Malta has a huge amount to offer visitors to its sandy shores. The island’s unique location, occupying the waters between the island of Sicily and Northern Africa, and its turbulent history has imbued its culture with elements from across both continents. The stunning architecture to be found on the islands, as well as its renowned cuisine and cultural displays, perfectly embodies what this plucky collection of islands is all about.

When visitors to the Maltese Islands aren’t sampling the local cuisine and exploring the numerous historic fishing towns and hilltop walks that the islands have to offer, the deep blue Mediterranean waters which surround the islands offer entire new worlds to explore.

Scuba diving is a very popular activity with visitors and locals alike. You’ll only need a short spell in the magical waters around Malta to understand for yourself why it continues to be such a popular destination for scuba divers.

It’s Different Every Time

One of the really wonderful things about scuba diving is that not only do you get to explore previously unseen worlds, worlds filled with all manner of exquisite creatures and stunning natural formations, these worlds are different with every visit. Even if you dive in the same spot multiple times, you will find that with each dive you notice new things, encounter new creatures, and have a different experience.

Malta also offers a very diverse range of diving spots, with sites suitable for all skill levels and with all kinds of adventure in mind. A diving holiday is a fantastic way to experience the hidden wonders of the Maltese Islands, including shipwrecks to explore and cave networks to navigate.

Peace and Tranquillity

We’re all familiar with the ocean as a symbol of peace and tranquillity, yet few images conjure up the same sense of relaxation as imagining drifting slowly over calm waters on a boat, looking up at a starry night sky. The underwater world is an even more peaceful and tranquil experience and one that far too few of us get the chance to experience.

The huge range of options for dive spots around Malta means that there are areas suitable for any skill level. Even the more advanced scuba divers now and then find that some of the beginner areas offer a much more relaxing experience. It is up to you how intense you wish your experience to be; don’t be afraid of slowing down your pace if it means you have a better time. Equally, however, do not be afraid to challenge yourself if you think it will enhance your holiday experience to conquer a new challenge.

Meet New People

Anyone with a reasonable amount of experience scuba diving will tell you that the community is absolutely fantastic! Experienced divers are generally very welcoming of those who are new to the sport and are eager to pass on their knowledge and expertise whenever they can.

Newcomers will find themselves right at home with the rest of the diving community and you will get the chance to meet other people who are in the same boat (literally) as you when it comes to diving. Because the underwater world is constantly evolving and because every dive, even in the same spot, will result in a different experience, divers are rarely short of stories to tell.

The variety of networks and other locations to explore around Malta, including historical shipwrecks, lend themselves well to some really fascinating tales of adventure. The marine life under the water is diverse and some of the sites around Malta offer the chance to catch a rare glimpse of some of the elusive sea creatures of the Mediterranean.

Extremely Photogenic Scenes

The underwater world can sometimes be a murky and dark place, and there are certain spots around Malta where fast-moving currents disturb sediment and reduce visibility. However, there are also many spots where the calm waters are crystal clear and where a diver can see all around and experience the real hidden beauty of Malta.

Whether divers find themselves looking out over the curious topography of the ocean floor, which includes deep trenches and renowned networks of caves and caverns, or they come face to face with some of the bright and beautiful fish which call these seas their home, there are endless opportunities for snapping the perfect shot.

The necessary equipment for taking photographs while diving used to be fairly inaccessible to ordinary people. However, this is no longer the case and not only are waterproof cameras increasingly common and affordable but there are now cases for regular digital cameras, which are watertight and allow them to be operated underwater.

If you have the opportunity to take photos of your dive, then it is highly recommended that you do so; the kind of scenes that are on offer are hard to find anywhere else.

Learn A New Skill

Once you have learned to dive you are, of course, not restricted to Malta. There is a whole world out there! Diving is something that can be done anywhere in the world and wherever and whenever you do it, diving will be a different experience.

Few skills lead to so many memories being laid down, but the nature of scuba diving makes it a particularly effective way of having new and memorable experiences on a regular basis. Once you have learned to scuba dive then every holiday you take subsequently will be enhanced by diving.

It is even possible to make a career out of scuba diving. If you try it and discover that it is something you really enjoy then you should definitely consider looking into the kind of work that one can do with a scuba diving qualification.

Among the many beautiful scenes that Malta has to offer, its underwater world is perhaps the most unique and the one that those who want to experience the best of Malta should head for. The islands are world renowned for the quality and diversity of its dive sites.

Bio: Elena is a writer for atlantisgozo.com. She has a lot of experience diving off Malta and around the world and is an enthusiastic traveler, writer, and adventurer.