Water activities in Malta

For speed, the jet ski: the 130hp to start with, the 170hp if you've ridden before, or the two-hour guided safari to the Blue Grotto. For a gentler pace, single or double kayaks and paddleboards in St Thomas Bay, from age 16, or the Fiat 500 boat, which isn't built for speed.

Somewhere in between, dolphin spotting: an hour at sea, departing at 9am, from May to September. Seeing dolphins isn't guaranteed, but the trip is refunded if none appear.

Without a licence, you're at the controls yourself: the jet ski from 18, with photo ID; the Hydra 530 and the Fiat 500 from 21, after a briefing. On these two boats, fuel isn't included.

With a skipper, nobody has to drive and all ages are welcome: a 28ft boat along the south coast or out to Gozo and Comino, Valletta's Grand Harbour by Fiat 500, private catamarans. Fuel is then included.

A jet ski takes one or two people, the Fiat 500 four, the Hydra 530 six. The 28ft boat takes up to fifteen, and the eight private catamarans and sailing boats from 10 to 45. Boats are hired whole: the price is for the boat, to split between you.

For a party at sea with friends, the Party catamaran takes 45 people, and two others, the Lagoon 450 (25 people) and the Sailing catamaran (20), have a generator for a DJ. In 2026, the Party catamaran cost €1,560 for a sunset trip and €2,860 for a full day.

Most leave from St Thomas Bay, in Marsaskala, a sheltered bay on the south-east coast, around twenty minutes' drive from Valletta according to Malta Explorers, with free parking. The catamarans leave from Roland Marina, near Sliema.

The day on Comino and at the Blue Lagoon leaves from St Julian's: in 2026, meeting at 10am at Pendergardens, back around 5pm, €30 per person. Comino's compulsory entry QR code isn't included: you book it on blcomino.com.

Most trips run from April to October; dolphin spotting from May to September; the Gozo and Comino day by private boat from May to October. The 2026 season is over: Malta Explorers reopens bookings in 2027, on a date not yet announced, and keeps a waiting list.

Bookings are made on Malta Explorers: each activity on this page links to its own page there. The prices quoted are 2026 prices; 2027 prices haven't been published yet.

In Paceville, St Julian's, parties usually start at 11pm: a day trip at sea leaves time to get back, rest and have dinner. Save the jet ski and swimming for a day when you're well rested: French government travel advice (France Diplomatie) reports drownings in Malta every year, notably at the Blue Lagoon.

In summer 2026, the Mega Boat Party and the White Boat Party left Sliema Ferries from 7pm to 11:30pm. They return in summer 2027; their dates haven't been announced yet.