Mike Ball Dive Expeditions has created happy underwater and topside memories for thousands of guests since 1969, earning a place not only in the history books and halls of fame, but also in our hearts, log books and photo books.
An adventure on Spoilsport is a rite of passage for many, opening up the wonderful world of dive travel possibilities and a greater understanding and love of marine life in our underwater world.
The mix of biodiversity offered on the varied itineraries, the friendly hospitality, comfort and general ease onboard, keeps us coming back.
But what exactly is the Mike Ball Difference?
For seasoned divers and keen underwater photographers, an open dive deck and the possibility of five dives a day is valued, with no rush or limit placed on dive times.
Returning guests enjoy new dive sites, itineraries and special expedition trips carefully planned to offer different experiences and showcase different natural wonders. Choose a Coral Sea trip with exciting big fish action, shark encounters and excellent visibility, or the GBR Ribbon Reefs on the edge of the Continental Shelf and home to large fish populations and diverse coral species due to the upwelling of nutrient rich water.
Friendly pricing and accommodation options make it easy, offering choices to suit your hip pocket. The strong focus on safety is obvious and reassuring.
Onboard there’s always a warm welcome and encouragement for tweenagers and teenagers from the crew. Witnessing children enjoying their snorkelling, mastering a try dive, or logging their first dives as novices is so rewarding. Many parents (including me) have seen the wide-eyed joy on their youngsters’ faces, spotting species as small as a Christmas tree worms on big coral bombes or as large as a minke whales gliding effortlessly by.
Underwater photographers’ needs and expectations are met – both physically on the camera deck, and psychologically – that takes experience! Of course there is no end to the incredible marine life to photograph.
For fifty years, the company has supported scientific research in marine biology, hosting researchers on board and collecting data to support studies on minke whales, nautilus and coral – most recently the Reef Life Live Coral Spawning event TV documentaries.
Nowadays, since Mike’s retirement, a close team of individuals who’ve worked together for decades continue Mike Ball’s legacy with a deep understanding of guests’ expectations, excellent friendly service and superb snorkelling and diving the way you like it. They deliver on all fronts.
Captain Trevor Jackson has recently blogged about a special expedition to the RMS Quetta in 2022/3 – there’s an interesting story there. And according to latest reef reports from the dive deck, last month’s visibility was 60m, water temp 28 degrees C!
What are we waiting for! Checkout @spoilsportlive for a nudge (as if we need it!) and head to https://www.mikeball.com/
