Dive80cuft

Dive80cuft is a small, instructor-led diving business in St Paul's Bay, on Malta's north coast. It is the work of Lewis Mark Sell, a technical diving instructor who settled in Malta after a career as a private chef on yachts that took him around the world. He has worked his way into deep wreck and cavern diving and holds an open circuit Full Trimix Instructor rating, awarded in 2022.

The business serves two kinds of visitor. Beginners and holiday divers can book a first try-dive or a day of guided diving, while certified and technical divers can sign up for courses and week-long camps built around Malta's wrecks. It is listed among the diving equipment businesses in Malta on VisitMalta.co.uk, because the online shop also sells a few high-end products its founder has dived with for thousands of hours. All diving services are run in affiliation with Dawn Diving.

First dives and recreational courses

The Discover Scuba Dive is the starting point for anyone who wants to try diving before committing to a certificate. It starts from €85 and offers a single dive, a double dive or a snorkel trip. You try scuba in shallow, calm water with a trained professional who supplies the gear, explains the basic skills and safety rules, and answers your questions. Equipment including tanks and weights is provided, groups are kept small, and several languages are available, which is helpful for mixed groups and families.

Certification courses are priced individually. The Open Water Diver course is €385, the Advanced Open Water course starts from €385, the Nitrox Diver course starts from €110 and the Deep Diver speciality is €295. A Dive Propulsion Vehicle course costs €195, a dry suit course is €145 and the Divemaster Internship is €875. A PADI Wreck speciality also appears in the shop. If you want to give the gift of diving, a voucher is sold for €60.

Fitness to dive is for you and your doctor to judge, and the website directs divers to a dive medical form and to its dive insurance partner before they book. Ask about both when you enquire. The aim, is to build trust by guiding you through your questions from the first breath to the moment you complete the dive, with as much knowledge as you want along the way.

Guided dives around Malta and Gozo

Recreational guided dives are private and planned within the highest certification of the diver. Packs of dives start from €60 and are offered as a single tank, two tank, four tank, six tank or ten tank experience, with the packs sold per diver and not shared. The price covers nitrox up to 30 per cent, tanks and weights, light refreshments, an instructor-led briefing, an air-conditioned pickup truck from St Paul's Bay, oxygen and a first aid kit in the vehicle, diver in and out logging and a skills refresh where needed. Full Aqualung, Apeks and Xdeep equipment can be hired for 25 euros a day.

A typical day starts at 8:00. The first dive is always a check dive to make sure everyone is comfortable, the kit works and the weighting is right, and it is limited to 20 metres. The second dive goes to between 20 and 40 metres depending on certification. Sites mentioned include the reefs at Għar Lapsi, Anchor Bay and the Cirkewwa marine park, and wrecks such as Tug 2, the Maori, the Um El Faroud and the P29.

If you want to look at the north coast from above the water too, Amazing Boat Trips Malta and Abyss Diving Club in Bugibba are close by in the same area, and our Blue Lagoon guide covers a famous boat destination.

Technical diving and the tech weeks

Technical diving is where the business is strongest. A single Technical open circuit dive to 45 metres and 90 minutes of run time costs €140 and covers double tanks with nitrox up to 30 per cent, or CCR diluent, oxygen and Sofnolime, together with bailout and deco gas, local pick-up and a skills refresh on request. A second deco dive the same day is €40. Extras are listed openly: the Gozo ferry fee is 30 euros, trimix blends are ten cents a litre, and hire items such as a backplate and harness at 10 euros a day, a wing at 20 euros a day, a canister torch at 20 euros a day and a Shearwater Perdix computer at 10 euros a day.

TDI courses on offer include Advanced Nitrox at €455, Deco Procedures at €465, Helitrox at €570 and Extended Range at €550, with CCR workshops at €200. The Advanced Nitrox course takes two days and combines eLearning with four open water dives, and the eLearning is a separate 120 euros. The course page sets out its own prerequisites, including a minimum age of 18 and a medical clearance signed by a physician within the previous twelve months.

The organised camps combine several days of diving with simple logistics. The April 2027 Malta Tech Week runs five days for divers certified to 40 to 60 metres, starting with a check dive and heading to wrecks including HMS Hellespont, HMS Stubborn, HMS Southwold, a Ju 88 and a Liberator. The July 2027 Techcamp Trimix is a four-day course at €725 that reaches 65 metres, with tanks, deco gases, local pick-ups, secure kit storage and washing, a study webinar and a day off in Valletta at a Heritage Malta museum. There is a May 2027 sidemount week of six dives to 45 metres across wrecks and deep caverns, with nitrox and tank hire included. Check current prices when you enquire.

Entry requirements depend on the week. The July camp asks for at least a Deep or Nitrox certificate, and the April week welcomes anyone certified to the right depth, with certification upgrades possible. Spaces on the camps are very limited. Optional extras include a scooter at 50 euros a day, photographs, trimix upgrades and certification materials, while boat fees and Heritage Malta entry fees are paid on top, so ask for a full breakdown before you commit to a week.

Wrecks, caverns and Malta's dive sites

The camps draw on some of the best-known dive sites in the Mediterranean, including wrecks such as HMS Stubborn, the Um El Faroud, the P29, the MV Karwela and the Hephaestus in Gozo, along with deeper reef sites such as the Blue Hole to Inland Sea, Reqqa Point and the Bottle Neck Cave. Malta is known for shore diving, which suits a small operation running its own truck, and boat dives on protected wrecks need permits and extra costs.

Weather and sea state affect diving plans, so read our Malta weather guide when choosing a month, and consider our Gozo guide and the best beaches in Malta for time out of the water. The Mellieħa guide covers the nearby north coast, and our page on things to do in Malta has ideas for non-diving days.

Planning a trip from the UK

UK divers can reach Malta on direct flights from London and other airports; our flights to Malta page explains the options. Many visitors stay in the north near St Paul's Bay; see our hotels in Qawra and St Paul's Bay page for the area. Diving packs are charged per diver, so confirm your certification and dive history with the instructor before booking.

On a guided day, bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a little cash for lunch, and carry a change of dry clothes because the vehicle requires one. If you have questions, it is better to ask early than the evening before.

How to enquire

Choose the experience you are interested in, then use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page to tell us your certification, your dates and what you would like to do. We will pass your message to Dive80cuft, and the team will reply to you directly.