Scuba instructor training in Gozo, Malta
Turn diving into a living. Start with your Divemaster, your first professional rating and a career in its own right, or go all the way to Open Water Instructor and beyond. The complete SSI Pro pathway, led by Platinum Pro Instructor Trainer Lee Rigby at the only centre in the world to back its instructor courses with a Pass Guarantee and a Work Guarantee.
#1
center by professional certifications issues worldwide
1
of only 10 SSI Career Centres globally, the only one in Malta.
330+
Professionals trained
31%
of all SSI certifications in Malta in 2026
100%
First-time pass rate at the evaluation
12
Instructor Training courses per year
The professional pathway that takes a certified recreational diver through
Divemaster, Assistant Instructor and Open Water Instructor, the ratings that let you guide, supervise and teach scuba diving for a living.
With SSI (Scuba Schools International), the route is modular, globally recognised and designed so each level builds directly on the last. Bubbles Dive Centre runs the complete SSI professional pathway from Gozo, Malta: Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, the Instructor Training Course (ITC), Assistant Instructor Trainer, Specialty Instructor and continuing education. All from one base, all led by the same senior team. We are the only SSI Career Centre in Malta, and one of only 10 in the world.
From diver to professional
Divemaster
Your first professional rating. Lead certified divers, assist on courses, manage dive operations and run sites independently.
1–2 months · depending on experience & logged dives Explore Divemaster →Assistant Instructor
The bridge between Divemaster and full instructor. Teach pool and confined-water sessions under instructor supervision.
Apply now →Open Water Instructor
The full instructor rating. Teach SSI Open Water, Advanced Adventurer, Stress & Rescue and specialty courses worldwide.
Explore Instructor →Specialty Instructor
Deep, Wreck, Night, Navigation, Nitrox, Sidemount, Perfect Buoyancy and more. Every specialty rating makes you more hireable.
apply now →Assistant Instructor Trainer (AIT)
Train and certify other instructors under a senior Instructor Trainer. The step from teaching divers to shaping professionals.
Explore AIT →Instructor Trainer (IT)
Master Instructor, Instructor Trainer. The long career arc to the pinnacle of diving.
Most candidates complete Divemaster and the ITC consecutively as a single continuous program. Both can be taken separately if you need to fit training around existing commitments.
SSI Divemaster
Your entry into professional diving: guide, assist and manage operations. Year-round intake, 1–2 months.
SSI Open Water Instructor
he full teaching credential. A month-long programme including pre-course, the 15-day IDC, Instructor Evaluation and real teaching experience.
SSI Assistant Instructor TRainer
Train SSI Assistant Instructors, assist on Instructor Training Courses and certify Specialty Instructors. This is the step where you move from teaching divers to actively developing future SSI professionals.
SSI INSTRUCTOR TRAINER
The top level of SSI professional education. Progress from teaching divers to developing instructors, leading ITCs and shaping the standards of future dive professionals.
A standard you can
stake a career on
We offer the only instructor training backed by both a Pass Guarantee and a Work Guarantee. No other dive centre — anywhere — offers both. Don't pass your Instructor Exam and we cover your accommodation, lunch and re-sit costs while bringing you through our next course at no additional charge. No paid work after finishing? We offer you a position at Bubbles itself.
We back our training with our own money.
If you don't pass your Instructor Evaluation first time, you retrain with us — free — until you do. We can offer this because we train to a hiring standard, not a passing one, which is also why our first-time pass rate is 100%.
If you qualify with us and do not secure paid diving work, we will make sure you have a route forward.
Ask us about the full Work Guarantee during your discovery call.
1 of 10
An SSI Career Centre
The only one in Malta and one of just ten in the world, an Extended Range Instructor Training Centre, with an Instructor Trainer and two Assistant Instructor Trainers full-time on site.
All Included
No Hidden Costs
Accommodation and lunch included. Equipment hire included. Certification and examination fees included. The price you agree is the price you pay.
Career support that continues
We don't advertise externally for staff, we only hire our own. After you certify you get CV support, direct employer introductions across our global network, and referrals for dive centres we trust.
