. The waves made it hard for him to get in and out, although there was a natural entry and exit. The small handrail was not safe either, as users were more than likely to be slammed against it by the ocean waves. This might not be your place if you are not quite a swimmer.
Most of the visitors are, however, good-hearted local people. The ocean is super clean, but it is not practically a beach. Don’t forget to bring a few towels to lay wherever you want. There are several spots for divers to jump, but you should be careful of jellyfish. Since we spent a few days in Ras ir Raheb, I realized that visiting St Peter’s cave on Sunday is not advisable as the place is overcrowded and the prices are pretty high. The best time to visit is during the weekdays, especially Tuesdays when you do not have to scramble for the diving spot. At the same time, you will not be alone as several people prefer to visit the place on Tuesday. Aside from the few drawbacks, the place is great, and I highly recommend it.
