- Open Water course
- €1,190
- Water temperature
- 15–27°C
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- Only two sites are true walk-in shore dives right in the St Julian's/Sliema area (Fortizza Reef and Tug 2 Wreck) — everything else, including the well-known island-wide sites Malta is famous for, needs a boat or van day trip organised by a local dive centre.
- Many of Malta's shore sites, including some accessed on day trips from St Julian's, involve carrying a full kit down stairs or over rocks to reach the water, so fitness for the entry/exit matters as much as the dive itself.
- Deep historical wrecks below recreational limits require diving through a Heritage Malta-accredited operator and typically involve paying a heritage fee on top of the dive cost.
- Diving around St Julian's is viable year-round thanks to mild winter water temperatures and consistently good visibility, though summer brings warmer water and the calmest boat conditions.
- Most PADI Open Water course prices quoted by Malta dive centers include equipment rental, e-learning, and certification fees — but always double-check whether the certification/registration fee itself and personal gear (mask, snorkel) are truly bundled or an add-on, as this varies by operator.
- If you already hold open-water certification, ask about a 'referral' or 'scuba review/shakedown' option rather than paying full course price — several Malta operators offer cheaper refresher or referral-dive packages for already-certified divers who haven't dived in a while.
- We could not confirm that St. Julian's dive shops meaningfully double as freediving schools — if freediving is your priority, it's worth searching specifically for AIDA/SSI freediving-labeled operators rather than assuming your scuba shop covers it.
Typical Cost
- Fun Dive Or Extra Dive Add On
- €45
Cost for an additional single guided dive beyond a course, typical of Malta operators generally.
- Premium Bespoke Open Water Option
- €1,190
Some centers offer a higher-tier 'bespoke'/private option (smaller ratios, more personal attention) at a significant premium over the standard course.
- PADI Open Water Plus Advanced Combo
- €905
Combined Open Water + Advanced Open Water package, marketed as a multi-day bundle by some operators.
PADI Open Water Diver
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Price Range USD
- $574 - $690
- Price Range Local
- €495 - €595
- Example Amount USD
- 574
- Example Amount Local
- 495
- Example Currency Local
- EUR
- Note
- Typical range seen across Malta-based PADI centers (some based in St. Julian's, others in nearby Bugibba/Sliema-area hubs that also service St. Julian's hotels), fully inclusive of equipment, e-learning and certification.
Certifying Bodies And Levels
- Primary Agency
- PADI
- Evidence Specific To St Julians
- A Malta-wide course marketplace lists PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, and PADI Scuba Diver courses with the specific pickup/session location tagged as St. Julian's (San Ġiljan), confirming these levels are genuinely run in this neighborhood rather than only elsewhere on the island.
- Notes
- PADI is the dominant certifying agency used by dive operators serving the St. Julian's / Sliema area, with SSI also present in the wider Malta market through some centers.
Levels Commonly Offered
- Discover Scuba Diving (non-certification intro dive/try-dive)
- PADI Scuba Diver (shortened entry certification, ~2 days, limited to 12m with a professional)
- PADI Open Water Diver (full entry certification, ~3-4 days, to 18m)
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (often bundled with Open Water as a combo package)
- PADI Rescue Diver
- PADI Divemaster (professional-track course; some centers market Open Water + package routes aimed at people wanting to eventually work as divers on Malta)
- Common specialties: Enriched Air (Nitrox), Deep Diver, Night Diver, Wreck Diver, Sidemount
Technical Deep Wrecks
- Access Requirements
- Historical wrecks below recreational depths can only be visited through dive centres accredited by Heritage Malta, Malta's government heritage body, and typically involve a fee paid via the operator.
- Note
- Malta (including operators reachable from St Julian's) also offers serious technical/normoxic wreck diving well beyond recreational limits — these are not casual add-ons and require specific technical certification, gas planning and an accredited operator.
Examples
- HMS Southwold (approx. 70m)
- HMS Nasturtium (approx. 65m)
- Le Polynesian (approx. 60m)
- Schnellboot S-31 (approx. 65m)
Local Shore Dive Sites
Fortizza Reef
- Access
- shore dive, no boat required
- Location
- Sliema promenade, walking distance from St Julian's
- Site Type
- reef with cave and tunnel system
- Best Season
- year-round
- Depth Range
- 3-15m
- Certification Level
- Open Water
- Marine Life Highlights
- By day it's a straightforward shallow reef/cave dive; at night the site is regarded as one of the best in Malta, with octopus and squid activity and visible bioluminescence.
Tug 2 Wreck
- Access
- shore dive, no boat required
- Location
- Below Exiles beach, Sliema
- Site Type
- wreck (small tugboat)
- Best Season
- year-round
- Depth Range
- 5-25m
- Certification Level
- Open Water
- Marine Life Highlights
- Not well documented in available sources beyond it being a compact, easy wreck for less experienced divers.
Boat Day Trip Sites Near St Julians
Imperial Eagle
- Access
- boat only
- Location
- Off Qawra Point (short boat trip from the St Julian's/Sliema area)
- Site Type
- wreck
- Best Season
- not specified in available sources; general Malta diving season is year-round
- Depth Range
- 32-42m
- Certification Level
- Advanced Open Water
- Description
- A roughly 45m car ferry deliberately scuttled in 1999 as a dive attraction.
