Dive Review of Mike Ball Spoilsport in
Australia

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Mike Ball Spoilsport: "The Great Barrier Reef is Still Great", Sep, 2019, by Jacob Rosenstein, CA, US ( Contributor 14 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 11187 has 2 Helpful votes.
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	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I booked my Coral Sea trip through Dive Discovery. Although they were thorough in the past, there were glitches this time around. The Mike Ball office address had not been updated in 5 years, so we were sent to the wrong place. Also, the Diver Booking Information Package had not been forwarded to the dive operator. I had to fill out detailed questions regarding my dive history 4 days before the trip while in Melbourne, with no access to my dive logs which were in a Cairns hotel. Sorry Undercurrent, you had recommended this travel agent in the past! Anyway, the diving was fantastic for the most part. Our first dive at Goggle Gardens was rather bland. Coral were colorless and few fish. It got better at Pixie Pinnacle, which had profuse marine life on this dive site. Due to rough seas, the diving itinerary was changed, and Bougainville Reef was not on our route. The boat headed north instead. We had great dives at Osprey Reef, where shark feed at North Horn attracted many White tips, Grey Reefs, and solitary Silver tip sharks, and at Admiralty Anchor, where a tunnel created a swim-thru with an old anchor. TMO was also on the dive route, and Norsigan Reef south of it. Other famous dive sites, like Ribbon Reef #10, Cod Hole, Lighthouse Bommie, and Steve's Bommie were also on the route. The reefs were healthy, except for some sand deposited by storms at the beginning of some sites. Water visibility was good at some dive areas but not all. There were schools of Jacks and Barracuda on many dives as well as lots of big Potato Cod and a huge Bump Head parrotfish on our last dive. Kudos to the dive crew. They were meticulous in planning and guiding divers who wanted their expertise in these locations. They were also helpful in aiding with dive gear. As noted above, rough seas plagued us for the first 3 days. There are no grab bars in the showers, or in common areas like galley or lounge, which for older divers can be problematic. Otherwise, the "Accommodations" section would receive 5 stars. Food was delicious and varied, but more fruit for breakfast and lunch would be a great addition to meat, cereal and eggs. There's a no gloves policy for divers, but the pro photog wore fingerless gloves.
Websites	Mike Ball Spoilsport
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Fiji, Indonesia, Palau, Red Sea, California Channel Islands, Cuba, Sea of Cortez, Galapagos
Closest Airport	Cairns	Getting There	International flights go to Sydney first, then transfer to the domestic terminal to flights for Cairns.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	74-76°F / 23-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Not deeper than your Nitrox MOD and not longer than 60 minutes, although many divers had longer dive times with shallower depths.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There is ample camera table room for photo and video buffs. Camera rinse buckets and air hoses are provided. It's a safe environment, as there are no charging stations on the dive deck. Charging of camera and dive gear is in cabins only.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Mike Ball Spoilsport in Australia

Mike Ball Spoilsport: "The Great Barrier Reef is Still Great", Sep, 2019,

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 Spoilsport in
Australia