Private speedboat to Comino and Gozo: your own route, your own pace

Group boats run routes; a private speedboat runs your route. Want twenty extra minutes at the Crystal Lagoon because the water is perfect? Say so. Want to skip the busy anchorage entirely and snorkel a quiet cove that the big boats sail straight past? Also fine. The skipper knows the coastline's moods and adjusts to sea conditions on the spot, which is exactly the flexibility that reviewers of private charters single out: no strangers, no packed decks, and no fixed stops you did not choose.

The other advantage is crowd avoidance at its most complete. Instead of anchoring where fifty other boats sit, a private skipper can drop you in serene, crystal-clear water reachable only by boat. The cave list is the real differentiator: Santa Marija Cave, the Crystal Lagoon Tunnel, Popeye's Cave and Lovers Cave among them. A speedboat's size lets it nose into passages where the cruise boats can only idle outside, and the skipper narrates the stories that go with each one.

You board with just your own group, meet your skipper and set off across the channel towards Comino. The shape of the next two to three hours is yours: the Blue Lagoon and Crystal Lagoon anchor most itineraries, the caves fill the gaps, and Gozo's coastline joins in on the three-hour option. Because you set the pace, a private trip often fits more genuine swimming and exploring into three hours than a group boat manages in a full day of shared logistics.

Swimming and snorkelling stops happen wherever you like the water. An ice box is provided for whatever food and drinks you bring, which is the private-boat move worth planning for: a cold supermarket haul beats any onboard bar. There is no schedule to keep beyond your return time, no queue for the slide, no waiting for other passengers. It is the closest thing to having the Maltese islands' best swimming to yourself.

Transparency matters here because the listings bury the second number. The 179 euro base covers the private boat for two or three hours (option chosen at booking), your skipper, the ice box, and swimming and snorkelling stops. Paid separately: a 79 euro fuel cost handed to the skipper on the day, your food and drinks, and gratuities. All in, budget roughly 258 euro for the boat before provisions.

That sounds steep against a 24 euro group ticket, and for one or two people it is. But split across four passengers it becomes about 65 euro a head, which lands near a premium group-boat ticket while buying a private boat, a bespoke route and zero crowds. The fuel arrangement is phrased differently by different operators, so confirm it at booking. Rates checked 2026-07-13; the live calendar below shows current pricing.

Groups of three or four get the best economics and the best experience: split four ways, the all-in cost is competitive with a premium group boat while buying total control of the day. It is the obvious pick for proposals, milestone birthdays, and anyone who flinches at shared decks. Families with a nervous swimmer also benefit, because the boat waits, the crowd does not exist, and the skipper can pick the calmest water.

It suits you less in two cases. Solo travellers and couples pay a real premium per head, so for them the sunset cruise or catamaran delivers most of the pleasure at a fraction of the price. And anyone prone to seasickness should think twice: a speedboat is fast and can be bouncy in a swell, so the stable catamaran is the kinder choice. Reviewers and operators both flag that speedboats are not ideal for those who get seasick, where the twin-hull catamaran is.

Snorkelling is where a private speedboat pulls decisively ahead of the group boats. Instead of one crowded anchorage, the skipper can string together several quiet spots: the Crystal Lagoon's deep, clear water, the mouths of the Santa Marija Caves where light shafts cut into the rock, and small coves along Comino and Gozo that the big boats never approach. The marine life is best where the crowds are thinnest, so a private route that dodges the busiest patch of the Blue Lagoon often delivers the best snorkelling of any tour on our list.

Prepare properly to make the most of it. Bring your own mask and snorkel rather than relying on rental, a dry bag to keep phones and keys safe on a fast, wet boat, and water shoes for rocky landings. Ask the skipper which caves are safe to swim into that day, since a marginal swell closes the narrowest passages first and the safe list changes hourly. Never swim into a cave alone or against the skipper's advice, however inviting the water looks. With a private boat you have the rare luxury of time and flexibility, so use it to follow the clear water rather than a fixed schedule.

Morning charters get the calmest sea and the emptiest caves; late afternoon gets the light. June and September remain the smart months, and a private boat extends the season gracefully: in May or October, when the group boats thin out, the skipper simply picks the sheltered side of the island. Because you avoid the fixed group schedule, you also dodge the worst of the 11am to 4pm crowding at the Blue Lagoon by simply asking to swim elsewhere first and visiting the famous spot when it quietens.

The departure marina is confirmed with your booking; private operators on this coast use several, most around Sliema or the northern jetties. Check the confirmation before travel and aim to arrive fifteen minutes early so the safety briefing does not eat into your charter time. Since the boat is yours for a fixed window, punctuality directly protects your swimming time.

Bring your own snorkel gear, a dry bag for phones, and that supermarket ice-box haul: cold water, fruit and something salty. Ask the skipper for the cave conditions before locking your route; a marginal swell closes the narrowest tunnels first, so mornings are safest for the full cave list. If a proposal is happening, tell the skipper in advance, they have done this before and know exactly where the light is. Book the three-hour option rather than the two-hour one: the crossing consumes a fixed chunk of any charter, so the third hour is almost pure swimming and cave time. And if you want beach time ashore on Comino, register the free blcomino.com pass in advance, though most private trips are about swimming from the boat in spots the crowds never reach. For the stable-boat alternative, see our catamaran page.