{"data":{"slug":"gozo-blue-hole","destination":"malta-gozo","country":"malta","region":"europe-atlantic-med","name":"Blue Hole","alt_names":["Dwejra Blue Hole"],"site_type":"blue-hole","types_extra":["shore","cave","wall"],"lat":36.05,"lon":14.19,"gps_confidence":"approximate","depth_min_m":5,"depth_max_m":40,"depth_typical_m":16,"difficulty":"intermediate","cert_recommended":"Open Water for the hole and archway; Advanced for the deeper boulder field","access":"shore","entry_note":"A walk across Dwejra's fossil-studded limestone shelf to a natural rock pool entry; boots and calm seas make it comfortable, and swell makes it unwise.","current":"mild","current_note":null,"vis_lo_m":20,"vis_hi_m":40,"water_lo_c":15,"water_hi_c":27,"best_months":[5,6,7,8,9,10],"duration_min":45,"bottom":"A collapsed limestone sinkhole opening through an underwater archway onto walls and the tumbled remains of the Azure Window","description":"Gozo's Blue Hole is the Mediterranean's most famous ten meters of water: a sheer-sided pool in the Dwejra limestone that funnels divers down to an archway at about 8 m and releases them onto open blue wall. Since the Azure Window collapsed in a March 2017 storm, the seaward slope holds its enormous remains: clean-edged blocks the size of buildings, already colonizing with algae and schooling damselfish, a dive now known as Azure Reef. A chimney through the rock and the small cave at the hole's base complete the circuit. Mornings belong to divers; by mid-day the pool doubles as the local swimming hole.","highlights":"The archway exit into blue, Azure Window boulder field, chimney swim-through","photography":{"wide":5,"macro":2},"suitable":{"night":false,"snorkel":true,"advanced":true,"beginner":false,"freedive":true,"technical":false},"crowding":"high","conservation_note":"Within the Dwejra protected area; the collapsed Window's stone is part of the site's story and stays untouched.","permit_note":null,"nitrox_useful":false,"hazards":"Swell surges through the entry pool and archway in anything but calm weather; boulder terrain drops quickly past 30 m.","wreck":null,"confidence":"well-documented","img":"/static/img/photo/site/gozo-blue-hole.jpg","published":true,"species":["great-barracuda","lionfish","nudibranch"]},"meta":{"count":1,"served_from":"site cache (no live upstream calls)","as_of":"2026-11-10T13:26:33+00:00","disclaimer":"Research and information only, never a substitute for dive training, local briefings, professional guidance or medical advice. Conditions, rules, prices and operators change; verify locally before you dive.","attribution":"Compiled by Scuba Guide from public official sources (park authorities, government agencies, IUCN, DAN, agency standards) and editorial research; fields carry per-entity confidence labels."}}