Dive Site: Um El Faroud
Location: Wied Iz Zurrieq, near Qrendi (location of the Blue Grotto). 240 degrees from entry point
Description: 10,000 ton container ship
Length: 110 metres (361 feet)
Depth: 12 metres (40 feet) to top of the funnel, 25 metres (82 feet) to lowest deck, 36 metres (118 feet) to sea floor
Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)
The Faroud is a Libyan wreck that was being worked on in a Maltese dry dock when a gas explosion on board killed 9 Maltese dockworkers. In 1998, 3 years after the accident, it was moved to its current position where it was scuttled for use as a dive site. There is a brass plaque on the wreck as a memorial to those who died. The Faroud is huge at 10,000 tons which looms out of the blue after a lengthy swim from the shore. Unfortunately because of the swim to and from the wreck, this reduces the time on the wreck to about 10 to 15 minutes if you are diving on a single cylinder, especially if there is a slight current to fight to or from the wreck. There are some swim throughs around the bridge and decks and the wheel house can be entered, which leads to the lower decks. The wreck is covered in sea life including scorpion fish, barracuda, sea bream and tuna. There is also a resident Moray in a pipe on the starboard side. If dived with a boat, this dive site would be significantly improved.
Since we dived the wreck back in 2003 the wreck has been torn in half during a large storm, please read the reader review below for further details.
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