JU88 South, Malta – 105m Technical & CCR Dive Guide

Written by

Jason Trott

in

,

Overview of the Dive Site

JU88 South is a WWII German Junkers Ju 88 twin-engine bomber lying upright on a sandy seabed at about 105–106 metres off the south-east coast of Malta, a few kilometres off Marsaskala. maltadives.com

Discovered during a remote-sensing survey and confirmed by divers in 2019, the wreck is remarkably intact, with the wings, engines and fuselage all in place. There is damage to the nose and tail but overall the aircraft is considered to be in good condition, suggesting a controlled ditching followed by battle damage. The Virtual Museum

This page is about JU88 South at ~105–106m, not the shallower Ju 88 North wreck at 55m off Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. maltadives.com

Key Facts at a Glance

  • Type: WWII German twin-engine bomber wreck (Junkers Ju 88)
  • Location: Offshore, a few km off Marsaskala, south-east Malta maltadives.com
  • Depth: Approx. 105–106 m to seabed and wreck
  • Seabed: Flat sand
  • Orientation: Upright, wings and engines in place The Virtual Museum
  • Access: Boat dive; deep offshore site
  • Certification: Advanced trimix (OC) or equivalent high-level CCR
  • Gas: Hypoxic trimix, multiple deco gases; ideally CCR (Hollis Prism2)
  • Management: Part of Malta’s underwater cultural heritage; access via registered dive centres and clubs under Heritage Malta’s programme Heritage Malta

Location & Access

JU88 South lies in open water south-east of Malta, on a sandy plain in 100+ metres of water. Coordinates published by the Underwater Malta virtual museum give a position of 35° 53′ 7.08″ N, 14° 37′ 58.44″ E with a depth of 106m. The Virtual Museum

  • Access:
    • Boat only, usually via specialist technical boats running deep heritage wreck trips.
    • A shot line is mandatory for controlled descents and ascents.
  • Permits / access control:
    • The site forms part of Malta’s managed underwater cultural heritage; diving is organised through registered dive centres and clubs, in line with Heritage Malta requirements for deep wrecks. Heritage Malta

Depth Range & Profile

  • Seabed depth: ~105–106 m
  • Wreck height: Aircraft sits almost flush on the sand; minor relief from engines and tail plane
  • There is no shallower section – you are on the bottom depth as soon as you arrive at the aircraft.

Bottom times are necessarily short and decompression obligations long. This is very much an expedition-style dive rather than part of a casual holiday week.

Recommended Certification Level

JU88 South is appropriate only for divers with significant deep trimix or CCR experience.

  • Open circuit:
    • Advanced / full trimix certification (e.g. PADI Tec Trimix or equivalent)
    • Comfortable with 90m+ dives in similar conditions
    • Proven experience managing multiple deco gases and long run-times
  • CCR / Hollis Prism2:
    • Advanced / full trimix CCR certification
    • Solid bailout planning and recent deep bailout drills
    • Prior experience on 90–100+ m CCR dives, ideally on deep wrecks around Malta

If you are not already relaxed at 70–90m with long deco and heavy task loading, JU88 South is not the next step – it’s a project goal to train towards.

Best Season & Typical Conditions

  • Season: Late spring to autumn usually offers the best combination of sea state and daylight.
  • Water temperature:
    • Summer: ~15–18°C at depth
    • Winter: 13–15°C throughout the column
  • Visibility: Commonly 20–30 m, but can vary with plankton and weather. DIVE Magazine
  • Sea state: Open-water boat run; conditions must be benign for shot-line work and deco.

Why Dive JU88 South?

What Makes This Site Special for Tec / CCR Divers

  • Iconic deep aircraft wreck: A near-complete Junkers Ju 88 bomber, one of Malta’s most photogenic deep-water plane wrecks. DIVE Magazine
  • Upright attitude: Unlike many aircraft wrecks, JU88 South lies upright with wings and engines intact, giving a dramatic “frozen in time” profile. The Virtual Museum
  • Historical context: The Ju 88 was one of the Luftwaffe’s key bombers during the siege of Malta, used for raids on harbours, airfields and shipping. DIVE Magazine
  • Challenging depth: At ~105m, it’s a serious deep-trimix or CCR objective – ideal for experienced teams wanting a focused project dive.

