Been here over a year and somehow never made it down to Pretty Bay properly, always just drove past on the way to somewhere else. Last sunday morning I said screw it and took the bus down there around 9am. Found this little rocky area east of the main beach, past the freeport towers, and it was just... empty? Like maybe 5 people spread out along the whole stretch.
Water was stupid clear, way clearer than I expected so close to the port tbh. Snorkeled around for maybe 40 minutes, saw some decent fish near the rocks. The kind of spot where you can actually hear the water lapping instead of someone's bluetooth speaker blasting bad reggaeton.
I usually stick to Gozo weekends for swimming bc the crowds in the popular spots on Malta proper drive me insane. Golden Bay on a saturday in July is basically a human soup. But this Birzebbuga spot felt genuinely local, like the kind of place your maltese neighbor tells you about after knowing you for two years.
Only downside was the container ships sitting right there on the horizon, kinda kills the mediterranean fantasy lol. And the walk back up from the rocks in wet sliders was sketchy af. But whatever, worth it.
Anyone got other low-key swimming spots like this? The ones that arent on every "hidden gems in Malta" listicle. Also is the water quality actually decent near the freeport or did I just gamble with my health that morning