Freedivers and spearfishers urge boaters to be more careful after near misses
Enforcement cannot keep up with increased boat traffic, divers say
An organisation representing freedivers and spearfishers is carrying out a campaign to highlight the danger they face from boats speeding dangerously close to their buoy markers.
Andre Attard, the public relations officer of the Malta Skin Divers Club, which counts around 60 free divers and spearfishers as members, said the danger had increased in recent years, with more near misses being reported.
“More and more people are buying or renting boats, understandably so, because beaches are becoming so crowded. The problem is that enforcement has not kept up with the increase in traffic, he said.”
As per a notice to mariners issued by Transport Malta in 2024, boats are recommended to keep a minimum distance of 100 metres away from surface marker buoys, which indicate that a diver is below the surface.
In one video shared by the group on Facebook, a diver surfaces to find a boat heading straight for him, narrowly missing him.
Attard said such incidents had become especially commonplace all along the east coast between Birżebbuġa and Ċirkewwa.
“Sometimes, when you surface and tell people to be more careful, they insult you, on top of endangering your life,” Attard said, adding that in one instance, a spear fisher surfaced and caught people in the act of stealing his catch and equipment from his buoy marker.
According to Attard, the biggest issue is that jet skis and vessels under 30 HP can be rented to people who do not hold a nautical licence.
As part of its campaign, the group has created several posters and videos reminding both boaters and divers of their responsibilities.“Some charter companies even provide a cooler with beer,” he said.
Attard also noted that several boats in Malta are fitted with marine autopilot, a system that allows a skipper to set a waypoint and have the boat steer itself there. According to Attard, the technology is leading some skippers to be less vigilant about potential danger.
The same notice to mariners quoted above reminds mariners that “every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing, as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”
As part of its campaign, the group has created several posters and videos reminding both boaters and divers of their responsibilities.
The issue has also been highlighted on several occasions by the Malta Ranger Unit.