Good to know
Good to Know
- There is no freediving-specific school or named freediving site actually in St. Julian's — if you're staying there, plan on a drive to Mellieħa/Cirkewwa (north Malta) or a ferry-plus-drive trip to Gozo to reach the schools and sites described here.
- The famous Blue Hole in Gozo is arguably Malta's best-known freediving-friendly formation, but it's a half-day-plus excursion from St. Julian's, not a local spot.
- Most schools serving 'Malta' freedivers are actually based in Gozo or in the north of the main island — worth checking exact meeting-point location before booking, since 'Malta' in a school's name doesn't guarantee proximity to St. Julian's.
- Course pricing is set by individual private schools and can vary by season and group size — the figures given are what a couple of schools list, not a fixed national rate.
- Treat St. Julian's as a solid place to try or continue freediving casually, but not as a specialized freediving training hub — if progressing seriously (depth certifications, competition prep), a dedicated freediving destination will likely offer more structured community and safety infrastructure.
- Freediving here is mostly accessed through scuba dive centers that have added freediving courses to their offering, rather than through freediving-only academies — check specifically whether an operator's instructors hold freediving-specific certifications (e.g., AIDA/Molchanovas/SSI Freediving) rather than assuming a scuba instructor automatically covers freediving safety training.
- The Malta Freediving Club is the main local community group and a good starting point for finding buddies or group sessions, but it's a small, informal community rather than an organized scene with regular safety-diver rotations.
Named Sites
Blue Hole & Dwejra (Gozo)
- Type
- sinkhole / cave formation
- Used For
- Widely used as a freediving training and depth-line location by local schools due to its sheltered, calm conditions.
- Distance From St Julians
- Not near St. Julian's — requires driving/bus to Cirkewwa in northern Malta, a ~45-minute ferry crossing to Gozo, then a drive to Dwejra. Realistically a half-day or full-day trip, not a local site.
- Depth Notes
- The sheltered pool reaches about 15 metres, with the connecting archway to open sea at around 9–10 metres, and a cave at the bottom worth exploring.
- Description
- A circular sinkhole in the limestone, roughly 10 metres wide, forming a sheltered pool that connects to the open sea through an underwater arch or 'window'.
Cirkewwa (Northern Malta)
- Type
- shore-access freediving/spearfishing spot
- Distance From St Julians
- Roughly 30–40 minutes' drive from St. Julian's — not walkable or a short local trip.
- Description
- A shore-entry site in the far north of Malta used by at least one local school for beginner freediving sessions.
Karwela Wreck (Gozo)
- Type
- wreck
- Distance From St Julians
- In Gozo — a ferry crossing plus boat/drive away, a day-trip distance.
- Depth Notes
- Maximum depth around 40 metres; used for advanced/AIDA-level deep training sessions by visiting freediving groups.
- Description
- A former German passenger ferry deliberately sunk in 2006, noted for deep-line training by advanced freedivers.
Inland Sea, Santa Maria Caves & Comino Sites
- Type
- caves / inland sea / open-water sites
- Distance From St Julians
- Ferry-trip distance from St. Julian's, not local.
- Description
- Additional named freediving/snorkel-and-freedive sites referenced by local schools, located on Gozo and the smaller island of Comino.
Certification Schools
Apnea Total Malta
- Location
- Main Malta centre in Mellieħa (northern Malta, roughly 30–40 minutes' drive from St. Julian's); second centre in San Lawrenz, Gozo, near the Blue Hole.
- Course Range
- Discover Freediving, Freediver Course (to ~20m), Static Apnea, Advanced Freediver, Master Freediver, and an Instructor course, plus spearfishing courses.
- Certifying Agencies
- Molchanovs and Apnea Total (its own system); crossovers accepted from AIDA, SSI, CMAS, PADI, Apnea Academy
- Notes
- Describes itself as the first Molchanovs-affiliated center in Malta/Gozo.
Freediving Malta Academy
- Location
- Runs sessions at sites including the Blue Hole, Inland Sea and Santa Maria Caves — exact home base not clearly stated on their site, likely Gozo/Comino-area operations rather than St. Julian's.
- Certifying Agency
- Molchanovs (Wave 1–3 open-water, Lap 1–3 pool)
Sample Pricing
- Wave 2 Course
- €430
Deep Med Centre
- Location
- Based in Gozo (Malta's sister island) with on-site accommodation; run by a founder described as Malta's national freediving record holder.
- Certifying Agency
- Molchanovs
Sample Pricing
- Wave 1 Beginner
- €495
- Wave 3 Advanced
- €795
- Taster 1 To 3 Days
- €130
- Wave 2 Intermediate
- €595
Innerdive
- Location
- Based on the outer edge of Gozo, with its own guesthouse/school.
- Certifying Agency
- Not clearly specified in available sources (general freediving instruction up to instructor-level coaching)
- Notes
- Founded in 2008; offers snorkelling-to-freediving progression, cave and spearfishing introductions, and coaching for competitive freedivers.
St. Julian's itself has no freediving-specific site or school directly in town. Malta's real freediving-specific offering is concentrated in two other spots: Gozo (the Blue Hole/Dwejra area, reached by ferry + drive) and the Mellieħa/Cirkewwa area in northern Malta — both roughly 30–60+ minutes from St. Julian's by car and/or ferry, not a short hop. Malta overall functions as a secondary-but-genuine freediving destination (warm, clear, calm water and easy shore access) rather than a globally famous freediving-primary hub like Dahab or Kalamata.
Safety Culture And Community
- Local Safety Infrastructure
- There is no evidence of dedicated freediving-specific safety-diver or rescue coverage at open-water sites around St. Julian's comparable to what exists at major freediving destinations (e.g., permanent safety teams stationed at famous drop-offs). Safety coverage that does exist is tied to individual course providers (a certifying instructor and any assistants they bring) rather than to a site-wide or club-wide rescue network. Nomads serious about freediving depth training should not assume ambient safety infrastructure exists at any given site and should confirm exactly what coverage a course or club session will actually provide before diving.
- Community Size And Character
- The local freediving community is small and informal relative to the scuba scene. There is a dedicated Malta Freediving Club that organizes group sessions and social meetups, but its footprint is modest — its Facebook page has under a thousand followers, putting it in a different league from established freediving hub communities. Most freediving activity that does exist around St. Julian's is delivered as a secondary offering by scuba dive centers rather than by standalone freediving-only schools.
- Buddy System And Safety Norms
- Because most freediving instruction and outings in the area run through scuba-focused dive centers rather than dedicated freediving academies, buddy protocols tend to follow whatever the individual operator's instructor enforces (one-up-one-down safety diving during training, surface recovery/blackout checks after each dive) rather than a town-wide, standardized freediving safety culture. The sources we checked confirm at least one St. Julian's-area scuba center has recently added a formal 'Basic Freediving Course' introducing structured breathing, relaxation, and safety-diving fundamentals for beginners, but this reflects a new/emerging offering rather than mature, long-established local infrastructure.
- Primary Or Secondary Identity
- Secondary activity, not a primary identity. St. Julian's is fundamentally a scuba-diving, nightlife, and digital-nomad town — it is not a globally recognized freediving destination in the way Dahab or Kalymnos are. Freediving exists here as a niche add-on within an already-established scuba diving scene rather than as the town's defining activity.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.