At first sight, the richness of Malta seems to lies in its historical and beautiful places. But curious people never forget the underwater part of the iceberg and interest in this hidden side of the island continues to grow. In fact, the richness of Malta extends to this underwater world.

The Maltese islands are blessed with warm temperatures, even in winter, and clear, unpolluted seas, with visibility underwater in excess of 30 metres – a real paradise for divers. Hundreds of kilometres of coastline, some of which are still barely explored, make the Maltese archi-pelago a favourite place for scuba diving and the Maltese sea has a really beautiful topography, with numerous drop-offs, caves and wrecks to explore.

Dive Systems opened in 1976 and is one of the longest-established diving centres and schools in Malta.

“In the beginning there were only two or three centres, but now there are approaching 50,” explained centre director Louis Sciberras.

“Diving is becoming more popular, like everywhere in the world.”

In 2004, Dive Systems moved to a purpose-built dive-training facility. Situated at the water’s edge on the Sliema Promenade, the new premises are modern and people are always warmly received.

The centre has a great deal of experience in the diving field, having been in the business for 30 years. “We have a lot of people who are repeat customers, which shows that they like diving with us,”remarked Mr Sciberras. The centre is affiliated to PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors), CMAS (the World Federation of Underwater Activities) and BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club). Dive Systems offers a large range of activities such as introductory and qualification courses or accompanied diving, which all are led by experienced and friendly instructors and assistants. Moreover, Dive Systems hires and sells diving equipment for people who want to dive on their own, and refills diving cylinders for air, Nitrox and technical diving. They also have the Aquamarina Sports shop in Gzira and Expo Subaqua in Valletta.

The centre is open all year, with four full-timers, two of whom are advanced teachers. But during the busier summer season, there are more teachers.

“We have a lot of people who come from hotels or who have booked from the web page,” said Mr Sciberras, “So we get bookings in advance. Obviously, we dive every day, but it also depends on demand. Opening hours are fairly flexible and arrangements can be made for night dives as well as dives on Sundays and public holidays.”

Dives are organised from the shore or from boats, depending on the proficiency of the divers and the weather. The centre offers diving in the most beautiful places – Cirkewwa, Zurrieq, Gozo and Comino. Each season has its specialty, with the flora and fauna always changing, depending on the currents and the season. Night dives are also organised, especially in summer. These are very interesting because fish come closer to the shore, especially small fish, to hide from the big ones.

“There is also the fact that you see things differently,” said Mr Sciberras. “When you dive in daylight, you can see all around you, but at night you can only see what the torch shows you. So you are more focused and you see more detail and greater colour.”

Dive centres in Malta depend on both tourists and locals – who can enjoy the Maltese underwater all year. And interest in diving is growing.

“A few years ago, many people were really afraid of diving,”said Mr Sciberras. “But diving is a very safe sport. It is safer than skiing, for example. It is the person who is not safe, which is why you have to be careful – and sensible – when you dive.”

To encourage people to discover diving, dive centres have to advertise a lot. “Unless you try diving, you won’t know what it is like. So we are always trying to provide programmes on television or articles in magazines to show how beautiful the underwater world is.”

Each year, a lot of curious people decide to take the plunge and then become addicted to diving.

Scuba diving also offers the opportunity to exchange visits with other countries. Every year, Louis Sciberras takes a group of 20-25 people to the Red Sea, in order to discover a different type of marine life. And in turn, some overseas clubs contact the Maltese centres. In Europe, for example, there is little diving in winter. And some dive clubs do not even have the sea, so they learn to dive in swimming pools and progress to lakes – and then come Malta to enjoy diving in the sea.

The main advantage in Malta is the fact that there are numerous other things for tourists to do, including, of course, spending the typical family holiday.

Mr Sciberras points out that “If you go to some of the more exotic places, all you can do when you are not diving is stay on the beach, because there is nothing else to do. But in Malta, divers can come with their families and when one of them is diving, the rest have plenty of other things to do. And after a dive you can visit other parts of the island and enjoy the historic places.”

Nevertheless for scuba-diving buffs, the most beautiful places in Malta will always be under water.

Dive Systems, Tower Point, Tower road, Exiles, Sliema, SLM 09. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 8.30am until 7.00pm in summer, 5.00pm in winter tel: 2131 9123 / 2131 7137 / 7931 9123. www.divesystemsmalta.com