Crystal Lagoon Comino: Malta's Hidden Gem

Crystal Lagoon is a narrow inlet on the southwestern coast of Comino, about a five-minute boat ride from the more famous Blue Lagoon. Unlike its neighbour, Crystal Lagoon has no sandy beach and no ferry service, which means the only way in is by private boat or kayak. On a typical summer day, you might share the lagoon with two or three other vessels instead of the dozens anchored at Blue Lagoon.

The lagoon is formed by a collapsed sea cave. Towering limestone cliffs rise 20 to 30 metres on both sides, and the water beneath them shifts between deep blue and pale green depending on the time of day and the angle of the sun. Depth ranges from about 3 metres near the entrance to over 10 metres at the inner wall. The rock face is pockmarked with small caves and overhangs that you can swim into, and the underwater visibility is often better here than at Blue Lagoon because there is less sand to stir up.

Marine life along the cliff walls includes moray eels, sea urchins, colourful wrasse, and occasionally small groups of barracuda in the deeper sections. The rocks at the base of the cliffs are popular with octopus, especially in the early morning. If you bring a mask and fins, the snorkelling here is among the best on the Maltese islands.

Most skippers who know Comino will combine Crystal Lagoon with Blue Lagoon in a single itinerary, stopping here either first thing in the morning for the calmest water or in the late afternoon when the cliffs cast shade across most of the lagoon. Water temperature matches the rest of the Comino channel: 24 to 28 degrees Celsius from June through September, dropping to around 20 degrees by late October. Because the lagoon faces southwest, it is sheltered from the prevailing northwesterly winds that can make other parts of the coast choppy.