The MV Karwela was initially named the MS Frisia II and was launched in nineteen fifty-seven. The vessel was bought by the Maltese company Comino Marina Ltd and transferred to Malta in nineteen eighty-six. It then operated till two thousand two under the name MV Karwela transporting tourists on day trips around the Maltese islands. It was licensed to carry eight hundred sixty-three passengers. The MV Karwela is fifty point thirty-one meters long and eight point fifty meters wide.
The ship was scuttled as an artificial reef for scuba divers in Xatt L-Aħmar on the south coast of Gozo along with the MV Cominoland on the twelfth of August two thousand six. The Karwela lies at forty-two meters immediately in front of the kitting up area between the Cominoland and the MV Xlendi wreck that was scuttled in nineteen ninety-nine. It is the larger and most popular of the three wrecks.
The Karwela is sheltered from all North winds and the shallow Xatt l-Aħmar reef is perfect for deco and safety stops. The wreck has several open passageways and swim-throughs. She is now fully populated with an overall coating of algae and marine invertebrates, and the sea firs along the rails are a popular feeding ground for nudibranchs. Large spiral tube worms (Spirographis spallanzani) are common and sea horses can sometimes be spotted there.
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The Karwela was scuttled close to the shore at Xatt l-Aħmar on Gozo’s south coast west of Mġarr harbour. It can be reached by driving down a concrete track through farm land and then an easy walk down from the kitting up area. Entry is by means of a giant stride from the rocks. There are two ladders on the rocks by the shore, which make getting out of the water easier. The wreck lies a short swim away, at an angle to the shore line south, south-west of the entry point.
Divers walk down from the kitting-up area, jump in the sea close to the ladders and start the dive on the shallow reef. They then dive southward down the gently sloping reef towards a steep drop off. The Karwela’s forward section is usually visible soon after leaving the drop off as divers descend towards the wreck.
The view of this large wreck is impressive and divers usually start circling the wreck staying at an average depth of 35 metres. The top deck is covered in algae and home to several species of marine life. The main deck below is a spectacle with its wooden deck and steel staircase. This is a very photogenic wreck with light coming through the many windows on either side.
At the stern section divers can see the rudder, propellers and several windlasses that were used for docking and mooring the ship. Dentex, Barracuda and Grouper can be spotted around the Karwela as well as the occasional spiny lobster. Divers often visit the bridge and the ship’s bow before heading back to the reef in mid water to start the second and shallower part of the dive where they spend time exploring the marine life beneath the boulders, crevasses and patches of Posidonia on the reef.
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