One Day Of Diving in Malta/ Gozo

[AaronRiot]

Hey all,

I have a vacation coming up and I'll have the opportunity to spend one full day of it diving. So maybe 2-4 dives in late May.

We'll be staying in a little flat we found on airbnb looking over Xlendi Bay, Gozo. So a Gozo OP would be preferred.

I've done a little research.

I have a couple shops in mind but would love to hear your collective input and experience.

I have my own gear, but am unsure if I want to lug it all halfway across the world for one day? Thoughts?

Also, two big questions!

1. Exposure protection for 20c, can I get away with a full 3mm?

2. Best sites? The blue hole / azure window is the only spot that I'm really keen on, but maybe I'm missing something? I'm not a huge fan of wrecks but prefer 'real' wrecks to the man made reef types.

Thanks a ton 'Boarders!

 

[Outlaw13]

Gozo is a great place to dive. Most shops only offer 2 dives per day though unless theres a night dive on that day. I will send you the details of an instructor out there who may be able to put a package together for you. In may I dive with a 3mm longjohn and a 3 mm jacket. You can get thermaclines that drop the temp a couple of degrees.
I have always used Gozo aqua sports in marsalforn who are excellent but a 20 min drive from you.
In may you can get winds that will blow out several of the dives. Inland sea/ blue hole/ cathedral caves are all great dives.

---------- Post added April 8th, 2013 at 02:40 PM ----------

Just checked and Pete is now based out of Moby Dives who are in Xlendi so I'd definitely recommend giving him a shout. I also hear lots of good things about Moby as an outfit. What would be really good is if you could do 2 or 3 dives in the day then come back at night to do the Xlendi cave as a night dive.
Underwater photography courses

 

[AaronRiot]

Hey that would be perfect actually. I will definitely look into Moby and see what can be done. I took a look at the Xlendi cave dive and it looks pretty sweet... it'd be a shame to not dive it given our flat it right on the bay -- that will be my reasoning for the night dive!

Thanks for the dive site advice too, after some googling those look pretty sweet indeed.

 

[goflyplanes]

I have heard super good things from St Andrews Divers Cove on Gozo. Diving Holidays in Gozo, Malta I've been there multiple times given that it's only about a 45 min flight away from me, and I absolutely adore diving there. The inland sea is gorgeous and the wrecks around there are fantastic. Malta was a heavily fought over base of operations in the Med during WW2 so almost all of the wrecks there have an interesting story, not just a scuttled boat. I know a couple shops on Malta that run more than 2 dives a day sometimes, but like I said they're all on Malta. I can send their info your way though and you can call around. My number 1 piece of advice though is find out who the shop is owned by. Not to sound rude, but you want the shops owned by the Brits/Scots. The Maltese owned/run shops there will kill you either with their equipment or filling your bottles with tar. Oh and unless you're used to cold 3mm will kill you. I dive malta either 7mm semi dry in the summer or dry in the winter.....ok maybe I've been in Italy too long....but the Med is COLD!

 

[Outlaw13]

My number 1 piece of advice though is find out who the shop is owned by. Not to sound rude, but you want the shops owned by the Brits/Scots. The Maltese owned/run shops there will kill you either with their equipment or filling your bottles with tar.

I'm not sure where you have got that from but in my experience (10 trips to Malta/Gozo) it's nonsense. The best dive shop on Gozo is owned by a Maltese chap and he runs a very tight ship and takes great care with rental and customer kit.

 

[Blackmore75]

I just got here, and have had the time to look at a few OPs myself. Divewise and DiveShack seem pretty friendly and knowledgeable. If you get the time to check them out it might be worth your time. Speaking to some divers coming out at the Blue Grotto, the temp is 18 right now, and most of them were in 6mm full suits. Just a heads up!

 

[goflyplanes]

Divewise is one of the most put together ops I've seen anywhere, they are a PADI CDC center and have 2 CDs onsite. That being said I am a HUGE fan of Dive Deep Blue. The owners name is Jonathan and is one of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

 

[SkidKidd]

Blackmore, Where are you staying? Ive asked for some suggestions on another post and have received nothing. If I cant get any help Ill take my vacation somewhere else. My girlfriend and I plan on going in July. I dive, she doesnt. She does like to hang out on the beach. I know nothing about the place and was looking for a some input.

Thanks

 

[Blackmore75]

I actually work out here now, so I have a place I am living in. There are a lot of hotels here though. Malta is the main island, and you will have better luck staying there than on Gozo. That being said, Gozo is a short ferry ride away, so you will be able to dive up there. I haven't had the chance to get into the water yet unfortunately. Still checking in and getting everything rolling with the new job before I can get out and play. It is a beautiful place, and the people I have talked to so far are all very friendly. There are a couple sand beaches up north, but the rest are mostly rock. Almost all of the diving areas are shore dives, which will cut on the cost of having to get onto a boat. Visit Malta - The Official Tourism Site for Malta, Gozo and Comino is a really good website that has a lot of good answers to many of the questions you may have. Also check http://wikitravel.org/en/Valletta. I wish I could give you more, but I'm still so new here that I don't really know. Best of luck!!

Chris