Piece of Filfla breaks off during Storm Harry

If you gazed towards Filfla today and thought it looked a bit different than usual, that’s because it is, after a substantial piece of the tiny island off Malta’s south coast collapsed during Storm Harry earlier this week.

Photos taken by Times of Malta and from Facebook page Dwardu Photography show a missing piece and a new sheer cliff on the eastern side of the islet when compared to photos taken before the storm. 

Speaking to Times of Malta, biologist Alan Deidun said that while he had not heard about the collapse, he was not surprised by it, as the rock is fragile and highly unstable.  

“When scientists visit, they describe the surface as being like a cracker. When I last visited two years ago, I saw a big fissure and thought it was only a matter of time before it came crashing down,” he said. 

A close-up of the collapsed cliff face. Photo: Dwardu Photography

Not only is the islet exposed to the elements on all sides, but up until 1971 it was used by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for target practice. Unexploded ordnance from these bombardments can still be found on and around Filfla. 

While it is mostly barren, since 1980 Filfla has also been a bird reserve. Martin Austad, the head of seabird research at Bird Life Malta, said the island is home to the biggest colony of European storm petrels (Kanġu ta' Filfla) in the Mediterranean.  

“Filfla is constantly changing due to weather and sea erosion. If it were ever to be lost, it would have huge knock-on effects on the species around the world,” he said. 

Austad said that the effects of climate change, which resulted in stronger and more frequent storms, together with increased construction and light pollution, were putting pressure on species of birds that roost in cliff faces, such as the Yelkouan shearwater 

“Having fewer places where to lay their eggs means that colonies will be more concentrated into smaller areas, making the species more vulnerable to coastal erosion,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Deidun said the worst hit marine flora and fauna during Storm Harry were those that lived in shallow areas and couldn’t move to caves or deeper waters to seek shelter, including Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica), coral, sea urchins and other similarly immobile creatures.  

“The degradation of Posidonia meadows also worsens the impact of such storms, as the grass absorbs some of the energy of the waves before they reach the shore,” he said. 

Filfla was by no means the only place to face the full force of Storm Harry, which peaked on Tuesday. In Siġġiewi’s Għar Lapsi, which is located directly opposite Filfla, the storm demolished a platform popular with bathers ,as well as the lower end of a slipway and a flight of steps that lead to the cave.