Filfla island is a small, barren, uninhabited islet lays 5 kilometers south of Malta. This is the most southerly point forming the Maltese archipelago.

According to the legend, the name comes from filfel, which is the Arabic word for a peppercorn. Filfla has an area of just 6 hectares. The top is a crumbling flat-topped limestone plateau surrounded by 60 meter high cliffs.

Until 1971, the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force used the island for target practice. It became a bird reserve in 1980. Furthermore The Filfla Natural Reserve Act 1988, has provided further restrictions on access and use. There was a prohibition on fishing within a nautical mile, due to the possibility of encountering unexploded ordnance. Unfortunately fishing is allowed again since 1990.

Access to Filfla is only possible for educational or scientific purposes and visitors, including recreational divers, who must get prior permission from the ministry responsible for the environment. The diving here is drop-off reefs, deep blue water and the possibility to encounter large predators such as barracudas and tuna.

To visit this little gem, you will need minimum Advanced Open Water certification