You are definitely able to dive with a drysuit all year long around the Maltese Islands. For the divers that dive almost every day like diving instructors, we like to stay nice and warm underwater, but every person is different. One will dive all year in a wetsuit and the other will not dare go in a wetsuit in winter and would rather choose a drysuit instead, no matter the season.
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Temperatures in Malta
The temperatures around the Maltese Islands change a lot. During the beginning of the year, from January until April, the water temperature hangs between 14 and 16 degrees. In the month of May, the temperatures start to rise up to 19 degrees. During the months of June, July and August, the temperatures will continue to increase up to 28 degrees on the surface. Towards the end of September, it will slowly decrease down to 24 degrees. Slowly going to the end of the year, it will get back down to 15/16 degrees. Water takes heat from the body 25 times faster than air, which means that underwater, even in the warmest water, without adequate protection, our body cools down much faster and feels cold.
Winter in Malta
If you decide to come to Malta during the months of December until April, we highly recommend a thick undersuit to wear under your drysuit. If you are doing a technical dive around the Maltese Island, we recommend also wearing dry gloves to keep your hands warm, if your dry suit allows you to do this of course. If not, a pair of minimum 5mm wet gloves will do the trick.
Personally, I wear my dry gloves during the coldest month of the year, January, February and March. As I mentioned before each person is different with what they like to use for under their drysuit.
Summer in Malta
During the summer most of the divers around the Maltese Island wears a wetsuit. Still, there are divers that use a dry suit, no matter the season. For diving in summer with a dry suit, a base layer is more than enough. If you are a technical diver and enjoy the longer deco dives around Malta, we would recommend a thicker undersuit to stay warm during the longer dives.
Deeper Depths
As the temperatures in Malta change frequently, the temperatures at deeper depths below 50 meters don’t. The temperatures at this depth and below, generally only 18 degrees in summer and 15 degrees in winter. When diving to the deeper depths, it is highly recommended to wear an excessively think undergarment, with the option to wear warmer under gloves for your dry gloves.
Written By: Jasper Mulder