Dive Review of MIke Ball in
Australia/Great Barrier Reef

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MIke Ball, May, 2009, by Lori Pottinger, CA, USA ( Reviewer 5 reports). Report 4827.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The good: Truly amazing, professional, friendly staff who were all really dedicated to making our experience the best they could (including office staff). Comfy boat, very good food (tho served buffet style, which meant some things disappeared before everyone could have some). Good choice of dive sites. Excellent safety standards and protocols, and especially great system on night dive, which made even a first-timer in our party very comfortable about jumping in in the dark. Even on a short (4 nights, 3 diving days) trip, staff managed to squeeze in an informative naturalist presentation, a photo contest, a BBC ocean documentary, and a very fun end-of-trip party! The highlight was probably the very well organized night dive. I wish I'd gone on both instead of just one! The 20 or so participants were divided into teams, with a team leader, and all were given a specific color glow stick so you could easily find your group. (the leader had two of that color.) And of course everyone had a flashlight ("torch"). This system made even a new diver in our group confident to try a night dive, and what a dive it was--huge crabs, a big resting puffer fish, free swimming eels, schools of hunting trevally, giant basket star, a feather-mouthed sea cucumber,tons of hunting small critters, etc. The bad: Billed as a "Fly-dive Coral Sea," rough seas meant we never made it to the Coral Sea, with its deep walls and more exciting sites. (It must be said that I totally respect the Captain's judgement on this, and am glad we did not have to endure a dangerous and rough passage to get to better diving!) Although Mike Ball (and most other operators) note that they may charge an extra fuel surcharge w/o warning, maybe there could be some kind of (small) rebate when fuel savings are large due to a change in destination. On the other hand, this would probably open a can of worms that no operator would want to touch! And while it was a disappointment not to reach the Coral Sea, perhaps that's just the breaks when one chooses one of the windier months to travel! (The captain told us that Sept. is a better, predictably flat time of year.) We would definitely travel w/ Mike Ball again.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Fiji, Hawaii, Bonaire, Florida Keys
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	40-50 Ft/ 12-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Come back w/ 750 psi. If you have an alcoholic drink, that's it for diving for you for that day (BRAVO Mike for the strict rule!)
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	dedicated area for gear set up. Computer to download pix.

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Dive Review of MIke Ball in Australia/Great Barrier Reef

MIke Ball, May, 2009,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of MIke Ball in
Australia/Great Barrier Reef