Become a scuba diving instructor 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. This is the complete SSI Pro pathway, led by Platinum Pro Instructor Trainer Lee Rigby, at the only centre in the world that backs its instructor courses with both a Pass Guarantee and a Work Guarantee.
It's 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 and globally recognised, and 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're the only SSI Career Centre in Malta, and one of just twelve in the world.
THE SSI PRofessional pathway
Divemaster
Your first professional rating. Lead certified divers, assist on courses, manage dive operations and run sites independently. Takes 1 to 2 months, depending on experience and logged dives.
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. Assistant Instructor and Open Water Instructor are almost always combined into one programme.
Open Water Instructor
The full instructor rating. Teach SSI Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Stress & Rescue and specialty courses, anywhere in the world.
Specialty Instructor
Deep, Wreck, Night, Navigation, Nitrox, Sidemount and more. Every specialty rating makes you more hireable.
Assistant Instructor Trainer
Train and certify other instructors under a senior Instructor Trainer. This is the step from teaching divers to shaping professionals.
Instructor Trainer
Master Instructor, Instructor Trainer. The long career arc to the pinnacle of diving.
Most candidates take Divemaster and the ITC back to back, as one continuous programme. Both can be taken separately if you need to fit training around existing commitments.
Why train with Bubbles dive Centre
We're the only instructor training backed by both a Pass Guarantee and a Work Guarantee. No other dive centre, anywhere, offers both. Fail your Instructor Exam and we cover your accommodation, lunch and re-sit costs, then bring you through our next course at no extra charge. Finish without paid work lined up, and we offer you a position at Bubbles itself. We back our training with our own money.
If you don't pass your Instructor Evaluation the 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 don't get paid diving work, we make sure you have a route forward.
Ask us about the full Work Guarantee during your discovery call.
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An SSI Career Centre
The only one in Malta, one of just ten in the world, and an Extended Range Instructor Training Centre with an Instructor Trainer and two Assistant Instructor Trainers on site full-time.
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 to 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, the legendary MV Karwela. You can teach every specialty without leaving the island.
Meet Lee — Bubbles Dive Centre's Instructor Trainer
“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 worldwide. Lee personally oversees the Divemaster programme, leads every Instructor Training Course, and has trained every instructor working at Bubbles Dive Centre to the same standard.
scuba diving as a career
A scuba career won't usually make you rich in the traditional sense. What it can give you is 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 moves with you across countries and continents.
Dive instructors work almost everywhere there's water. The Mediterranean, Red Sea and Caribbean. Southeast Asia, the Maldives, Australia. Liveaboards around the world. And you can likely dive wherever you're from too. Pay depends heavily on the country, the local cost of living, the season, and how much of accommodation, tips and commission comes with the job. Either way, 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 Mediterranean, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, the Maldives, Australia, liveaboards. Salaries follow local standards, but the real value is the lifestyle: daily diving, travel, community, and experience you can't 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 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're surrounded by constant courses, large certification volume, specialty training and senior instructor mentoring. You leave with a serious number of certifications behind you, the specialties you want, technical or AIT progression if that's your direction, and the kind of experience employers actually notice.
What our Graduates say
Doing my instructor training at Bubbles Gozo has honestly been one of the best experiences of my diving career. Lee Rigby is an amazing trainer — incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely passionate about helping every candidate succeed. What really sets Bubbles apart is how personal the experience feels. They don’t just train you; they get to know you. The whole team takes the time to understand your strengths, challenges, and goals, and you can tell they truly care about your growth as a diver and as a professional.
If you’re thinking about becoming a dive instructor, there’s no better place than Bubbles Gozo. You’ll leave not just with a certification, but with confidence, real-world skills, and a sense of belonging to something special
I was super picky about who to do my ITC with because it really shapes your development and career path, and I’m so glad I chose Lee. I spoke to several trainers beforehand, and he was the only one who truly impressed me. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, and just a great mentor to learn from. There’s a reason he trains more professionals than anyone else. He pushes you to be your best while also having a sense of humor with it. He also backs it up by guaranteeing to find work as an instructor after you pass.
I did my Divemaster and Instructor Training Course with Lee end of last year. The whole process was highly organised and goal oriented : passing the IE. From the beginning instructions were clear, and Lee works in a progressive manner ensuring that the basis of both theory and skills are mastered before moving forward. Although he can be highly demanding, this ensures that you’ll be ready for the examination day. The two weeks of instructor training were intense and fun at the same time, always focusing only on the next task to not get overwhelmed. Safety measures and SSI standards will become your new mantras. As promised, everyone on my promotion got a job as a diving instructor either at Bubbles or at other local/abroad dive centers. I got the opportunity to keep working with Lee some time after my instructor examination to practice everything I learned and becoming a real instructor. I still go there from time to time and it’s always a pleasure to work with Lee and the whole team. If you are looking to become a dive instructor I cannot recommend him enough! You won’t regret it. Also accommodation is facilitated which is a plus. Can’t wait to continue my professional career with him, see you soon for the AIT!
I recently completed my Divemaster training at Bubbles Dive Centre.
I was apprehensive about doing my Divemaster, as my confidence was low after a limited amount of diving over the years. The Instructor trainer Lee, immediately put me at ease with his kind, friendly and approachable attitude. He was very patient with me and understood individual needs on the course. Feedback was always honest, fair and helpful. Lee is passionate about training future professionals. He takes a skillful approach, whilst always keeping standards high, which makes him excellent at his job. Lee has given me the confidence and motivation to further my diving career. He is supportive and always full of advice to get me to where I need to be in the future. Thanks Lee, I'll see you next year for my ITC!
FAQ
Can you make a career out of scuba diving, or just a season?
Yes, but only if you treat it like a real profession. The people who build long-term careers keep progressing, stay responsible, turn up prepared, and understand that diving is also a customer service industry. You're not just going for dives, you're looking after people, solving problems, representing a dive centre, and creating safe, memorable experiences. Take it seriously, keep adding experience and specialties, and build a professional reputation, and diving becomes far more than one season. Plenty of instructors earn enough to live from it long-term, with an office on the beach and most of the working day spent in the water.
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 how easy it is to find work varies by destination. In some regions, Divemaster roles are harder to come by; in parts of Europe, instructors tend to be more employable because they can both teach and guide. Still, a good Divemaster role is a real diving job. You lead certified divers, manage dive groups, and take part in the daily running of a dive centre. For many people it's genuinely fulfilling work, and often the right step before moving on to instructor.
How many SSI Career Centres exist worldwide?
As of the time of writing (Aug 2026) there are 12 SSI Career Centres worldwide.
Ready to go Pro
Bubbles Dive Centre runs year-round training. Tell us where you're at now, and we'll map the pathway, prerequisites and timing to your situation.
4.9 from more than 277 Google reviews
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Address 200 Bar, Triq il-Menqa, Gozo MFN 1303
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WhatsApp +356 2702 8299
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Email info@diving-gozo.com
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Open Daily · 8:30 – 17:30