The Malta Tourism Authority, through its Chairman Dr Gavin Gulia, recently presented Mr Godwin Farrugia with a memento to reward him from his bravery when a number of divers found themselves in trouble in Wied iz-Zurrieq.

13 Italian divers went down to Wied iz-Zurrieq to explore the wreck of Um El Faroud, and despite the rough seas, they still decided to go ahead with the dive on the wreck. After a while the divers found themselves in trouble as they were being taken away by the current. To make matters worse, the boats which are normally in the area were all on land due to the adverse weather conditions.

Upon seeing the divers in trouble, Mr Farrugia took to the sea in his boat to rescue the divers, risking his own life. Despite the rough seas, Mr Farrugia managed to save all the divers. This memento was awarded in order to recognize Mr Farrugia's heroic act.

Upon presenting the memento to Mr Farrugia, MTA Chairman Dr Gavin Gulia commented that he "commends Mr Farrugia's great act of courage in risking his life to save the Italian divers and this is why the Authority wanted to acknowledge this with a gesture of appreciation". Dr Gulia continued by saying that "that diving is a very important segment in the tourism industry which is attracting more and more diving tourists every year".