Come join us in Malta for some amazing scuba diving in January

take a dip in the Mediterranean sea? join us on an international trip to Malta. you have all been craving it. here it is!

Join us on a trip to Malta!

Dates: 3-9th January 2023

In January we will be heading off to Sliema in Malta for a week long dive trip. This is set to be packed with exciting diving for all levels. Known for its wrecks, the area we are staying in has a wide range of dive sites within easy reach, and the trip includes a day diving at the famous Blue Hole dive site in Gozo. 

We will be staying in an apartment (Subject to change depending on availibility) There will be multiple rooms, so if you have any particular preferences or requirements about who you share a room with, please let us know. 

Diving will be with Diveshack Malta who are working with us to create a bespoke itinerary for the trip to accommodate our range of divers. There will be options to complete your open water course on the trip (an open water referral course with theory and pool sessions complete with Christal Seas Scuba prior to departure), or complete your deep, wreck or nitrox specialties. if you would like to complete some any specialist courses then please let us know. 

There will be four days of diving, leaving the first day and the second to last day for exploring before our flight back on the 9th January. Times of flights will be confirmed. There is plenty to see in Malta on land too!

The trip is open to all paid club members so if you haven’t already, buy your membership!

What does the trip include?

• Flights to and from Malta airport from a London airport (TBC), this will be hand luggage only (small bag fitting under the seat, and a 10kg carry-on bag). 

• Apartment accomodation with kitchen (Subject to change)

• Qualified divers- 8 dives over four days, with options to complete deep, wreck and nitrox specialities at an extra cost (TBC) and an amazing night dive. All kit hire is included.

• Unqualified divers- open water referral course, where the theory and pool sessions will be completed with Christal Seas Scuba, and qualifying dives over the first two days of the trip (the trip price includes the full course cost). Four dives over two days after qualifying. All kit hire is included option for extra night dive at extra cost.

• Travel to the island of Gozo for a day of diving

• Transport to and from Malta airport to our accommodation 

Prices

Qualified divers tickets will cost £600

Open water divers tickets will cost £610

Advanced open water diver tickets will cost £660

Payment

Payment can be made in two installments. To secure your place on the trip you will need to buy a ‘deposit ticket’, with prices of:

Qualified divers: £240

Open water divers: £250

Advance open water £290

Installment 2 will be due by 10th December

Qualified divers: £360

Open water diver: £360

Advanced open water £370

Any issues with this please let me know!

An add on of £55 can be purchased for a night dive. I would recommend this if you have never done it before.

Open water students will need to pay £250 to christal seas scuba which is not included in the overall costs here. This is for course materials, theory and pool sessions.

Other costs

You will need to make sure you have enough money to cover food for each day and any other money you might want to spend. Based on our last trip, we estimate £150 will be plenty to cover lunch and dinner for the week (this doesn’t include alcoholic drinks etc). 

 

You must ensure you have sufficient funds to support yourself in any unforeseen circumstances, such as having to stay in Malta longer to self-isolate, or any medical bills. While this will be covered by insurance, you will need to pay upfront first and claim the money back later. 

 

Insurance

You will need to purchase travel and diving insurance for the trip. Once you have bought your deposit ticket, you must purchase the insurance described below and send a copy of your policy documents to us within 1 week. 

Travel insurance: Coverwise Gold with added travel disruption cover (approx £20.50)

https://www.coverwise.co.uk/

This policy provides the highest level of cover available for COVID-19 cancellation on the UK market, so everyone is required to buy this insurance even if you have other travel insurance already (e.g. through your parents or your bank). 

Divers at advanced open water level or above also need to purchase additional diving insurance (this is covered in the travel insurance for open water divers). This should be purchased from Divemaster Insurance (approx £26)

https://www.divemasterinsurance.com/idec-diving-accident-cover/

If you already hold dive insurance (for example a yearly policy), please send us a copy of your policy documents for this instead. 

Medical forms

Before the trip, you will need to complete a PADI medical form found at this link https://www.padi.com/sites/default/files/documents/2020-08/10346E_Diver_Medical_Form.pdf 

Please send completed forms to our Divemaster (L.Liorancas@uea.ac.uk). If your answers require a medical evaluation, please contact Lucas for further assistance with this prior to the trip. 

EHIC/GHIC card

You will need a valid EHIC or GHIC (updated scheme post-Brexit) for the trip. Please send a copy of your existing card to us alongside your other documents. 

If you don’t currently have a card or it has expired, please apply for one here https://services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/cra/start 

If you are not eligible for a GHIC card, for example due to having emergency medical cover in another EU country, it is your responsibility to ensure that you will be covered in the event of a medical emergency in Malta. 

Cancellation of the trip

UEA Sub Aqua Club has a no cancellations policy for this trip, meaning if you decide you no longer want to attend, you will not receive a refund from the club for what you have paid up until that point. However, you are welcome to sell your ticket to other club members (they will be liable for any cost associated with changing flight details). 

If you are unable to attend the trip due to contracting COVID-19 and needing to isolate, this is covered in the insurance policy above. 

No insurance policies provide cover for cancellation of travel due to changing government travel advice, meaning if there is a lockdown, rules to foreign travel change, or Malta is placed on the red list, we cannot guarantee you will get your money back. However, our diving providers has stated they will provide a full refund in the event of this and we have free cancellation for accommodation until 2 days before the trip, meaning this money will likely be recovered. However, flights cannot be refunded, but may be rescheduled or a Ryanair voucher issued. 

The club will seek to reschedule the trip in the event of any COVID cancellations.

 

Terms and conditions

By buying this deposit ticket, you accept and confirm:

• The club will not provide a refund if you decide to not attend the trip.

• We cannot guarantee a full refund in the event on COVID-19 related cancellation, and it is your responsibility as the travel insurance policy holder to make a claim.

• In the event of changed foreign travel advice, we may be unable to recover the full cost of the trip to refund and this is not covered by any insurance. 

• You have sufficient funds to cover any unforeseen circumstances that may occur, which may or may not be able to be claimed back through your travel insurance. 

• You consent to the committee of UEA Sub Aqua Club securely holding your data, including all the documentation you will send us described above, which will be dealt with securely in line with GDPR regulations. This may include sharing details with relevant members of uea(su) and UEA Sport staff. 

I want to come! What next?

Please buy the correct (qualified or unqualified) ticket from the link below. Once we see your purchase, you will receive an email requesting your insurance documents, passport copies, and medical forms which will need to be sent to us within 1 week. 

We will also set up the group chat for the trip after tickets have been sold so you can meet your trip dive buddies!

 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss accessibility requirements, please email us at ueasubaqua@gmail.com