Rebreather Forum 4 was held on Malta on 20-22 April 2023 in University of Malta's old campus in downtown Valletta. The event was attended by prominent dive industry entrepreneurs and manufacturers and hyperbaric researchers, many of which presented the latest findings in their fields.
On Friday 25 November 2022, a lower court found diver Arthur Castillo, 60, guilty of the involuntary homicide of his long-time dive buddy Christine Gauci, who died following a dive in Mgarr ix-Xini, a bay on the southern coast of Gozo in January 2020. Gauci was an Armed Forces of Malta member, diving instructor and technical diver.
In a ruling that caused outrage in the diving community, the lower court handed Castillo a two-year jail term suspended for four years, which was immediately appealed.
At St. Andrew's Divers Cove, we feel honoured and privileged to be situated in Xlendi Bay, one of Malta and Gozo's most picturesque fishing villages, a stone's throw from the water's edge. Our bay is ideal for beginner dives, night dives and dive courses.
On Friday 25 November, diver Arthur Castillo, 60, was found guilty of the involuntary homicide of his long-time dive buddy Christine Gauci who died following a dive in Mgarr ix-Xini, a bay on the southern coast of Gozo in January 2020. Ms Gauci was an Armed Forces of Malta member, diving instructor and technical diver.
The court handed Mr. Castillo a two-year jail term suspended for four years, pronouncing itself convinced that this case did not merit effective imprisonment. Castillo told Times of Malta he will be appealing the judgment but declined further comment.
The purpose of the scientific and trade-only meeting is to advance the diving community’s state of knowledge regarding rebreather technology and its uses, with the goal of improving rebreather diving safety and performance. Proceedings of the meeting will be published and made publicly available.
The 60m-long, former tanker Hephaestus, which was scuttled at Xatt l-Aħmar just 30m off Gozo’s south-east coast on 29 August had run aground on rocks in St Paul’s Bay in Malta three and half years ago and subsequently written off.
The wreck sat stranded there for six months before being towed to the port of Valletta. Eventually, the tanker was thoroughly cleaned and prepared for sinking before being towed to be sunk off Gozo. Here the wreck now lies upright at a depth of 40m, close to three other artificial reefs: The Karwela, Xlendi and Cominoland.
The operation was organised by the Tourism Authority together with the Ministry for Tourism and the Association of Professional Diving Schools of Malta, Gozo and Comino.
The boat was scuttled and sank between the wrecks of St Michael and Melita, two tugboats that also serve as scuba diving sites.
According to the Professional Diving School Association, the vessel is resting on the seabed at a depth of around 20 metres, whereas Television Malta states the depth is 27m.
This service both sustain the diving industry in Gozo and also serves to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to the Gozo General Hospital patients.
The Ministry for Health is also planning to train two further doctors in hyperbaric medicine at the GGH.
