Packing
Every listing tells you to bring a towel. Almost none of them mention that there is no shade on most decks, that the lagoon floor is rock in places, or that Comino has nothing on it at all. Here is the honest list.
Quick answer
Sunscreen, a hat, more water than you think, and reef shoes. Those four cover the four most common complaints in the reviews of every listing on this page. Everything else is optional; the sun on an open deck for six hours is not.
The six that matter
In the order people regret not having them.
Six hours on an open deck with light reflecting off the water. Sunburn is the single commonest complaint across every listing here, including the ones with 20,000 reviews.
Wind on the move takes hats off heads constantly. A strap or a cord is the difference between having one and watching it float away.
Most boats sell drinks. You will drink more than you planned, and the prices are what you would expect on a boat.
The Blue Lagoon floor is rock and pebble in places, and the entry from a boat ladder is not a sandy beach. Nobody mentions this until they are in the water.
Decks get wet, spray happens, and phones do not enjoy either.
There are a couple of kiosks on Comino and not much else. Card acceptance is unpredictable.
What you do not need
Skip the packed lunch, the big bag and anything you would mind losing.
Food, usually. Most boats sell something and several of the longer trips include lunch. Check your listing; if it does, a packed lunch is just a bag to carry.
A big beach bag. Deck space is limited on the smaller boats and you will be moving between the deck and the water. A small bag is easier for everyone.
Anything valuable. There is nowhere secure on a boat, the deck is wet and you will be swimming. Leave it at the hotel.
Four things a Malta boat tour listing never mentions
They come up constantly in the reviews instead.
A six-hour Malta boat tour in July is six hours of direct sun and reflected light.
Salt water and wind remove it faster than you expect.
Which is why people burn under their chins and behind their knees.
On every Malta boat tour, several times a day, somebody loses one.
Comino has no shops, no shade and no facilities worth the name. Whatever you need for the day has to be on the boat with you.
The Blue Lagoon→Book direct
Four full-day Comino trips, all with swim stops and open decks.
★ 4.7 · 8,493 reviews
★ 4.9 · 1,419 reviews
★ 4.8 · 2,631 reviews
★ 4.7 · 6,916 reviews
Nothing you pack changes whether a Malta boat tour sails. It changes whether the six hours afterwards are comfortable, which is worth five minutes of thought.
The best time to sail→Six things people wish they had brought on a Malta boat tour
Every one of these appears dozens of times.
The commonest regret on every Malta boat tour listing here.
The second commonest.
The lagoon floor is rock in places.
Decks get wet on every Malta boat tour, without exception.
For the kiosks on Comino and for tips.
One to sit on and one to dry with.
Common questions
Sunscreen, a hat you can secure, more water than you think, reef shoes, a towel and a little cash. There is no shade on most decks.
They help a lot. The Blue Lagoon floor is rock and pebble in places and you enter from a boat ladder rather than a beach.
On a few of the longer trips. Most boats sell drinks and snacks; the listing says when lunch is included.
A couple of kiosks and very little else. No shops, no shade and no real facilities.
Most people do not on the standard crossings, but if you are prone, take something before boarding rather than after.
Yes, but nothing is secured and the deck is wet. Leave anything valuable at your hotel.
Go deeper
From $23 for the harbour, and what the full days add.
Blue LagoonNo road reaches it. What the trip is actually like.
The verdictFourteen listings, and the four that are worth your morning.
From SliemaThree departures, and how long the crossing really takes.
From BugibbaFive departures, and the shortest route to the lagoon.
Sea cavesSanta Maria Caves and the arch, and why only small boats enter.
Comino: Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, and Sea Caves Tour
★ 4.9 · 646 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h