Dive Profile & Route Options

Typical Open Circuit Profiles

On OC trimix, gas volume and deco exposure are the main limiting factors. Expect:

  • Hypoxic trimix back gas, multiple deco mixes
  • Bottom times in the 12–18 minute range depending on team, fills and chosen conservatism
  • A pre-planned, tight circuit of the aircraft:

Common route:

  1. Descend on the shot line directly to the fuselage / wing root.
  2. Check orientation, confirm team position and gas/time.
  3. Follow a circuit around:
    • Nose section and cockpit area (now open/damaged)
    • Starboard and port engines and landing gear remains
    • Tail plane and damaged tail fin
  4. Begin ascent on schedule – there is no stretching the plan at this depth.

Typical CCR / Hollis Prism2 Profiles

On the Hollis Prism2, JU88 South becomes more logistically practical, though still extreme:

  • Longer effective bottom time (e.g. 18–25 minutes) for similar overall runtime compared to OC
  • Greatly reduced helium usage and simpler topside logistics
  • Bailout planning is king – all plans built around a realistic full-bailout scenario from 105m

A typical CCR dive might include:

  • Controlled descent on 1.0–1.2 setpoint
  • One or two full circuits of the aircraft, allowing time for photos/video
  • Early ascent if anything feels off – there’s zero margin for “just one more shot” at 105m.

Actual run-times and schedules must be generated with proper software and aligned with your training.

Entry, Exit & Navigation Notes

  • Descent: On a fixed shot line; often nothing visible until the last part of the drop.
  • Bottom navigation:
    • The wreck is small compared to a ship, so one circuit covers most of it.
    • Orientation is simple: fuselage, wings, tail – but it’s easy to lose the shot in poor vis if you wander too far into the sand.
  • Ascent: Entire ascent and deco normally done on the same line, sometimes with a deco trapeze or support stage at shallower stops.

Conditions & Hazards

Environmental

  • Current: Can be present at depth or mid-water. Drift off the line at 50m with multiple stages and you’ll have an unpleasant time getting back.
  • Visibility: Usually good, but silt from the seabed or plankton blooms can reduce it quickly.

Wreck-Specific Hazards

  • JU88 South is relatively compact, but:
    • Exposed wiring, twisted metal and control cables offer snag points.
    • There may be occasional fishing line or net debris in the area. maltadives.com
  • Penetration is not appropriate – this is a fragile aircraft structure at extreme depth.

Safety & Minimum Experience

  • You should already be:
    • Comfortable with long TTS and multi-gas ascents
    • Regularly practising lost-gas and bailout drills
    • Diving with a stable, well-rehearsed team

JU88 South is the kind of dive that rewards conservative planning and ruthless self-assessment.

Wreck / Site History

The Aircraft – Junkers Ju 88

The Junkers Ju 88 was a German twin-engine all-metal bomber, around 15 m long with a 20 m wingspan, used in multiple roles including bombing, reconnaissance and night fighting. maltadives.com

Role in WWII Around Malta

During the siege of Malta, Ju 88s formed a major part of the Luftwaffe bombing force, attacking airfields, shipping and harbour facilities. DIVE Magazine

JU88 South – Loss & Discovery

  • The JU88 South wreck appears to have ditched in a controlled manner, coming to rest upright on the seabed. Heritage Malta
  • Damage on the tail suggests it may have been shot down by Allied aircraft. Heritage Malta
  • The wreck was identified through surveys in the 2010s and is now part of Malta’s managed deep-wreck heritage programme. The Virtual Museum

Points of Interest Underwater

Key Aircraft Features

On the dive you can expect to see:

  • Nose and cockpit: Damaged/glazed nose missing, exposing the cockpit area and bomb-aimer’s position. The Virtual Museum
  • Twin engines and wings: Engines and mainplanes lying flat on the sand, often with marine growth and small fish schools. The Virtual Museum
  • Tail section: Partially damaged, likely from combat, but still recognisable as a Ju 88 tail assembly. The Virtual Museum

Marine Life & Photography

Despite the depth, the wreck attracts:

  • Lobsters and other crustaceans hiding in wreckage gaps maltadives.com
  • Rockfish, damselfish and occasional larger visitors
  • Encrusting sponges and hydroids that glow under video lights

Photographically, this is all about:

  • Big-picture shots of the aircraft profile
  • Engine details
  • Tail and control surfaces

Time is very limited, so having a pre-planned shot list helps.

