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.
The S-31 was a German fast attack craft — a Schnellboot or "E-boat" — about 33m long with a 5m beam, built with an aluminium frame planked in mahogany. She carried twin bow torpedo tubes, three engines driving triple propellers, and anti-aircraft guns. On 10 May 1942, while laying mines close to Grand Harbour, she struck a loose mine (possibly one of her own) and sank; 13 of her crew were lost and 13 rescued, making the wreck a war grave. She lay undiscovered until September 2000 and rests upright on a silty/sandy bottom at about 65m. The wooden hull has rotted away to leave the metal frame, and the hull is broken in two, but she remains essentially complete with her original weaponry — torpedoes still in the tubes and the triple propellers and rudders at the stern. Heritage Malta has managed the site since 1 May 2019 and a permit is required; she is a striking technical wreck and one of the rarer German naval wrecks in the Mediterranean.
The diving here suits divers at Trimix 75 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 Schnellboot S-31? Tell me your certification level and your dates, and I'll plan it with you. No pressure, no hard sell — just a good dive.