Dive Deep Blue by ABC Diving

Dive Deep Blue by ABC Diving is a dive centre in St Paul's Bay, on Malta's north-east coast, and a good first call for UK visitors who want to try scuba diving, learn to dive on holiday or simply book a guided dive with a small, well-briefed group. It is a PADI Instructor Development Centre, which means it trains not only holiday divers but also the instructors who teach them.

The centre looks after everything from a first breath underwater to technical diving courses, with trips to sites around Malta, Comino and Gozo. You can browse other operators in our directory of dive centres in Malta, and use the enquiry form on this page when you are ready to ask about dates.

Who they are and how the centre grew

The business began in 2020 as ABC Diving, one of the smallest dive operations on the island. Steady growth and a focus on training led to the takeover of Dive Deep Blue, a long-established Maltese dive centre, and the combined business now works from one of the largest dive centre premises in Malta. Marcus Kitching-Howe, a PADI Course Director, owns the centre.

The purpose-built base has its own swimming pool for the first, confined-water part of a course, a classroom for theory and briefings, an equipment wash and secure storage area, and comfortable spaces to relax before and after you dive. Having it all in one place means a course can run smoothly without shuttling between venues.

The centre lists safety, quality, passion and transparency as its values. Instructors hold at least the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, and training groups are limited to four students per instructor, so you are not lost in a crowd. Kit is described as modern and properly serviced, and the pricing is stated to carry no hidden extras.

Guided dives and the sites you can visit

If you are already certified, guided diving is the simplest way to see the islands. The centre chooses each day's site according to the weather, the suitability of the site for the divers in the group and what they would like to see, which is sensible in a sea that can change from one coast to the other. Anyone who wants extra tips from the instructor on the way round only has to ask.

Cirkewwa, off the north coast, is among the best known sites on the islands. It has two wrecks, the P29 patrol boat and the MV Rozi tug boat, plus an arch at 14 to 18 metres that starts in shallow water and leads to a dramatic drop-off. Elsewhere in Malta the centre mentions the reef and cavern at Ghar Lapsi, the Um El Faroud oil tanker wreck and the Second World War wreck HMS Maori. Our Mellieħa guide covers the surrounding north of the island.

Across the water, Gozo offers the MV Karwela passenger ferry wreck for advanced divers, the Inland Sea, the Blue Hole, Cathedral Cave and Reqqa Point, with several of these suitable for open water divers and above. If you have never done a wreck dive, the wreck specialty course is a natural thing to add. Our Gozo guide helps with planning the rest of the day.

The water is described as crystal clear, with groupers, bream, parrotfish, hermit crabs and scorpionfish in view, and nudibranchs, octopus and moray eels for those who look closely among the rocks.

Try diving and learning to dive

For complete beginners, the Discover Scuba Diving experience is a short, relaxed introduction. It is not a certification, but you learn some basic skills, find out what it takes to become a PADI diver and spend time in the water. Those who want to go further can take the PADI Scuba Diver course or the full PADI Open Water Diver course, the first qualification that lets you dive with a buddy.

Once certified, you can move straight on to the PADI Adventure Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver and Rescue Diver courses, and the centre offers course combinations that bundle training together. The Open Water plus Advanced Open Water combination is one example. The aim is to build experience safely, and the instructors take time over skills so that you finish confident rather than rushed.

Booking ahead brings a practical benefit: the centre emails the paperwork you must complete to dive legally and safely in Malta, so you can deal with it before you arrive. A 10% discount applies to any certification course when two or more people book together, applied automatically at checkout. It does not apply to guided diving, Discover Scuba Diving or snorkelling, and it cannot be combined with the discounts already built into the course combinations.

Specialties, professional and technical training

PADI specialty courses let you focus on one interest. Printed prices include the Deep Diver and Wreck Diver courses at €325 each, Night Diver at €265, Underwater Navigator at €265, Peak Performance Buoyancy at €210 and Digital Underwater Photographer at €210. Underwater Naturalist is €210, Search and Recovery €325, Dry Suit Diver €265 and Full Face Mask Diver €265. Enriched Air Diver ranges from €130 to €215, Emergency First Response (first aid and CPR) is €180 and Emergency Oxygen Provider is €120.

The Deep Diver course explores sites to a depth of 40 metres, while Enriched Air gives more no-decompression time. Dry suit diving requires you to bring your own dry suit. Taking a few specialties is a popular way to spend a longer stay on the islands, particularly in spring and autumn, and you can compare conditions in our Malta weather guide.

For people who want to dive for a living, the centre offers Divemaster and instructor development (IDC) programmes, as well as PADI Tec 40 and Tec 45 technical courses. Because it is a PADI Instructor Development Centre, professional candidates can train and qualify in the same place.

Children, snorkelling and bespoke trips

Children's diving is a real strength. The Bubblemaker programme is for children aged 8 and 9, who take their first breaths underwater in water shallower than two metres, under the direct watch of a PADI professional. The fully inclusive price is €90, covering all equipment and a certificate of completion. The whole visit takes three to four hours, with about 60 minutes in the water. Written parental approval is required, and children should bring swimwear and a towel.

Older children can progress through snorkelling, Discover Scuba Diving and the Junior courses. Ten and eleven-year-olds are limited to 12 metres, 12 to 14-year-olds to 18 metres as Junior Open Water Divers (21 metres for continuing education), and 15 to 17-year-olds follow the same depths as adults. Parents or guardians sign the responsibility and risk documents, you are welcome to watch, and all equipment is supplied.

Snorkelling is offered as a fun activity for all ages, and there is a bespoke diving option if you want a trip tailored to your group. Gift vouchers are available too. Families building a wider itinerary can browse our things to do in Malta and the best beaches in Malta.

Getting there and getting in touch

The centre is at 9 Ananija in San Pawl il-Baħar, known in English as St Paul's Bay, and is open every day from 8am to 5pm. If you stay in the blue zone shown on its transport map, guest collection is free, which is handy when you have no hire car. Browse hotels in Qawra and St Paul's Bay close by, or see our guide to where to stay in Malta for other areas.

If you are still at home in the UK, the team will arrange a video call to talk through your plans. Our guide to flights to Malta is useful for timing the trip. To ask about a course or a guided dive, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the centre.