The Maltese Islands have been voted as the 2nd ‘Best Diving Destination’ at two separate award ceremonies that took place recently in London, namely the Diver and Sport Diver Awards, making the Maltese archipelago the top diving location in the Mediterranean.

The Diver Awards 2013 were presented on the main stage at LIDS by diving explorer and television presenter, Monty Halls, during the International Dive Show.

He revealed who Divernet visitors and Diver readers decided should be rewarded for excellence in their latest assessment of the leisure-diving industry’s leaders.

Winners and nominees were voted by readers of Diver Magazine, Sport Diver Magazine and visitors to their respective websites.

This year Malta and Gozo received the runner up place in the category for ‘Best Destination’ fighting off competition from the Maldives, Indonesia and Thailand while Egypt was awarded 1st place in the category.

The organisers said that “for the first time that we can remember a Mediterranean location has grabbed the runner-up spot, and it’s the Maltese Islands (Malta, Gozo and Comino) that have done the trick.”

“They were over the moon to come third last time round, but pushing the mighty Maldives into third place is some achievement,” the organisers commented. “If this success can be attributed to Malta’s range of wrecks, wildlife, topography and shore-diving, it is also true that UK divers have been looking to find good but economical diving closer to home.”

The ‘Best Diving Destination Of The Year’ awards saw a strong category of diving spots across the globe with Egypt taking first place and the Maldives in third place.

Presented by Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans and Diving Explorer Monty Halls, the Sport Diver Awards took place at Aston’s Champagne and Wine Bar, London.

The awards for ‘Best Customer Service’ and runner up for ‘Best Overseas PADI Dive Centre’ were also received by Divewise one of Malta’s leading Dive centres.

Commenting on these awards, Mr Josef Formosa Gauci, the CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority said, “we are truly honoured to accept these distinguished awards and the recognition they bring with it. We are continuously striving to enhance our diving product to provide visitors with an unforgettable diving experience.”

He added, “Malta and Gozo are a unique diving destination with clear blue waters, a wealth of wrecks and an exquisite range of marine life. Receiving these prestigious awards will make us work even harder to maintain and improve on these positions next year.”

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