57,000 high-end tourists are not to be sneered at. Following on our extensive diving feature, we bring to you this leading article, written by someone who practices the sport and is involved at a local level.

Diving used to be a niche-market for tourism, with a few hundred arriving each year to sample the natural delights which Malta had to offer.

Then in the early 90’s, a few enterprising individuals came up with the idea of sinking a statue of Christ next to the Imperial Eagle Wreck off St Paul’s Islands, and the old tugboat, MV Rozie, to be used as an attraction for a glass-bottomed boat.

The diving trade exploded. Schools and clubs have sprouted up all over the islands, and competition is fierce. Above all, the emphasis is on safety. The first thing which people must understand is that a diving licence is like a car licence. Once you take your exams and have your lessons, if you are certified, you are free to dive where you like and hire equipment (or use your own) at any dive site around the world.

Of course, safety is paramount. The Golden Rule is: never dive without your buddy. He is your only source of salvation if anything were to go catastrophically wrong, as it can do in any other sport of recreational activity.

But diving is as safe as you make it. As with any sport, there are risks. Just as people have been thrown off a horse, or crashed a plane, or hurt themselves on a bungy jump; bad preparation will only increase the risks. And this is why Maltese and Gozitan schools are sticklers for licences, health declarations and good diving practice.

Yes, there have been deaths and one in particular, off Ċirkewwa, happened when a buddy-less diver ran into difficulties while taking photographs of a wreck. We have also seen older people suffer heart attacks and seizures, but this should not detract from the excellent safety reputation which the Maltese diving product enjoys.

The MTA has embarked on a Diving Master Plan, and while the initiative is certainly positive and did engage with local operators and clubs for feedback, the absence of a diver on the team is rather glaring.

Issues which are bread and butter to the diving community, as well as suggestions which they can offer to improve this treasure trove of an attraction, could serve well to the overall improvement of Dive Malta.

Some may think that many specialised projects would be needed, but this is not at all the case. What we are talking about are temporary sun shelters, pay hoses, non-slip walkways, decent ladders, an identification marker and other bits and bobs that would make us a cut above the rest. One understands that any development of the foreshore is subject to strict scrutiny by MEPA, but perhaps, more common sense should be used when there are so many other questionable projects going on.

Wrecks are fast becoming the attraction. In our feature we spoke of the various wrecks which have been purposely sunk for recreational diving, and there is talk of more – one in Sliema and one in Gozo. These ships, provided they are lain correctly, become reefs that attract and allow fish and other animals to thrive. But why stop at ships? What about a bus, a gantry crane, an anchor or a collection of classic ‘scrap’ cars. Everything takes on a new meaning under water. You have to be part of it to know, which is why the MTA ought to seek more involvement from divers to upgrade this phenomenal product which we have on offer, both for the tourist and for the local enthusiast. The Mepa has already shown common sense in allowing the sanctioning of a building in Dwejra, another prime dive site, let us hope that we see more of the same in other developments around Malta and Gozo.