30m+ vis
Gozo is built for going pro
World-class sites on a magical island, 300 days of sun, walk-in shore dives minutes away: Blue Hole, Inland Sea, Cathedral Cave and the legendary MV Karwela. Teach every specialty without leaving the island.
“We don't aim to just pass you. We train you to be the kind of instructor that dive employers actually want to hire.”
Lee Rigby
Lee is the world's #1 SSI Instructor Trainer by professional certifications issued. From your first day as a Divemaster candidate through to Instructor and beyond, you'll be mentored by the trainer behind one of the industry's most successful instructor development programmes. Lee personally oversees the Divemaster programme, leads every Instructor Development Course, and has trained every instructor working at Bubbles Dive Centre to the same standard.
scuba diving as a career
A scuba career will not usually make you rich in the traditional sense. It can, however, give you a lifestyle most people never get close to: working by the sea, diving every day, meeting people from all over the world and building a career that can move with you across countries and continents.
Dive instructors work almost everywhere there is water. Popular destination are the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Caribbean to Southeast Asia, the Maldives, Australia and liveaboards around the world. But you can probably dive where ever you are from as well. Pay depends heavily on the country, local cost of living, season, accommodation, tips and commission. In any case, instructors earn enough to live from diving full-time, especially when accommodation or meals are included.
You can work in almost every major dive destination in the world. The most popular regions include the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Maldives, Australia and liveaboards. Salaries follow local standards, but the real value is lifestyle: daily diving, travel, community and experience you cannot get behind a desk.
The more useful you become, the more you can earn. Instructors who specialise in technical diving, liveaboards, photography, scientific diving, equipment servicing, marketing, social media, management or commercial diving can build stronger careers than instructors who only teach entry-level courses. Niches matter a lot.
Bubbles is one of the busiest SSI Career Centres in the world. Work a season with us and you are surrounded by constant courses, large certification volume, specialty training, real students and senior instructor mentoring. You can leave with a serious number of certifications behind you, the specialties you want, technical or AIT progression if that is your direction, and the kind of experience employers actually notice.
FAQ
Can you make a career out of scuba diving, or just a season?
Yes, you can absolutely make a career out of scuba diving, but only if you treat it like a real profession.
The people who build long-term careers are the ones who keep progressing, stay responsible, turn up prepared, and understand that diving is also a customer service industry. You are not just going for dives; you are looking after people, solving problems, representing a dive centre, and creating safe, memorable experiences.
If you take it seriously, continue adding experience and specialties, and build a professional reputation, scuba diving can be much more than one season. Plenty of instructors earn enough to live from diving long-term, just with an office on the beach and most of the working day spent in the water.
How much do scuba instructors get paid?
Pay varies enormously by region, season and whether accommodation is included. A first-season instructor in the Mediterranean typically earns 1200 - 1500€ per month, often with accommodation and some meals provided, and tips and commission on top. Instructors in liveaboard, technical and specialty work and management positions, or those who progress to Master Instructor and Instructor Trainer, earn considerably more. Many people made a successful career out of scuba diving and live incredible lives around the world and you can too!
What is a dive instructor's salary?
A dive instructor’s salary depends heavily on where you work, the season, your experience, and whether accommodation or meals are included. As a rough guide, a first-season instructor in the Mediterranean may earn around €1,200–€1,500 per month, often with accommodation, some meals, and tips on top.
Your earning potential grows as you gain experience and specialise. Instructors who move into areas like technical diving, liveaboards, specialty training, management, or higher-level professional ratings such as Master Instructor or Instructor Trainer can earn considerably more.
For many people, diving becomes more than a seasonal job, it becomes a career that allows them to work, travel, and build a life around the ocean.
What does a Divemaster earn?
Divemaster salaries are usually lower than instructor salaries, and job opportunities vary by destination. In some regions, Divemaster roles are harder to find, while in parts of Europe instructors can be more employable because they are able to both teach and guide.
But a good Divemaster role is still a real diving job. You lead certified divers, manage dive groups and are part of the daily operations in a dive centre. For many people, it is an incredibly fulfilling job and often the perfect step before progressing to instructor.
READY TO GO Pro?
Bubbles Dive Centre runs year-round training, tell us where you are now and we'll map the pathway, prerequisites and timing to your situation.
