When scuba legend and reef-diving pioneer Mike Ball signed over the business he had built over 30 years, little did he know he would be handing over a cheque for $7.3 million just three years later to buy it back.

In one of the greatest comebacks in the diving and tourism industry, Mike Ball took back control of his company when he handed over the infamous cheque to his former partners in April of 2004.

He is ecstatic at being back in the drivers seat of his own destiny. But when asked about the fateful evening in 2001 when he lost control of his company, surprisingly Mike burst into laughter saying "I was clocked at 128/km just south of Cairns as I relocated back to Townsville." The policeman who pulled him over asked the normal questions as to his reasons for speeding? "The poor guy was one of the few people I had spoken to since I had been booted, so I gave him my sorry story and the rise and fall of Mike Ball." For 15 minutes the engrossed policeman let other cars speed by before finally putting his book away. "He felt so sorry for me," Mike said.

But nobody should feel sorry for Mike Ball anymore. He is back doing what he loves, managing his fleet of liveaboard vessels in Australia and Papua New Guinea.