Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on May 25, 2023
Mistra Bay is a just decent snorkeling spot on the north coast of Malta, but it has the advantage of being easily accessible from a pretty beach. Its well-sheltered location is an added bonus when the whole coast is too windy. On the shallow rocky beds, you will easily encounter saddled seabream, wrasse, combers and salema.
Mistra Bay is a small bay nestled on the north coast of Malta. It can be reached in a few minutes by car from Mellieħa and San Pawl il-Baħar (St Paul’s Bay), the two closest towns. A small paved road leads to the bay, in which you can park near the beach.
Water entrance is very easy, from a gently-slopping pebble beach. Mistra Bay is suitable for beginners and kids.
You can snorkel throughout the bay, which is less than 250 meters wide. The seabed features rocks and seagrass meadows, and the depth does not exceed 16 feet/5 meters in the middle of the bay.
You will see the first fish in the shallows, very close to the beach. Saddled seabream, peacock wrasses and schooling salema porgy swim above the pebbles, between which are fixed small sea anemones. In the deepest areas, large groups of damselfish swim above the seagrass beds.
Margo’s Mistra Bay restaurant is located on the beach.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.