Over the years, more and more holidaymakers are ditching sunbathing in favour of learning a new skill. And if like me you want that break to be an active one, then perhaps you may want to give scuba diving a go. Scuba diving courses are not only about learning diving skills to have a dive experience – they also offer a great opportunity for a marine adventure.

The Maltese Island’s clear blue Mediterranean Sea has attracted divers for many years. With it being at just 27km long and 14.5km at its widest points means it’s easy to dive anywhere. Couple that with an abundance of reefs, caves and wrecks, and it makes diving here much more adventurous. What’s more, scuba diving is available throughout the year regardless of weather conditions. I went along to Malta to find out how we as land creatures can make the transition to explore the underwater world happily and safely.

The key to getting a good diving experience is to ensure you go along to a good diving school and an even better diving instructor. Introducing Clive Webb, diving instructor with Maltaqua. With 22 years diving experience under his belt, you know you’re in good hands. Maltaqua offers training with The British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) – the largest club in the world which this year celebrates its 60th year. Maltaqua themselves has been providing holidays for 43 years.

The aim of entry level training is to complete a series of skill tests and five dives – one of which is at 20 metres. Group training is both classroom based and practical. The good thing about diving in Malta is that you can find many shallow spots to dive so you don’t have to spend time practicing in the pool. It means that you’ll get more underwater sightseeing than average when starting out.

In the classroom, you learn all about adapting to the underwater world. As land creatures, our bodies are used being pinned to the earth by the force of gravity. But SCUBA (self-contained Underwater Breathing Aparatus) equipment changed all of that. The breathing supply allows the diver to explore the underwater world. Clive explains the important physical effects of descending and ascending in the water so you can understand exactly how you’re able to survive in the sea.

But before you go in the water there are some basic underwater skills to master…