Mike Ball, who sold the majority
shares in Mike Ball Dive
Expeditions to a Japanese company
in 1990, recently bought back
control of his company. Before our
reviewer boarded the Paradise Sport, we had heard reports
of changes in the works since Ball’s return. We contacted
Mike Ball to see what our readers might expect from him
now that he is back at the helm. A condensed version of
his reply follows. Ball did mentioned he was willing to offer
a money-back guarantee for 2005 if he fails to perform to
the service level paid for.
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During the 2.5 years I was away from the business,
some of our services have deviated from my philosophy.
I’m actively returning things back to normal:
1) More rental pony bottles for solo divers are being
added;
2) Streamlined Nitrox protocol: guests analyze the
Nitrox and simply write the oxygen percentage and MOD
on the tank tag. On entry, diver shows computer’s settings
to the divemaster;
3) Deco limits are only addressed once, as follows: “We
recommend a 5-minute buffer inside the no-deco limits,
a 2-minute safety stop at 33 ft., and a 3-minute stop at 15
feet”;
4) Paradise Sport is currently having its comprehensive
annual refit with particular attention being given to the airconditioning
system.