Training & Skill Development Opportunities

Courses & Workshops

JU88 South itself is usually not used as a training site, but it makes an excellent capstone for:

  • Advanced / full trimix training (OC or CCR), once all performance criteria are met on shallower dives
  • CCR expedition skills workshops for bailout planning, deep problem solving and camera handling under time pressure

Skills You Can Refine

  • Precision ascent control from very deep water
  • Team communication when everyone is heavily kitted and on big deco schedules
  • Realistic post-dive debriefing and project planning skills

Gear & Gas Planning Notes

Cylinders, Stages & Bailout

  • Open circuit:
    • Backmount twins or large sidemount configuration with multiple stages
    • Absolutely no “minimal” setups – redundancy is crucial.
  • CCR (Hollis Prism2):
    • At least two sizeable bailout cylinders, sized for a full ascent from 105m with contingencies
    • Clear, written bailout decision points and team-agreed protocols

Deco Gases & Trimix

  • Hypoxic trimix bottom gas tuned for narcosis management and oxygen exposure
  • 1–3 deco gases depending on your planning philosophy and logistics
  • Explicit gas switch confirmation procedures – no shortcuts at 105m.

Logistics & Surface Interval

Boat & Day Planning

Trips to JU88 South are typically:

  • Single-project dive days with one deep dive only
  • Early starts and long surface run-times
  • Supported by operators familiar with Heritage Malta procedures and deep-wreck logistics Dive Systems Malta

Expect:

  • Full briefing on wreck history, access rules and emergency planning
  • Onboard O₂ and appropriate emergency kit
  • Post-dive debriefs once everyone is rehydrated and warmed up

Why Dive JU88 South with Jason Trott & diveprism2.eu

Small Teams, Safety First

On deep objectives like JU88 South, Jason runs very small CCR/trimix teams, focusing on:

  • Thoughtful gas and bailout planning
  • Clear roles and pre-agreed procedures
  • Conservative decision-making on the day

Wreck, CCR & Prism2 Experience

Jason Trott is a Malta-based PADI Tec instructor and Hollis Prism2 CCR instructor specialising in technical, CCR and wreck diving around Malta. He’s logged extensive hours on deep heritage wrecks, including JU88 South, HMS Russell and other 80–110m sites.

Jason Trott is a Malta-based PADI Tec and Hollis Prism2 rebreather instructor at diveprism2.eu, offering small-team, wreck-focused CCR and trimix training plus guided technical dives on Malta’s deep WWII wrecks.

FAQs About Diving JU88 South

How deep is JU88 South?
The wreck lies upright at around 105–106m on a sandy seabed off south-east Malta. Maltadives.com

Is this the same as the Ju 88 North at 55m?
No. JU88 South is the deep wreck (~105m). The north wreck is a separate Ju 88 at ~55m off Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. maltadives.com

What level of diver do I need to be?
You’ll need advanced / full trimix or equivalent level CCR certification with significant experience in 70–90m+ dives and complex decompression.

Can I dive it on open circuit or is it CCR only?
Both are possible, but CCR (e.g. Hollis Prism2) is usually the more practical and cost-effective approach at this depth. OC dives will have very short bottom times and huge gas requirements.

Is a permit required?
The site is part of Malta’s managed underwater heritage and is dived through registered dive centres and clubs operating under Heritage Malta’s framework. Heritage Malta

How to Book or Plan Your Dive

Check Your Readiness

Before thinking about JU88 South, ask honestly:

  • When was your last 90m+ dive?
  • How current are your bailout and lost-gas drills?
  • Do you have a stable team and suitable kit?

If there are any doubts, treat JU88 South as a medium-term goal, not a next-week objective.

Contact Jason for a Progressive Plan

Jason can help you:

  • Map out a training and warm-up path using Malta’s shallower wrecks (including the 55m Ju 88 North, destroyers and deep ships)
  • Build confidence on the Hollis Prism2 CCR or open-circuit trimix
  • Plan a dedicated JU88 South project day when you’re truly ready

Head to diveprism2.eu to get in touch, send your current certs and recent dives, and start planning your route to one of Malta’s most iconic deep-wreck dives.

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