SSI Open Water Diver Course in Gozo

Learn to scuba dive in three days, in some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean.

The SSI Open Water Diver certification qualifies you to dive to 18 metres with a buddy, anywhere in the world, with no expiry date. At Bubbles in Marsalforn it takes three days. Our price includes digital learning, all equipment, 6 shallow water sessions, four dives and your certification included.

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All-in price

€420

What the SSI Open Water Diver certification lets you do

Once certified, you can dive to 18 metres with a buddy of equal or higher qualification, without an instructor, anywhere in the world. The card is digital, recognised around the world, and it never expires. See the full SSI certification details...

In practice that means booking onto guided dives at any centre worldwide, renting equipment without supervision, and diving Gozo's reefs and towering rock formations as a certified diver rather than a student. It's also the entry point to everything above it: specialties, Advanced Open Water and the professional route.

What's included in the price

Everything. No equipment surcharge, no certification fee at the end, no charge for materials.

SSI digital learning sent after you book

Shallow skill sessions at Bubbles Bay

Kit handling we wash, dry and pack it

All equipment all scuba gear, wetsuit, fins, mask, snorkel, computer, weights, tanks

Four dives Bubbles Bay and 1 shore site, max 18m

Safety cover oxygen, first aid, surface cover

Certification digital SSI card on completion

Day by Day: How your Open Water Diver training works

Theory in your own time, skills in sheltered shallow water, then four real dives in the sea.

1

Before you arrive

Your SSI digital learning arrives by email when you book: six sections and a final exam. Arriving with it finished is the single best thing you can do to protect your holiday time.
2

Day 1

Paperwork, kit fitting, a short introduction then your first session in Bubbles Bay: our own sheltered training bay directly next to the centre, with shallow shelves and a walk-in entry, so there's no boat and no drive.
3

Day 2

The remaining skills and exercises, then Open Water Dives to a maximum of 12 metres.
4

Day 3

Certification day: the last dive in one of our beautiful reefs and more fun diving if you want to 18 metres, no more skills.

Bubbles Bay is home, but it's not always diveable. When conditions are better elsewhere, we load the truck and find the most sheltered site on the island. We've never cancelled a customer dive, we just adapt to the conditions.

The same standard, on every course.

Train in our own sheltered bay.

Bubbles Bay is right next to the centre, shallow, calm and ideal for learning. Less travel, less stress and more time practising the skills that actually make you confident.

Max 4 divers per instructor

SSI permits more on most courses. We cap at four, the only centre on the islands that guarantees it.

Safety kit on every dive.

Oxygen, first aid and surface cover, every time. Zero accidents in our history.

Never cancelled a customer dive.

The result of planning, not luck.

You'll never wash a piece of kit.

The team handles it. You just dive.

Our base: bar and dive shop

Coffee before, lunch between, beer after.

People come here to train.

We're the exclusive SSI Career Centre in Gozo and Malta.

Requirements

You need to be comfortable in the water, not athletic.

Minimum age 10, under 15 certify as Junior Open Water Diver with a maximum depth of 12m. Once turned 15, it automatically upgrades to the full Open Water Diver.
A short swim and float assessment, no time limit, no speed requirement.
A medical questionnaire, if you answer yes to anything, you’ll need a doctor’s sign-off.
No prior experience needed, just excitement to explore the underwater world.

Nervous about your first breath underwater? Say so when you book. It’s the most common thing we hear, and a shallow bay with at most a group of four is the best place in Gozo to deal with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be able to swim?

Yes, but not well. There's a short swim and float assessment with no time limit, comfort in the water matters far more than technique.

Is SSI or PADI better?

How deep can I dive after the Open Water course?

18 metres is your limit, not your target, most Open Water divers spend plenty of time well above that. Dive with a buddy of equal or higher qualification, go as deep as you're comfortable, and the certification never expires. Divers aged 10 and 11 are limited to 12 metres.

What's the minimum age for the Open Water Diver course?

Ten. Under 15s certify as Junior Open Water Diver, once they turn 15 they automatically upgrade to the full Open Water Diver and can dive to 18m.

What if the weather is bad?

We've never cancelled a customer dive. Gozo nearly always has a sheltered coast somewhere, and we plan the day around conditions rather than hoping.

Ready to learn to dive?

Three days, four dives, one certification that never expires. Book your course, or talk to us first if you've got questions.