P33 is interesting partly because we have been able to watch its entire underwater life. It was only scuttled in 2021, yet the wreck has already changed dramatically.
Site at a glance
From patrol boat to dive site
The vessel was built in East Germany in the early 1970s as a Bremse-class patrol boat. Malta acquired her in the 1990s and she later served with the Armed Forces of Malta before being decommissioned.
After years of discussion and preparation, P33 was scuttled at Żonqor Point on 31 July 2021, positioned between the existing wrecks of St. Michael and Tugboat 10.
A wreck in fast motion
Artificial reefs are often described as if the day of scuttling freezes them in time. P33 has demonstrated the opposite. Corrosion, storm action and structural weakness have changed her quickly, so the wreck a diver sees today may differ significantly from early post-scuttling photographs.
That makes repeated dives unusually interesting. You are not only visiting the wreck; you are watching the process of a vessel becoming part of the seabed.
Access and safety
The shore access is the same Żonqor area used for the two tugs. Because the wreck is changing, I give loose or collapsed metal more respect than I would on a stable training structure. No old route through a wreck should be assumed to remain open.
Where it is
GPS reference: 35.86580, 14.57550. Coordinates identify the site area; they do not replace underwater navigation, a current local briefing or an assessment of access on the day.