Coming of Age – Trevor Jackson - Rebreather Diving on Mike Ball Dive Expeditions

Rebreather Group

Rebreather Group

Scuba Schools of America - Rebreather Group

It started to get a bit repetitive. People glancing at their watches to check that it wasn’t April the 1st, or waiting for a punch line. “Sorry, you fair dinkum Trev? Are the guys at Mike Ball really going to start taking rebreather divers on board?”. “Yes we are” I would reply, “ Queensland is coming of age.”

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions have had a habit of setting trends since its inception in 1969. Nearly 30 years later Mike is still breaking new ground. In the last few months the dive crew aboard Spoilsport has been developing a new set of dive procedures that will allow us to become the only liveaboard in Queensland that can legally supervise and conduct rebreather diving - without the need to import specially qualified staff. This has always been a major hurdle as most vessels do not have the staff trained up to do the job.

With the vast and awesome Coral Sea at our doorstep, it seemed almost medieval to exclude rebreathers from the boat just because everyone else had put them in the too hard basket. Out at Osprey Reef, where close-up encounters with sharks and manta’s are common, we could only wonder how much better the interactions would be for divers who weren’t creating bubbles; how much closer could we get to take those photos.

In the early months of 2008 we began to piece it all together. What gear would we need, what staff needed to be trained, which procedures needed to be created? It was a big task but the enthusiasm to embrace rebreather technology had swept through the company. Everyone wanted to learn and evolve.

In July this year we loaded five rebreathers onboard along with some very excited divers and steamed north on our inaugural rebreather trip. Onboard we had pre-arranged delivery of medical grade oxygen and sofnolime so all the divers had to do was turn up, flash their cert cards and dive, dive, dive.

And dive they did. Touching distance from minke whales, turtles and tigers. An elusive thresher shark came to visit, and the walls of Osprey rose up cathedral like from the vast and endless depths. It was awesome and now it was available to the world.

Australian divers whether they are in large groups or small, can now enjoy the pristine waters of the Coral Sea whilst taking advantage of the many benefits which rebreather diving brings; longer bottom times; closer marine life interaction and ultimate silence. No longer will you have to use private vessels or bring your own supervisor to enjoy rebreather diving in Queensland. Spoilsport offers the ultimate in diver comfort and there is plenty of room onboard for the extra space that rebreather users require. So now the only question a rebreather diver might need to ask about using a unit in Queensland is “Do I fancy hovering on a bottomless wall at Osprey Reef surrounded by hammerheads in 70m visibility hearing only the sounds of the ocean?” If the answer is yes, it’s time to get on Spoilsport.

Taken from an article published in The Wet Rag, Sept 2008 - The official publication of the South Pacific Divers Club. To view the entire magazine please go to http://www.southpacificdivers.com/