Santa Maria Caves
cove · Comino · Malta
Santa Maria Caves is a cove on the island of Comino, in the Malta cruising area.
The nearest town is Saint Paul's Bay.
Comino is part of the Maltese Islands.
The bay opens towards the north-east (56°).
Shelter by wind direction
Good shelter in south-west wind.
Partial shelter in south, west and north-west wind.
No shelter in north (tramontana), north-east, east and south-east (sirocco) wind.
In the most open sector, up to 30 NM of open water towards the north.
Swell can come in from east to south-east (100°–132°).
Swell can come in from north-north-west to east (348°–96°).
- sheltered
- partly
- exposed
Shelter is estimated from open water and swell, not from wind strength: a strong wind can still gust over the land.
Here, shelter depends on tonight's wind. Seadromy reads the forecast and tells you before you leave.
Seabed, depth and room
Depth near the anchoring spot: about 3 m (EMODnet bathymetry, indicative).
Approach
Direct approach from open water; the routing point lies 0.1 NM from the anchoring spot.
Protected area and seagrass
Posidonia seagrass is present: drop the anchor on sand only.
Ashore and services
Beach within 300 m.
Road within 400 m: busy in the afternoon.
Almost no buildings ashore (0 within 600 m).
Nothing ashore: a wild anchorage.
Where to go when the wind turns
When the wind makes this place exposed, the nearest places rated as well sheltered are:
- In north wind: Mġarr Marina, 0.8 NM by sea.
- In north-east wind: Il-Bajja tal-Armier, 2.1 NM by sea.
- In east wind: Il-Bajja tal-Armier, 2.1 NM by sea.
- In south-east wind: Saint Nicholas Bay, 0.9 NM by sea.
- In south wind: Santa Maria Bay, 0.8 NM by sea.
- In west wind: Mġarr Marina, 0.8 NM by sea.
- In north-west wind: Mġarr Marina, 0.8 NM by sea.
Nearby anchorages and ports
- Santa Maria Bay cove · 0.8 NM by sea
- Mġarr Marina marina · 0.8 NM by sea
- Saint Nicholas Bay cove · 0.9 NM by sea
- Għar Għana cove · 1.1 NM by sea
- Ħondoq ir-Rummien cove · 1.1 NM by sea
- Id-Darsa cove · 1.2 NM by sea
Sheltered anchorages of Malta by wind
More places – Comino
- Saint Nicholas Bay cove
- Għar Għana cove
Questions
Is Santa Maria Caves sheltered from the tramontana?
No. It is exposed in north wind. The nearest well-sheltered place is Mġarr Marina, 0.8 NM by sea.
Is Santa Maria Caves sheltered from the sirocco?
No. It is exposed in south-east wind. The nearest well-sheltered place is Saint Nicholas Bay, 0.9 NM by sea.
How deep is the water at Santa Maria Caves?
Depth near the anchoring spot: about 3 m (EMODnet bathymetry, indicative).
Can you spend the night at Santa Maria Caves?
It depends on the wind of the night: Seadromy picks the evening anchorage with the forecast of the day.