SSI Basic Diver vs Try Scuba vs Open Water: Which First Diving Experience Should You Choose?

If you’ve never been diving before and you’re looking into your options in Malta, you’ve probably already noticed the problem: there isn’t just one way to get started. You’ll see “Try Scuba” experiences, “Basic Diver” programs, and full “Open Water” courses all advertised as ways to begin, often with very little explanation of how they actually differ. For someone who just wants to see what diving feels like, that’s more decision making than they signed up for.

The good news is that the differences between these three options are actually quite clear once someone lays them out properly, and picking the right one mostly comes down to a few honest questions: how much time do you have, how sure are you that diving is for you, and what do you actually want to walk away with. This guide breaks down SSI Basic Diver Malta, Try Scuba Malta, and the Open Water course Malta options side by side, so you can choose your starting point without the guesswork.

Try Scuba: The Shortest Possible Taste of Diving

Try Scuba is exactly what it sounds like a short, supervised introduction to breathing underwater, usually lasting a couple of hours including a briefing, with the actual underwater portion often limited to a shallow, confined area like a pool or a very sheltered, shallow patch of sea.

There’s no certification at the end of it. You’re not learning dive theory, you’re not practicing emergency skills, and you’re not getting a card that lets you dive elsewhere in the world. What you are getting is a genuine, hands on first scuba dive experience  the feeling of breathing underwater, seeing fish up close, and getting a real sense of whether this is something you want to pursue further.

Who it’s for: People who are curious but not yet committed. If you’re on holiday and want to try something new without dedicating a full day to it, or if you’re genuinely unsure whether diving is your thing and don’t want to invest in a full course before finding out, Try Scuba is the lowest risk way to answer that question. It’s also a nice fit for anyone traveling with a partner or friend who’s already certified and wants company for a light, easy dive.

What it isn’t: A stepping stone toward independent diving. If you love it and want to dive again without a professional guiding every second of it, you’ll need to go further than Try Scuba offers.

SSI Basic Diver: A Bigger Taste, With a Bit More Structure

This is where things get more interesting, and where a lot of the confusion tends to sit. SSI Basic Diver sits between Try Scuba and a full Open Water course  it’s more involved than a single try dive, but it stops short of full certification.

The Basic Diver program typically includes some foundational skills training, more time in the water than a Try Scuba session, and often multiple dives rather than just one. You’ll actually start learning real diving skills  buoyancy basics, clearing your mask, controlling your breathing  rather than simply being guided through the motions. It gives you a genuine sense of what learning to dive properly feels like, without requiring the full multi day time commitment of Open Water.

Basic Diver doesn’t result in a globally recognized certification either, but it often counts toward one. Many dive centres, including here at Dive Systems, structure it so that credit from your Basic Diver dives can be applied if you decide to continue on to full Open Water certification later. That makes it a genuinely useful middle step rather than a dead end.

Who it’s for: People who want more than a single taste but aren’t ready to commit to a full multi day course yet. It’s also a great option for couples or small groups traveling together who want a shared, slightly more immersive experience than Try Scuba, without needing to block out several days of their trip. If you’ve been eyeing a Basic Diver couple experience as a way to try diving together before deciding whether to pursue certification, this is precisely the gap it’s designed to fill.

What it isn’t: A certification that lets you dive independently anywhere in the world. You’ll still need supervision, and you won’t yet have the skills or paperwork required to rent gear and dive on your own at a new destination.

Open Water: The Real Starting Point for Independent Diving

Open Water is the first proper certification level in recreational diving, and it’s genuinely a different category of experience compared to the two options above. This is a structured, multi day course covering full dive theory, in water skills training, and a series of certification dives, culminating in an internationally recognized qualification.

Once certified, you can rent gear and dive with a buddy at recreational depths almost anywhere in the world, without needing an instructor hovering beside you the whole time. It’s a genuine skill and a genuine credential, not just an experience.

This is also where the SSI Open Water Advanced Combo becomes relevant. Many divers who complete Open Water in Malta choose to continue directly into Advanced training while their skills are still fresh, rather than stopping and losing momentum. If you’re already planning to commit the time to Open Water, it’s worth considering that combo pathway from the outset, since progressing straight through tends to build stronger comfort and confidence than spacing the two courses out.

Who it’s for: Anyone who already knows they want to dive regularly, whether that’s on future holidays, at home, or as a genuine new hobby. If you’ve done a Try Scuba or Basic Diver experience before and loved it, Open Water is the natural next step.

What it isn’t: A quick taste. It requires a real time commitment, typically spread across several days, and a genuine willingness to learn the theory alongside the practical skills.

So Which One Should You Actually Choose?

Here’s the simplest way to think about it. If you have an hour or two, you’re on a relaxed holiday schedule, and you just want to know what diving feels like before deciding anything else, start with Try Scuba. If you’ve got a bit more time, you’re fairly confident you’ll enjoy it, and you want a fuller experience without fully committing yet particularly if you’re doing this with a partner  Basic Diver is the better fit, and it has the added benefit of counting toward certification if you decide to continue. If you already know diving is something you want to do properly, and you have several days to dedicate to it, go straight for Open Water, and seriously consider pairing it with Advanced training while you’re at it.

None of these choices lock you out of the others. In fact, they’re designed to flow into one another. A Try Scuba session that goes well often turns into a Basic Diver booking on a future trip. A Basic Diver experience that leaves you wanting more often becomes the first step of Open Water certification, with those earlier dives counting toward it rather than starting again from scratch.