Try dive in Gozo, two hours to breathe underwater for the first time.

Gozo draws divers from all over Europe for its clear water and its rock bottoms, caves and arches. If you have never dived, here you can try in a morning, with an instructor beside you and without earning any qualification.

What it is

The try dive is the PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme: a first scuba experience for anyone without certification. It is run by Atlantis, a family dive centre in Marsalforn, in the north of Gozo, open since 1993 and with PADI 5 Star IDC status. It lasts about two hours and takes place at a dive site close to the centre.

You start on dry land: the instructor explains the equipment, how it is prepared and how it is used. Then, in the water, you practise the basics (equalising your ears, moving underwater, hand signals) and, when you feel comfortable, you dive with them along the bottom to see fish and rocks and feel the weightlessness. All the time you are under the supervision of a PADI professional.

Requirements and price

• Age: from 10 years.
• Health: good general health and being comfortable in the water.
• Medical questionnaire: before diving you must fill in the PADI one. If you answer "no" to everything, you do not need a doctor; if you answer "yes" to anything, a doctor has to review and sign it. Atlantis recommends reading it before you arrive to avoid delays.
• Price: €55 per person, with all equipment included.

It is not a qualification: you are registered with PADI as having done the programme, but to dive on your own you have to take the Open Water course, which Atlantis also teaches.

If you already have a qualification

Atlantis organises guided dives along the Gozo coast, among them the Blue Hole at Dwejra, with its entrance arch at 6–15 metres and the cave at the bottom, and the remains of the Azure Window. Check their website for departures and what they include.

When to go and how to get there

You can dive all year. The water is warmest from June to October. Marsalforn is on the north coast, by car from Victoria. Book on the centre's website.