Wreck Dive Malta, Qawra Point, Malta
History of the Imperial Eagle
The Imperial Eagle was built in 1938 in Sunderland, England and used for transport duties by the US Navy. Her original name was "New Royal Lady" then in 1947, she was sold and re-named "Royal Lady"
Later on, in 1947 she was re sold for the Thames dock Cruises in London and again re-named to "Crested Eagle". In 1957, Magro Bros purchased her and modified her to carry 10 cars and 70 passengers and finally re-named her to "Imperial Eagle". She was now used as a ferry and cargo ship operating between Malta and Gozo.
After ten years in 1968 Imperial Eagle was sold to Sunny and Maria Pisani family, and used to transport cargo and livestock from Gozo to Valletta and also for storage. Later she lay rotting in Mgarr harbour in Gozo for years, and was eventually towed to Valletta harbour where she half sunk at her moorings.
Imperial Eagle was sold to the local diving community in 1995 to scuttle as the main attraction of an underwater marine park for divers. On the 19th July 1999, she was scuttled some 500 m off Qawra Point in Saint Pauls Bay in an upright position at 38m.
The wreck is 45 m long and had a beam of 10 m. There are plenty of entry and exit points for penetration. This dive is only accessible from a boat.
History of The Statue Of Christ
Kristu tal-Baħħara (English: Christ of the Sailors) is an underwater statue of Jesus Christ off the coast of Malta. It was made by a Maltese sculptor, Alfred Camilleri Cauchi from concrete covered fiberglass. Cauchi was commissioned to perform this work by a committee of divers led by Raniero Borg to honour the visit of Pope John Paul II to Malta in 1990. The statue is modelled on the bronze Christ of the Abyss at San Fruttuoso, Italy and is one of many copies in locations around the world.
The statue was originally sunk near St. Paul’s Islands in 1990. After 10 years the statue was moved from St. Paul's Bay to Qawra point because of deteriorating visibility in the water and a downturn in divers visiting the site.
Experience Needed
You must be certified to dive to a depth of 40 meters to dive this site. If you wish to penetrate the wreck you will be required to have a Wreck Diver certification. We would also recommend being a Nitrox Diver.
DIVE SITE SPECIFICATION: The Imperial Eagle & The Statue Of Christ
- Location: Qawra Point, Malta
- Type Of Dive: Boat Dive
- Max Depth: 45m
- Minimum Certification: PADI Deep Diver & PADI Nitrox Diver
- For Penetration Dives: PADI Wreck Diver