TRAVEL NEWS
Want to winter in Malta?
Sliema, Malta. (Picture: Mike McBey)
Malta remains on the British government’s no-go list for non-essential travel and a two-week quarantine is required on return for anyone who does go – but what if you feel it’s essential for you to go and work from there for an extended period this winter?
It might be out of season, but you would be able to get plenty of diving in – and Malta is British scuba divers’ favourite Mediterranean escape.
Long-established dive-centre Maltaqua is offering a deal for divers who want to relocate to the islands between November and next March to work remotely while joining it for dives in their free time.
A four-week stay costs 1400 euros and eight weeks 1900 euros. Both packages include a one-bedroom apartment with bathroom, kitchen and wi-fi 100m from the St Paul’s Bay dive-centre, along with 20 instructor-escorted shore dives with road transport and tank and weight hire. Additional dives are charged at 25 euros each. Flights are not included.
Sea temperatures are likely to drop from 20 to 14C by the New Year, with air temperatures falling from 22 to 15 degrees C, but there is little rain during winter. “There are no more than five days a year where the weather is such that we have to cancel all diving,” says Maltaqua.
Passengers arriving in Malta from the UK are required to complete a paper copy of both a public-health and a passenger-locator form and submit to temperature checks, but do not have to self-isolate.
Insurance for divers travelling to Malta can still be obtained from certain diving specialists, though cover for Covid-19 is unlikely to be included.
4 October 2020
