Malta

Diving in Malta

Malta is an excellent diving location if you live in Europe, its waters are warm and thriving with life, while its underwater landscape is filled with exciting landforms…

Malta is one of our favourite diving locations. For us living in Europe, it’s easy to get to, which is a real plus on top if its many other attractions for divers. The waters around its islands are bursting with all sorts of sea life that surround the many wrecks sunk to the bottom, and the small canyons that carve through the underwater floor.

Malta diving, MV Dori, wreck dive
Diving past the MV Dori off the coast of Valletta. This photo, and the title photo, were given to us by a fellow diver

We obtained our Advanced PADI diver’s licence in Malta a few years back with the Cresta Dive Centre. It was a really memorable experience and we had a lot of fun with the experienced instructors that took us through the lessons with confidence. It was great to go back again to experience the waters around the Maltese islands for another time.

Diving in Malta
Sub-tropical fish with black vertical stripes and yellow horizontal patterns

It was a little difficult at first to get back into the diving groove, since we had been out of practice for quite a while, but our comfort levels with the gear and being underwater returned after the first dive. Being underwater is always a novel experience no matter how many dives we’d done and the sense of mystery and wonder can always be counted upon to take away any apprehension we might have had.

Small fish swimming scattered over some underwater grazing pasture

Diving is a bit like riding a bike, I suppose, in that you can’t forget how to do it once you know how to do it. After a little time, I was soon able to achieve peak buoyancy once more and swim leisurely, enjoying the many fish that swam in the waters around.

Diving in Malta
A little scorpion fish hiding amongst the seaweed that looks like tape

Speaking of peak performance buoyancy, it’s one of the best courses we’ve ever done with PADI, and I would highly recommend it if you are diving in Malta. There are lots of canyons and walls in the waters around, and being able to control your buoyancy is highly important if you want to have a good time and enjoy yourself, without worrying you are going to bump into something all the time.

Diving in Malta
A lone fish swimming just above the sea bed

Diving is surreal for all sorts of reasons, but the one biggest reason for me is that sometimes, it feels a little like flying. For example, if you find yourself by the side of a boat or floating above an underwater hill, the visual cues you get tell you that this doesn’t make sense. It’s a boat, but yet, you’re floating by its windows? How peculiar.

Diving in Malta
A school of fish gathering together above some rocks

I really like diving in canyons, they are probably my favourite types of underwater landform to swim through. Personally, I cannot wait to return to Malta again to dive. There are still so many wrecks that remain to be seen and canyons to discover.

Diving in Malta
Swimming above an underwater hill