Liveaboard Scuba Diving on the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

Coral Sea Expedition with Mike Ball, Ty Sawyer and Dr Alistair Birtles

Mike and Guests

15th July 2010 and excited passengers boarded Spoilsport in Cairns, along with a few special guests. Travelling onboard this expedition with the passengers were special guests Ty Sawyer (Editor of Sport Diver USA), Dr Alistair Birtles (Minke Whale expert) and Mike Ball. Everyone was about to experience the glorious trifecta of the Ribbon Reefs, Coral Sea and Minke whales.

It would be easy to write a long descriptive article about how special this area is and the experiences you can have on a 3,4 or 7 night liveaboard expedition. Including how Moises would have won the onboard photo competition for his minke image below (if he hadn't photo-shopped his buddy into it!). However, I think the guests sum it up much better, so below is a list of comments made by guests onboard this expedition. For more information you can read the reef report, see Ty Sawyer's photo gallery, view a minke whale photo gallery or contact us about joining a similar expedition during the 2011 minke whale season!

Minke Whale and Diver (Jenny) on the Ribbon Reefs

Guest Name/s:	Best Thing?	Dive Highlights?	Would you Recommend?
Jason Merrithew	Snorkeling with Minke whales, shark feed at Osprey Reef	Shark Feed!	Yes
Michael Merrithew	Great service from the staff, Thanks!	Minkes, Shark Feed!	Yes
Janet & David Hays	Shark Feed!	Minke Snorkelling!	Yes
Joe Hughes	Great group of people and getting to spend time with Mike & Alistair	Shark Dive and Minke Whales	Yes
Ashley Bringman	Whales! Staff!!! Osprey!	Osprey! Whales during deco-stop. Challenger Bay - beautiful	Yes
Glenda Mullan	The diving.	The diving, the crew the boat.	Yes
Ty Sawyer	Minke Whales! People! Osprey! Staff!	When a Minke came by for a good look.	Yes
Moises Gardallo	Meeting Minkes! And Crew!	Again, Minkes Whales.	Yes
Hiroko Miyayama	Minke swim. Can go solo diving and can go more than 30m!	Minke and Shark Feeding.	Yes
Dan Peterson	I am very impressed with the way the staff get along with each other, it made the difference in the trip from great to outstanding!!! The quality of the diving Attention to details by staff and crew!!	Shark dive / feed was spectacular!! And well done to care for everyone, including sharks. The diversity of wildlife and varierty of sites. Also having Mike along...and Alistair :)	Yes
Tom Sanders	The crew, the diving, my dive buddy Bill. Great trip! Onces of a lifetime. Thank you!	Minke whale encounter, sea snakes, dive guides, Kerrin (Trip Director)	Yes
Helgi Olsen	Many dives, generally good order and professionalism. Very good confitions for photorgaphers onboard, great facilities.	Cods hunting at night dive at Cod hole	Yes
Jenny Vrontakis	The usual warmth, friendliness, enthusiasm and trusst of the staff. There were some special guests that I connected with - plus it was extra special to have Mike and Alistair on the trip. The Minke whale interactions and Osprey Reef dives were highlights!	Mink whale encoutners / Osprey Reef dives / Great staff! Fun guests!	Yes - I already to many - who have also loved these trips :)
Vincent Poire	Lot of diving of great quality, friendly and professional staff very well organised. The schedule is quite charged by we feel not too stressed. Everything is well explained and clear, whcih is really appreciated. Dive briefing outstanding.	Minke whales, night dive at the Cod Hole, all the other night dives, eagle rays & sharks, shark feeding. all teh animals that we have the privilege to see in their natural environment!	Yes
Marloes Poiesz	The whole organisation is set up for a lot of diving! (Very) Friendly and helpful staff: excellent dive-deck setup! Meals were excellent too. Dive briefing was clear.	Minke encounters; night dives; sites with a lot of dish (small or big); guided dives and explanations.	Yes
Bill Rowland	Too much to chose from (Boat/Food/Fun/Minkes/etc.) but the winner was the diving - Thank you Dan & Bec!	Cod Hole night dive - awesome. Steve's Bommie All the dive crew - thank you.	Yes
Liz Bosma	Swimming with Minke whales.	Minke whales. Alastair Birtles information sessions. Julia's information sessions.	Yes
Tim Lassig	A tie for the followin: Minke spotting and Minke interaction, Osprey Shark feed and diving, Great Barrier Reef diving, breakfast, lunch and dinner, awesome crew, did I mention the guests? Awesome.	Face to face literally with a giant cod. Shark feed, 2 large sharks at Admiralty Anchor, mobular ray, really too many to note!	Yes
Sue Oswald	The staff are amazing and the boat is excellent. Best ever liveaboard I've been on and the volunteer program is wonderful.	Minke whales and shark dive.	Yes