Blue Lagoon, Comino

The Blue Lagoon is the stretch of shallow turquoise water in the narrow channel between the island of Comino and the smaller islet of Cominotto, on the northern edge of the Malta archipelago where the channel between Malta and the neighbouring island of Gozo is at its narrowest. The lagoon is formed by a white calcareous seabed and a very shallow depth — in places barely reaching waist height even a short distance from shore — that creates the translucent aquamarine colour responsible for the lagoon's name and for its fame across the Mediterranean as one of the most visually distinctive stretches of coastal water in the region. It is one of the most photographed spots in the islands and a perennial destination for visitors arriving by ferry, speedboat, kayak or private vessel from both Malta and Gozo, and the contrast between the small, quiet harbours of the two islands and the activity around the lagoon in summer is striking. The water is clear enough for snorkelling above the rocks and marine life along the channel bottom, and the small sandy beach on the Comino side fills rapidly in summer when day-trippers arrive throughout the daylight hours.

Comino itself is largely uninhabited today — a few farms, a resort hotel that closed in 2010 and has remained shuttered and decaying on the hillside, and a network of observation towers built by the Knights of St John in the 17th century for coastal surveillance of the channel between Malta and Gozo, positions chosen for their clear sight lines across the narrowest point. The island is a protected bird sanctuary during the spring and autumn migration seasons and supports a sparse scrubland ecosystem that is particularly notable in spring when the wildflowers bring colour to the rocky terrain. The lagoon area can become extremely crowded in July and August, when boats arrive continuously from both islands throughout the daylight hours, making spring and early summer preferable for a visitor with any interest in the natural environment rather than the social beach atmosphere.

The Knights' towers are open to visitors and offer wide views across the channel to the site of the Azure Window at Dwejra on Gozo, where a similar limestone coastal arch collapsed in 2017 after decades of erosion. Beyond the lagoon, Comino has a network of coastal paths, hidden coves and sea caves accessible on foot or by kayak, making the island rewarding for visitors willing to walk beyond the immediate lagoon shore and who have time to explore the quieter stretches of its coastline.

The combination of shallow clear water and a white calcareous seabed creates a colour — vivid aquamarine in calm conditions — that is among the most distinctive in the Mediterranean.

Comino's relative remoteness and near-total lack of resident population give the lagoon a natural setting that is unusual among popular Mediterranean beach destinations.

The 17th-century Knights' coastal surveillance towers are still standing and accessible, providing a historical dimension to what is primarily a natural attraction.