Bliss Dive

Bliss Dive is a small dive centre in Marsalforn, the beach resort on the north coast of Gozo, run by owner and instructor Graham Thurlbeck, known to most divers as Groover. The centre focuses on relaxed, personalised diving for people who want value for money rather than the cheapest price, with small or private groups, later start times if you want them and itineraries built around your level.

The centre is listed in our directory of dive centres in Malta. Our guide to Gozo shows how Marsalforn fits into a wider stay on the island.

Who runs it and how they teach

Graham has more than 16 years of experience and over 6000 dives on Gozo, and his teaching style is patient and detailed, with particular care for nervous beginners. His qualifications cover PADI, BSAC, SDI and TDI instruction, and he is qualified to dive to 75 metres on trimix with cavern, full cave and cave surveying training. The centre caters for PADI, BSAC, SDI, TDI, SSI and CMAS divers, and uses modern teaching methods.

The aim is safe, comfortable diving planned within your comfort level, using local weather knowledge to choose the best site each day, with attention to environmental impact. Rental kit includes Apeks regulators, XDeep wings and Suunto dive computers, and there is secure storage for your own kit in the shop.

Dives and courses

Beginners can start with a try dive or a PADI Discover Scuba Diving session, and then take the PADI Open Water course. Experienced divers can buy guided packs of two dives over a day, six over three days or ten over five days, with or without hired equipment. Clubs or groups of more than four should ask for a customised package.

Advanced options include PADI Advanced Open Water, Cavern, Deep, Wreck, Nitrox, Self Reliant and Underwater Naturalist courses, and professional training through the Divemaster course and internships. The centre also arranges evening social events in the Gozo style and can introduce you to local restaurants and bars. Our Malta weather guide helps you choose your month.

What a small centre means for you

Because Bliss Dive is small, the owner is usually out at the dive sites, and the team replies to messages at the end of the diving day. In return you get maximum time in the water, detailed marine life knowledge and dives matched to divers of similar experience, rather than being placed in a large mixed group.

The centre is open about who it suits. It is built for people who want a personalised, safety-conscious experience, who enjoy learning about local marine life and who want to improve on every dive, whether in shore diving, caverns, wrecks, reefs or depth. If you prefer large mixed groups or the bare minimum time in the water, another operator may suit you better. Diving here is also pitched as a relaxed way to unwind, with a friendly, social approach that helps you make new diving friends.

Questions worth asking any Gozo dive centre include the instructor's experience, how long you will spend underwater, how experienced the other divers are, how early you must start and whether your kit and accommodation will feel secure. Bliss Dive offers customised later start times and has built its service around those points.

Getting to Marsalforn

The centre is 20 minutes by car from the main ferry terminal at Mġarr. Buses run from Marsalforn to Victoria and to Mġarr, and the Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa takes about 25 minutes, passing Comino. A taxi from Malta airport to Ċirkewwa takes about 45 minutes and costs around €40 one way for up to four passengers, and the X1 airport bus costs €2 one way. Compare flights from the UK to Malta before you book, and the centre can help organise transfers that take your dive bags.

To ask about dates, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Bliss Dive.