Abyss Diving Club

Abyss Diving Club is a small scuba centre in St Paul's Bay, on the north east coast of Malta and a short way from the lively resort of Buġibba. It looks after first time divers, people working towards a certificate, qualified divers who want a guide, and anyone curious about freediving. It has about twenty years of experience in scuba diving and has welcomed more than 2,000 visitors since 2000.

For a UK visitor, the appeal is simple: clear Mediterranean water, wrecks, caves and a good mix of shore and boat dives, with teaching in English as well as four other languages. If you are still planning your trip, our page on dive centres in Malta lists other operators to compare.

Trying diving for the first time

The Discover Scuba Diving programme is for people who have never dived before. Participants must be at least 10 years old and in good physical condition. You are accompanied by a certified instructor, all the equipment is included, and you learn to breathe underwater and swim alongside the fish in the calm sea.

The calm, clear water and very low risk from marine life make Malta a good place to begin. If you would like to build on a first dive, the same team teaches the full range of courses, so you can carry on during the same holiday or return later in the year. Our Malta weather guide shows what to expect month by month.

Certification courses and specialities

The Open Water course is the entry level qualification. It covers the physics and physiology of diving, choosing and caring for equipment and the core skills, with theory classes and five dives, four of them in the sea to a maximum of 18 metres. The course fee includes theory and practical training, online learning materials, equipment rental and certification fees, and on completion you are certified to dive independently to 18 metres or 60 feet.

Further steps include the Advanced course, with five adventure dives on themes you choose, the Rescue course for handling more complex emergencies, Emergency First Response for first aid and CPR, and the Divemaster course for people who want to lead and assist with training. Speciality courses include Deep, with four dives and a maximum depth of 40 metres, plus Wreck, Nitrox with enriched air up to 40 per cent, Dry Suit, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Night Diving. The minimum age for most certification courses is 10.

Guided dives in Malta, Gozo and Comino

Certified divers can join guided dives around Malta, Gozo and Comino, taking in shore and boat dives, wrecks, caves and caverns, night dives and Nitrox dives. You need at least an Open Water or equivalent certificate. Deeper or wreck dives may need Advanced Open Water or a Deep speciality, and the club asks you to get in touch so it can check the requirements for a particular dive.

A typical dive lasts about 45 to 60 minutes, and two dive packages are available, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Payment can be made by cash, credit card or bank transfer, and a small fee may apply to card payments. If you plan to cross to the sister island, our Gozo guide and Blue Lagoon guide cover the surroundings.

Freediving, languages and getting in touch

The new freediving section starts with a Basic Freediving course for beginners, with no experience needed. You learn to breathe, relax and dive safely on a single breath with experienced instructors, and guided freediving sessions are offered as well.

Courses are taught in Italian, English, Spanish, German and French, and the instructors are certified to international standards. The club is in St Paul's Bay, so hotels in Qawra, St Paul's Bay and Buġibba are the nearest places to stay, and our list of things to do in Malta has ideas for non diving days. To ask about a try dive, a course or a guided day, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Abyss Diving Club.