Statue of Christ
- Access
- boat only, typically dived on the same trip as Imperial Eagle
- Location
- Roughly 30m from the Imperial Eagle wreck, Qawra Point
- Site Type
- reef/wall — natural rock amphitheatre with a submerged statue
- Best Season
- not specified in available sources
- Depth Range
- around 35m
- Certification Level
- Advanced Open Water
- Description
- Often combined with Imperial Eagle as a two-site guided dive.
Bristol Beaufighter Mk I Wreck
- Access
- boat only
- Location
- About 900m off St Julian's Point
- Site Type
- aircraft wreck
- Best Season
- not specified in available sources
- Depth Range
- 35-38m, aircraft rests upside down
- Certification Level
- Advanced Open Water
- Description
- A WWII-era aircraft that ditched on 17 March 1943 after mechanical failure; both crew survived the ditching.
Wider Island Day Trip Sites Reachable From St Julians
- Note
- St Julian's-based dive centres routinely run island-wide day trips (by van and/or boat) to these well-known Malta sites, which are further from St Julian's itself but are the main reason many divers base themselves in the St Julian's/Sliema area.
Sites
Um El Faroud
- Location
- Wied iz-Zurrieq, south coast (day-trip distance from St Julian's)
- Site Type
- wreck
- Description
- A large 1969 Libyan tanker deliberately scuttled as a dive site, considered one of the standout recreational wrecks in Malta.
HMS Maori
- Location
- Near Valletta/Grand Harbour area
- Site Type
- wreck
- Description
- A WWII-era wreck lying in shallower water, popular as an accessible historic wreck dive.
Santa Maria Caves
- Location
- Comino
- Site Type
- cave system
- Description
- A cave-diving site reached by boat trip to Comino.
Inland Sea / Blue Hole
- Location
- Dwejra, Gozo
- Site Type
- wall / cave / swim-through
- Description
- An iconic north Gozo site combining a rock arch, cavern swim-throughs and wall diving; reached via a longer boat/ferry day trip from St Julian's.
Anchor Bay Cave (Scorpion Cave)
- Location
- Mellieha area, north Malta
- Site Type
- cave
- Description
- Described by local operators as one of the premier cave dive sites on the island.
Cirkewwa
- Location
- Near Mellieha, north Malta
- Site Type
- shallow reef/wall
- Description
- A shallow site commonly used for training dives and popular for its accessibility and marine life.
Rozi
- Location
- Cirkewwa area
- Site Type
- wreck
- Description
- A tugboat that formerly worked in Valletta's Grand Harbour, later scuttled as a dive attraction near Cirkewwa.
Access Summary
Diving from St Julian's is genuinely NOT liveaboard-dependent. Malta is a small island and the local diving model is shore dives plus day-boat/van trips to sites around the island — not multi-day liveaboards. Several dive centres operate directly from St Julian's marinas/resorts (e.g. Portomaso Marina, Westin Dragonara Resort) with direct sea access for house-reef and local shore dives, while boat trips to sites further round the island (Qawra, Comino, Gozo, the north and south coasts) are run as single-day outings, often with gear transported by van.
General Conditions
- Season
- Malta is one of the few Mediterranean destinations where diving is comfortable year-round.
- Visibility
- Regularly exceeds 30 metres.
- Water Temperature
- Roughly 15°C in winter up to 27°C in summer.
Operator Density
- Caveat
- Exact headquarters locations of every operator were not individually verified against a strict 10-minute radius of St. Julian's center; several well-known Malta dive centers are based slightly further out (e.g. Bugibba/Qawra, Sliema) but commonly transport clients from St. Julian's accommodation, which is standard practice on the island.
- Summary
- St. Julian's sits within Malta's main tourist/expat coastal strip (St. Julian's–Sliema–Paceville–Bugibba), which is the country's densest concentration of dive operators. Multiple named centers run PADI courses with sessions and pickups specifically located in St. Julian's, alongside additional operators based in the adjoining Sliema and Bugibba/Qawra areas that also pick up divers from St. Julian's hotels.
- Estimated Count
- Several (roughly half a dozen or more) distinct PADI/SSI dive operators are active in or directly serving the St. Julian's area, rather than just one or two — this is a multi-operator market, not a single-shop town.
Shore Vs Boat Note
Two named sites are true shore dives reachable on foot from the Sliema/St Julian's seafront; everything else described here (Qawra Point sites, the WWII aircraft wreck off St Julian's Point, and the wider island sites Malta is famous for) requires a boat or a van transfer organised by a dive centre, typically as a half-day or full-day trip.
Freediving Crossover
- Confirmed
- No
- Note
- No solid evidence was found that scuba dive shops physically based in St. Julian's commonly also run structured freediving certification courses (e.g. AIDA/SSI freediving), or that the specific dive sites used from St. Julian's are particularly noted as dual scuba/freediving destinations. This crossover appears more associated with dedicated freediving-specific operators and sites elsewhere in Malta/Gozo (e.g. Blue Hole area), not confirmed as a St. Julian's-specific pattern.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About St. Julian's
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.