Paradise Diving

Paradise Diving Malta is a PADI dive school on the far north coast of Malta, at Ċirkewwa, beside the ferry port for Gozo and the departure point for many Comino boats. Its base is the private sandy beach of the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel, and from there the team runs guided dives, beginner programmes and a full ladder of PADI courses, from a first qualification through to instructor training.

For a UK visitor, the appeal is straightforward. Ċirkewwa is one of the best known shore and boat diving areas on the island, flights from the UK are frequent, and the school offers a personalised itinerary whether you have never worn a mask or have hundreds of dives logged. It sits in our directory of dive centres in Malta, and you can ask about dates and availability through the enquiry form on this page.

Who runs the school and what it is known for

The school is led by Neville McLellan, a PADI Course Director at Silver Elite level, and Rob Fergusson, who is co-owner and also acts as a boat captain. Neville began diving in 1990, qualified as a Divemaster in 2004, passed his instructor exams in Malta in 2005 and has lived on the islands since. Rob trained as an instructor in 2002 and built his career in Tenerife before joining the Maltese dive scene.

The school has also collected recognition over the years. It won the Malta tourism competition for best diving instructor in 2006, 2007 and in every year from 2009 to 2015. The centre now operates from new premises and is open all year round, so a winter break can include diving as well as a summer holiday.

Because it is based at a hotel beach, the school feels informal. Divers kit up beside the sand, boats leave from the beach itself, and a non-diving partner can use the same beach, even if they are not staying at the hotel. Anyone who wants a sunlounger pays a small fee to the hotel beach bar.

Boat diving around Malta, Gozo and Comino

The main draw is boat diving. A speedboat leaves from the school's private beach and reaches sites around Malta, Gozo, Comino and the islet of Cominetto, so one base gives access to three islands. If you are planning a wider trip, our Gozo travel guide and guide to the Blue Lagoon on Comino show what else is nearby, and the Mellieħa area guide covers the coast around the school.

Boat dive packages run from May until the end of October and are offered to individuals, groups and dive clubs. The school will build a plan around the certification you hold and the sites you want to see. Wrecks are a particular strength of Maltese diving, with some ships lost long ago and others sunk on purpose as artificial reefs, and the school teaches wreck techniques as a course as well as guiding dives.

If you hold at least PADI Advanced Open Water, CMAS two star, BSAC Sports Diver or an equivalent and your buddy does too, you can ask about accompanied dives. The centre does not rent tanks for unaccompanied diving, so every dive is guided by one of its team.

Learning to dive and continuing your training

Paradise Diving teaches the PADI system, the largest diving training organisation in the world. Beginners can book courses from the first steps, and the minimum age for the first qualifications is 10 years old. The school keeps scaled-down equipment for children, although even that kit is heavy for some ten year olds, so a very slightly built child may be better off waiting a little.

You can study the theory before you travel. PADI e-learning lets you work through the course content at home on your own computer, with PADI charging its own separate fee that varies with taxes in your country. If you name Paradise Diving Malta as your dive centre when you register, the school takes 10% off the Open Water course fee, and it supplies a printed log book so you do not need the crew pack.

Once you have your first certificate, the school lists a range of next steps. Some divers simply want to enjoy sites on holiday, others specialise in photography or wrecks, and some go on to work in the industry. Our weather guide for Malta is useful when you are choosing a month, as air temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or more are common from June to August.

Rescue, speciality and Master Scuba Diver courses

The Rescue Diver course costs €460 and teaches you to recognise, manage and prevent problems in the water, including self rescue, spotting stress in other divers and dealing with panicked or unresponsive divers. Junior Adventure Divers aged 12 or over can enrol, and you need Emergency First Response training from the last two years. Equipment and the e-learning pack are included. The Emergency First Response course covers CPR and first aid in one day for €190, is open to non-divers, and can be combined with Rescue for €560.

The speciality courses count towards the Master Scuba Diver rating, the highest non-professional level in the PADI system, which needs Rescue Diver, a current first aid qualification and five specialities. Prices printed by the school are €330 for Night Diver, €265 for Peak Performance Buoyancy, €310 for Deep Diver, €330 for Wreck Diver and €140 for Enriched Air Diver. Equipment rental, e-learning and any boat supplement are included in these prices. Enriched Air is classroom based, so no boat charge applies.

Each course has its own entry rules. Night Diver and Enriched Air are open to Open Water Divers aged 12 or over, Peak Performance Buoyancy to those aged 10 or over, and Wreck Diver to Adventure Divers or higher aged 15 or over. The wreck course involves four dives covering safety lines, reels, surveying a wreck and avoiding silt and disturbance to wildlife.

Divemaster and instructor training

For people who want to work in diving, the school offers the PADI Divemaster course at €880, with the internship free. It is the first professional level, in which you work closely with an instructor to refine your rescue and diving skills and learn to supervise and lead others. You need to be a Rescue Diver aged at least 18, with Emergency First Response training in the past 24 months, a medical statement signed by a doctor within 12 months, and 40 logged dives to start and 60 to qualify. There are different ways to complete it depending on your timetable.

The Instructor Development Course is run by Neville, usually four times a year, over about ten days. It prepares you to teach all the PADI core courses and is open to Divemasters who have been certified for six months and have logged close to 100 dives. He takes pride in a 100% pass rate for his students in the instructor exam. The school will tell you the available dates on request.

The instructors you will meet

Beyond the two owners, the team is international, which suits a visiting audience. Steph is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and Emergency First Response Instructor who teaches in English and French, and Melody, a French PADI instructor who grew up around boats, also helps guests discover the local sites. Jeanne, who earned her Divemaster and instructor certificates in Indonesia, settled in Malta to teach, and Fabian joined after completing his Divemaster training at the school.

Lukasz began diving in south east Asia, moved to Malta in 2015 and favours wrecks, caverns and technical diving. He teaches in English and Polish. If you want a comparison before you book, other centres in the directory include Aquatica scuba diving centre and Blue Waters Dive Cove diving centre.

Medical checks, rules and choosing a licensed centre

On arrival you complete a medical screening questionnaire. If you are in good health, you generally do not need an examination, but divers over 45 who smoke, divers with conditions such as high blood pressure and everyone aged 60 or more must see a doctor. Local doctors charge a modest fee and the check takes only a few minutes. A fit to dive statement from your own doctor can be submitted instead.

The school also gives practical pointers on spotting a legitimate operator. A licensed centre operates from fixed premises, displays its licence and appears on the official Malta tourism website. A dive boat should hold a commercial vessel certificate and be crewed by a qualified boatman, and leaving a boat unattended during a dive is illegal and dangerous. Free wifi is available at the centre.

Planning your trip and getting in touch

Paradise Diving is at the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel in Ċirkewwa, in the north of Malta. If you are building a holiday around it, our guides to hotels in Mellieħa, flights to Malta and things to do in Malta cover the rest of the trip. The school's website is also available in French, Spanish and Swedish.

To ask about a boat dive package, a course or an instructor programme, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the school. Give as much detail as you can, including your certification level, number of divers and dates.