One of the dive sites we run here in Malta — here's the story behind it, the depth and access, and what it takes to dive it properly.
P29 was built in 1969-70 at the Peene-Werft yard in Wolgast, East Germany, as a Kondor I-class minesweeper — the 18th of 21 built, about 52m long with a 7m beam. Commissioned as Boltenhagen (pennant GS09) in the Volksmarine, she worked minesweeping and border-patrol duties on the river dividing East and West Germany. After reunification in 1990 the German Federal Coast Guard took her on as BG31, the last Kondor I in their service, until she was decommissioned in 1996. Malta bought her in 1997, renamed her P29 and ran her with the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta on anti-smuggling and border-control work until 2004. In 2005 the Malta Tourism Authority acquired her as a dive attraction; the Malta Marine Foundation cleaned out all contaminants and removed both engines before sinking. She was scuttled off Cirkewwa on 14 August 2007, around 150m offshore. She sits upright on sand, stern nearest shore and bow to sea, from about 12m at the highest point to 34m on the bottom. Reached as a buoyed shore dive past a memorial stone and an old anchor (commemorating diver Frank Pembridge), she offers extensive penetration for trained divers and abundant life outside, and is usually combined with the Rozi nearby.
The entry is a shore dive from Cirkewwa — you follow the buoyed line out past the anchor memorial to where the P29 sits upright in the sand at 34m. She's well-lit in daylight hours and intact enough that you can make out the wheelhouse, the foredeck, and the stern in a single scan. The hull is heavily colonised: fireworm, nudibranchs, scorpionfish wedged into every ledge, amberjack doing circuits of the superstructure.
Penetration is the highlight. The hold runs most of the ship's length; trained wreck divers can work all the way through with a guideline and torch. The engine compartment is empty (both engines were removed before scuttling) but the general space of a Cold War-era patrol vessel is impressive. She's not a big wreck — 52m — but she rewards methodical exploration rather than a quick fly-past.
She's almost always combined with the Rozi, about 150m to the east, which is a two-wreck dive on one entry. Bottom time at 34m limits how long you can spend on each without planned decompression, so the sequence matters — typically P29 first (the deeper of the two), then a shallow transit across to the Rozi at 30m. A well-planned decompression dive gives you a proper look at both. Current at Cirkewwa can run from the north; we check it on the surface before committing.
The diving here suits divers at Decompression Procedures level. If you’re not there yet, these are the courses that get you there:
Already certified and just want to dive it? Come and explore it with me on open circuit or CCR — one relaxed dive a day, no rushing, as long in the water as you like.
Want to dive P29 Patrol Boat? Tell me your certification level and your dates, and I'll plan it with you. No pressure, no hard sell — just a good dive.