The Maltese diving community has paid tribute to the late Peter Lemon, regarded as a leading authority on the country’s underwater landscapes.
Lemon, a British national who died aged 83 in May, was the author of Scuba Diving Malta Gozo Comino.
First published in 2002, the book is now in its fifth edition and features detailed descriptions and colourful illustrated maps of all Malta’s dive sites. Aerial photographs show what the sites look like from above.
Lemon, who lived in Royston, Hertfordshire, first encountered Malta’s waters during a dive at the Blue Grotto in Żurrieq in the early 1980s. This would prove to be the start of a decades-long love affair with both the hobby and the country.
After his dive buddy convinced him to turn hundreds of dives’ worth of notes into a book, Lemon used the lump sum he received following retirement from his job as a firefighter to create the first edition, with invaluable help from his wife Sue.
Divers who spoke to Times of Malta explained why most people who take up the activity own a copy of Lemon’s book.
One of the detailed maps in Peter Lemon’s book“When I first came out here to be an instructor and teacher, I didn’t know Peter personally, but the first thing I was told was to buy his book, because it has all the information you need,” said fellow diver and friend Chris Jiggens, who is a member of Lemon’s diving club back in the UK.
“Whenever someone talks about how to dive a particular site in Malta, Peter’s book is considered the bible. It opened opportunities for people who had never dived here before.
“They could arrive at a site, look at his book and suddenly they knew what they were doing. The pictures in his book are so clear and precise.”
Divers Christina Woodcock and Chris Jiggens with Peter Lemon’s book. Photo: Matthew MirabelliChristina Woodcock, who put together a book of remembrance to send to Lemon’s family, said it was difficult to find words to describe the full extent of his contribution to the industry.
“He literally wrote the book on diving in Malta. Everyone who dives here has encountered Peter, even if they never met him,” said Woodcock.
He never asked for money in return for his work being used
“He was one of those people who is just a genuinely nice bloke. He was always there, always friendly and always helpful. If you needed a hand with anything you knew you could ask him and he’d find a way to help.”
Simone Bridge-Iverson, owner of Maltaqua Dive Centre in St Paul’s Bay, remembers Peter as being calm and gentlemanly, while jokingly describing his meticulousness as “almost annoying.”
“He would revisit a site multiple times to make sure he got it right. And whenever a new wreck was laid down, he would come over and map it for the next edition of the book. His attention to detail was astonishing,” she said.
“Despite being well-known, he was not full of himself at all. Whenever there was someone at the centre who wanted his autograph, if he was in Malta he would drop everything and come over.”
Many of Lemon’s illustrations can be found on signs near the country’s most popular dive sites. Bridge-Iverson emphasised that he never asked for money in return for his work being used.
“His death is a huge loss to the community. We’ll miss him deeply,” she said.
Lemon (far right) with members of his diving club in the UK. Photo: Susan Watters