The wreck of the “Um Elfaroud” at Wied iz-Zurrieq

By far Wied iz-Zurrieq or as it is very often referred to as “The Blue Grotto”, is the most frequented place by all that visit the Maltese islands. The surrounding caves allowing their visitors to savor for themselves the beauty of the clear underwater visibility flavored with exotic pastel colored corals. Blue crystal clear waters and electrifying lights produced by the sun's ray give each cave a truly mystifying environment. A truly remarkable experienced not to be missed

But this valley surrounded by its majestic cliffs is also the ideal place for those wishing to practice underwater SCUBA Diving, A place where the experienced and novice divers can practice their sport alike in a safe and friendly surrounding. An underwater environment offering an intriguing network of caves, tunnels and holes, beautifully decorated by nature and illuminated by the warm rays from the sun.

Equally exciting come dusk, this same valley yields out a different underwater scenario. Fish gaze at the diver's lamps whilst coming out to play, octopus loses their fear of the unknown intruders and underwater florescence; make a fairy tale dream come true. The silent underworld shares its kingdom in silence and serenity with those daring to enter.The popularity of Wied iz-Zurrieq as the ideal dive site made it an automatic choice for the adding of another tourist diving attraction to this picturesque fishing village. On the 2 nd September 1998 . A motor tanker, the “Um Elfaroud” was scuttled at the mouth of the valley settling on the bottom at a depth of 35 meters. A man made wreck to be explored, a paradise for fish, an artificial reef giving life to flora and fauna, a ship that once took the lives in a tragic accident of nine Maltese Dock workers

The names, ages and place of residence of the nine dockyard workers that lost their lives in the tragic accident are as follows

• Pisani Simon 22 yrs Msida
• Seguna Paul 37 yrs Zebbug
• Vassallo Anthony 51 yrs Zabbar
• Xuereb George 57 yrs Qormi
• Aquilina George 24 yrs Qormi
• Callus Charles 46 yrs Valletta
• Hales Mario 39 yrs Mqabba
• Mifsud Simon 26 yrs Vittoriosa
• Sciberras Angelo 51 Yrs Zabbar

The motor tanker “Um Elfaroud” was formerly named “Sea Falcon”, and was registered at the port of Tripoli . It was owned by the General National Maritime Transport Company, Tripoli (GNMTC), and was built at Smith Dock Co. Ltd., Middlesbrough in 1969. The vessel's gross tonnage is 3147 M.T. measuring 109.53 meters in length, has a breadth of 15.50 meters and a height of approximately 22 meters from keel to funnel top The oil tanker was classified as a DET MORSKE VERITAS + 1 A1 (Oil Tanker) and had a dead weight of 5305 L.T.