Bike Ball, Nov, 2007,by Gary Krippendorf, CA, USA (![]() |
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | ![]() |
Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | N/A |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | ![]() |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | N/A | ||
Beginners | ![]() |
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Advanced | ![]() |
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Comments |
Overall Comments: We boarded the Spoilsport in the evening in the Cairns harbor for the 6 night Coral Sea Expedition trip. The overnight trip out to thefirst dive sites was a bit rough. Our first dive was at 10 am that next morning. Craig was the Trip Director and made sure everyone understood the daily schedules, the systems used on the dive deck and in the water, and asked for feedback. He and the crew did an excellent job at ensuring we all had a safe and enjoyable trip. The water was usually smooth at the sites and we either dove off the back of the boat or had 5-10 minute rides in the “rubber duck” boats to the dive site. Before each dive we’d get a briefing for the site, which described the lay of the land, so to speak, and listed the types of sea life known to be in the area. The first 2 days of diving were at the Great Barrier Reef. Visibility was usually about 50 feet and corals and fish were abundant. Once we reached the dive sites around Flinders Reef out in the Coral Sea the visibility was significantly better, with some sites at 100 feet or more. Typical dive day allowed for 5 dives. First dive was before the hot breakfast, 2 more dives before lunch, 1 afternoon dive, and a dusk / night dive. I have made 5 trips with Mike Ball, including trips on their now discontinued PNG and Townsville operations. It is a solid, professional operation. |
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Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 251-500 dives | ||
Where else diving | Australia, Cayman Brac, Cozumel, Curacao, Dominica, Fiji, Hawaii, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Roatan, Sea of Cortez, Turks and Caicos | ||
Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 78-79°F / 26-26°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 4 |
Water Visibility | 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | 110 foot max, dive computers required. | ||
Liveaboard? | yes | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | 1 or 2 | Mantas | None |
Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | None |
Turtles | None | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | N/A |
UW Photo Comments | Dedicated camera table on dive deck |
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