Corsair Diving Malta

Corsair Diving Malta is a small, family run PADI dive centre in the middle of Buġibba, on the north coast of Malta. It is a PADI Instructor Development Centre, which means it can train divers all the way up to professional Instructor level. The centre is only a few metres from Buġibba square and a short walk from both Qawra and St Paul's Bay, so most visitors staying in the resort area can walk to it.

For a UK diver, or someone who has never dived, the appeal is the personal scale. You dive in small groups matched to your ability and led by qualified PADI Instructors, and a free pick up from your accommodation in the local area is included. The centre is listed in our directory of dive centres in Malta, and our guide to hotels in Qawra, St Paul's Bay and Buġibba helps you find a base within walking distance.

A family run centre with an environmental outlook

Corsair Diving is owned by Christina and Chris, and their children Emily and Lucas are often at the front desk, greeting divers on their way out each morning and welcoming them back after the dives. The name is a nod to Malta's history: the original corsairs were the pirates who for long periods defended the island's shores, and the centre aims to share a similar devotion to the coastline by showing people what lies beneath it.

The centre takes an environmental approach to its diving. It regularly organises underwater clean ups and teaches divers to respect the sea. Christina, who comes from Baden in Switzerland, worked as an environmental engineer before becoming a dive professional. She speaks English, German and Swiss German fluently, and also speaks French and Italian. Chris is from Harrogate in England, taught Geography in a secondary school, and learned to dive on a marine conservation project in Thailand. He has even hidden a few underwater geocaches at favourite dive sites.

The instructors and the dive centre

The wider team includes Gordon, a former soldier from the UK who moved to Malta on retirement in 2019 to dive in warmer water. Sophie joined at the start of 2023 for her Divemaster course, became an Instructor that April and has a marine biology background. She also works with Sharklab Malta on research into sharks and rays. Tian, a PADI Divemaster, first dived with the centre in 2020 and returns each year. Trainee Divemasters and interns also join the team during the season.

The dive centre itself is purpose built, with a classroom for theory and a small shop that can arrange extra kit through local suppliers. All equipment is replaced and rotated regularly and serviced every year, and groups are always small, often with a personal instructor.

First dives and entry level courses

You can try diving at any time of year. The Bubblemaker, for ages 8 to 10, is a short lesson and one dive in a shallow, calm area, and costs €60. The Discover Scuba Diving course costs €60 for anyone aged 10 and over. It starts with a short lesson on the equipment and the sea and then leads to a dive with your instructor. It gives a temporary licence to dive with the centre again for up to a year and can be credited towards an Open Water course, and extra dives are €45 each.

The Scuba Diver course, at €350, is for people with limited time who want a certification. It covers the first two days of the Open Water course, with three theory sessions, three confined water sessions and two open water dives to a maximum of 12 metres. The full Open Water course costs €490 including the manual. It has five theory sessions, five confined water sessions and four open water dives to 18 metres over four days. The E-Learning version is also €490, with theory done online before you arrive and the course completed in three days. Divers who finished theory and pool work at home can complete the Open Water Referral for €260.

Courses for progressing divers

The Advanced Open Water course costs €350 including the manual and has five themed dives over at least two days. Deep diving and underwater navigation are compulsory, and the other three themes are your choice. Popular choices in Malta include wreck diving, peak performance buoyancy, night diving and Dive Against Debris. The Adventure Diver course, at €260, offers three themed dives and can be completed in one day for those short of time. The Rescue Diver course is €380 and includes ten rescue exercises and two open water rescue scenarios. It requires a current CPR and first aid certificate, and the Emergency First Response course at the centre costs €150 and covers CPR, bleeding, shock and splinting, and use of an automated defibrillator.

Specialty courses start at €120 and include Boat Diver at €200, Deep Diver at €265, Digital Photographer at €180, Drysuit Diver at €170, Fish Identification at €150, Naturalist at €150, Navigation at €210, Night Diver at €240, Nitrox at €150, Peak Performance Buoyancy at €150, Search and Recovery at €265, SMB Diver at €150 and Wreck Diver at €265. All course prices are stated to include learning materials, full equipment hire, transport to and from the dive sites, your instructor, certification fees and a free hotel pick up in the local area, with no hidden extras. Minimum ages and prerequisites vary, so ask the centre about the course you want.

Dive sites and a typical day

Diving in Malta is spread across Malta, Gozo and Comino. The sites include the wrecks of the Um El Faroud, the MV Rozi and HMS Maori, and caverns such as Għar Lapsi, the Santa Maria Caves and the Inland Sea. Visibility is often more than 20 metres. Most dives are from the shore, so a sheltered site can almost always be found whatever the weather. A boat is needed for the deep wrecks at around 40 metres and for trips to Comino, and you can read about the islands in our Gozo guide and our guide to the Blue Lagoon on Comino.

A normal day meets at the dive centre at around 8:30, with two guided dives in the morning and one in the afternoon, returning to the centre at around 14:00. That leaves your afternoon free for family time or relaxing. Sea temperature peaks at about 28 degrees in August and September and falls to about 16 degrees in February and March. Our Malta weather guide gives the month by month picture.

All divers complete and sign a self assessment medical form. If any of the conditions on it apply, a doctor must confirm that you are fit to dive, and the centre can arrange this for your arrival. Your PADI certification does not expire, and divers who have not been in the water for a while can start with a simple dive.

Planning your trip and getting started

Malta is two to three hours from the UK, so a diving break fits in a long weekend or a full week. Our guide to flights to Malta from the UK covers the routes, and our guide to where to stay in Malta compares the main areas. Non divers in your party can enjoy the beaches and sights, and our things to do in Malta guide has ideas.

Because Corsair keeps its groups small, booking ahead is better than turning up on the day. Courses can start on any day of the week and throughout the year. To ask about a course, a guided dive or a stay, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Corsair Diving Malta.