Keith S.
1 Reviews
2022 August review Aquatica St Pauls Bay MaltaA r…
2022 August review Aquatica St Pauls Bay Malta
A review of a recent drive trip to Malta and diving with the Aquatica Dive Centre.
Well it is almost 3 years since I last dived in Malta due to Covid and other travel restrictions. This time I was visiting with my great friend and dive buddy Ian. We had planned the trip several months previously but Ian left it up to me to choose the Dive centre and what better choice than Aquatica. I had dived with them in 2018 and 2019 and was so impressed with them at that time that for this trip, they were just the natural choice. I did not realise that Aquatica was under new ownership and management but as it turned out, the new team were equally as professional as in previous visits. They replied immediately to my emails and I made a booking for the 3 day dive package.
We arrived in Malta 14th August 2022 and went to the dive centre immediately and met up with Davida and Francesca who were so warm and welcoming it felt like we were meeting old friends. We went through all the necessary paperwork and Medical Health declarations and arranged the following days dive. We were picked up at our Hotel in the morning (as we were on all dives) and taken to the dive location at Cirkewwa for both dives for that day. The dive briefing by Davida was so professional and everything was explained in great detail and he took into account the fact that Ian and I are both BSAC divers. He took into consideration the differences with signals and safety stop depths and he allowed for this on every dive. Nothing was too much trouble and he was eager to answer all our questions. As well as everything else he is a very funny guy. His explanation of the dive plan was amazing explaining, all the safety aspects and points of interest. His use of slides to explain everything was serious and funny. The brief was carried out with a very professional and relaxed attitude impressing us both with his commitment to safety. I will just add that Ian is an Advanced Diver and I am a Diver Leader with a good few years of experience between us (but still eager to learn).
Davida was supported by Ulrik (sorry if the spelling is wrong) and between them they were an excellent team of dive guides. What was a bonus was that they provided 15 litre cylinders for the first dive and 12 litres for the second and we both thought this was a great idea. Both dives of the day were extremely well planned and executed. All kit was in great condition and well looked after. The first dive was on the Rozi and the second dive shallower on the reef. Throughout all the dives over the 3 days, safety was the main consideration. There were regular air checks, checks for decompression and air remaining. All dives ended with a 3 minute safety stop at 6 metres.
On Day 2 we were led by Sarah and Dive Master Vincento and as with Davida, everything was managed and planned with great detail and with an emphasis on safety. The dives were again at Cirkewwa. Sarah was so thorough in her description of the dive site, depth, signals and air management. Both she and Vincento checked on us throughout the dive and again safety was the main concern. This dive was on the P29 with the second dive shallower on the other part of the reef. We both had 15 litre tanks for the first dive and 12 litres for the second. Once again, 2 excellent dives. Thank you to both Sarah and Vincento. The third days diving was firstly on the El Al Faroud wreck which again was explained in great detail as was the final dive of our trip later in the day.
We would both highly recommend the Aquatica Dive centre and the team to anyone visiting this area. If you check out their website all is explained. We had a great time with these guys and our thanks go out to all the team for making our 3 days of diving safe, very enjoyable and wanting more.
Maybe next year. Keith and Ian – via Google
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