The Inland Sea

The most exciting thing ever to happen in what is known as the Inland Sea in the limits of the dormant village of San Lawrenz, Gozo, occurred some years ago when a lone Mediterranean dolphin got lost, found itself inside this cute little patch of water and was unable to find a way out of the small, restricted cavern carved out by Mother Nature.

The rest is complete quiet and an ambience of serenity broken only by the odd fisherman, like the poor dolphin, trying to paddle his way out into the open sea. Created out of almost nothing and surrounded by sheer high cliffs all around, the Inland Sea, known in Maltese as Id-Dwejra, is like a time warp on the Gozo tourist map.

 It will capture you at daytime as you stroll on the pebble beach to watch the next school of young divers eagerly listening to their instructor’s last-minute strict rules and regulations. They know what awaits them – just off the Inland Sea, once you’ve managed to navigate a way out of it, is perhaps one of the most beautiful diving zones anywhere in the Mediterranean.

Then, by sunset, as darkness falls and the last tourist coaches have left, an eerie atmosphere grips the area. You hardly want to talk as the pebbles under your feet now sound more like gunfire, and the lights on the ancient boat-houses flicker wildly around you.

Suddenly, there is a bit of music, muffled and controlled. It is almost sacrilegious. A small group of young men and women are enjoying a quiet barbeque. The sound of the wine being poured into ample glasses synchronizes well with the sound of the lapping water.

You almost wish the dolphin is back, having been joyously helped to find its way out by the well-wishers of yesteryear. Then, a sound. Is it back? No, it is only the amorous couple trying to cool down their body temperatures. Dolphins certainly know better…

The best way to get to the Inland Sea is by bus which leaves regularly from the main terminus in Victoria. If you have a car then driving there is pretty uncomplicated as the area is well signposted.