Mike Ball Dive Expeditions

Liveaboard Scuba Diving on the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

  • 3 night Fly Dive Cod Hole Expedition 1 - 4 August

    Conditions

    40m / 131ft
    visibility
    23°C / 73.4°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Jenny Vrontakis - Australia Catherine Schwarzbach - USA John Sear - Australia
    Great staff! Great diving! Great meals! Great Mike Ball 5 star service! Great cabin 6! Diving Acropolis, the shark feed at North Horn and seeing 5 Minkes at Lighthouse Bommie were highlights. This was very professionally done. All details were well planned and carried out. You have an exceptional and multitalented crew. This was top notch in every way. The boat itself was also great, comfortable and well maintained. Bravo!. Fantastic teamwork from the crew - very obliging & efficient and fun too, making it a very memorable trip - thank you very much.

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    John Sear (compact camera)

    John Sear (compact camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Mike Oras (compact camera)

    Mike Oras (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Anthony Conroy (compact camera)

    Anthony Conroy (compact camera)


  • 4 night Fly Dive Coral Sea 4 - 8 August

    Conditions

    30m / 98ft
    visibility
    23°C / 73.4°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

     Chris & Chantelle Brillon- Australia Sarah Norman - Australia Kim Bickley - Australia
    The shark feed was unreal, I do not think I will ever see the same again. I appreciated having photo skills workshop at the start of the trip to get tips. Having our own bathroom was a luxury and the dive deck was huge with lots of room to move & set up dive gear. Excellent trip! Special thanks to the chef and all the great staff - always helpful and friendly. Great rental gear, quick service with tanks, wetsuits, etc. Overall a very wonderful experience. The staff were always on hand, friendly and efficient. The boat was clean and extremely comfortable - never wanted for anything. excellent work!

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Sebastian Goldhorn (SLR camera)

    Sebastian Goldhorn (SLR camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Sebastian Goldhorn (SLR camera)

    Sebastian Goldhorn (SLR camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Chris Brillon (compact camera)

    Chris Brillon (compact camera)


  • 3 night Fly Dive Cod Hole Expedition 8 - 11 August

    Conditions

    25m / 82ft
    visibility
    23°C / 73.4°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    James Grasso - USA Russ Evans - Canada Melanie Martin - Scotland
    I liked having the independance to dive how I would like, like the openess to solo diving. This is my fourth trip since the late 80's and everything was spot on as usual. The people were great. I was paired with the perfect buddy - same air use, dive needs, etc. The galley staff had the best food & were the best socializers - thank you Keri! The food, the staff and the reef were amazing but swimming with the Minke whales was a highlight as was getting to learn from experienced divers and finishing my openwater course.

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Estella Griffioen (compact camera)

    Estella Griffioen (compact camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Amanda Polwin (compact camera)

    Amanda Polwin (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Estella Griffioen (compact camera)

    Estella Griffioen (compact camera)


  • 4 night Fly Dive Coral Sea 11 -15 August

    Peter Rowlands (1st compact catergory)

    Peter Rowlands (1st compact catergory)


    Mathias Kranz (2nd compact category)

    Mathias Kranz (2nd compact category)


    Paolo Cudicini (3rd compact category)

    Paolo Cudicini (3rd compact category)


    Conditions

    30m / 98ft
    visibility
    23°C / 73.4°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Peter Rowlands - Canada Bret & Mary Qualls - USA Leanne Smith - UK
    It was great to get the chance to get to a remote, relatively pristine offshore area and to be able to dive it with a great group of people...not a 'heavyhanded' approach by staff...there to help but not overbearing / overly supervisory. The divemasters went above and beyond to assist me with gear due to my disability. They were always attentive and ensured I enjoyed every dive. The food was awesome! There was a fun atmosphere without any compromise on safety, everyone (crew & clients) got on well with each other. Also, being a solo traveller, I wasn't made to feel left out. I loved the incredible corals, shark spotting and the variety of wildlife.

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)

    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)

    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)

    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)


  • 3 night Fly Dive Cod Hole Expedition 15 - 18 August

    Mark Weeks (1st compact category)

    Mark Weeks (1st compact category)


    Michelle Blyumin (2nd compact category)

    Michelle Blyumin (2nd compact category)


    Paolo Cudicini (3rd compact category)

    Paolo Cudicini (3rd compact category)


    Conditions

    25m / 82ft
    visibility
    23°C / 73.4°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Annastasia Burright - USA Tracey Aberman - USA Linda Welder - USA
    The entire staff was outstanding! So helpful, friendly and fun. Very professional and aware of individual divers needs. Amazing! Seeing the cuttlefish was great, as was the white tip reef sharks, the corals and the giant clams. The whole experience was new. I liked the option to dive or not dive or to snorkel. The guides were great. Seeing Humpback whales on BBQ night was fantastic!Steve's Bommie has such a wonderful variety of life. My experience was greatly enhanced by Cleo and Charlotte, they are wonderful with dive issues. I was unable to get comfortable with my dive gear & my worries yet they took me out and I had fabulous dives - very calm, knowledgeable & competent people.

     

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)

    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)

    Philippe Richard (SLR camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Paolo Cudicini (SLR camera)

    Paolo Cudicini (SLR camera)


  • 4 night Fly Dive Coral Sea 18 - 22 August

    Conditions

    40m / 131ft
    visibility
    24°C / 75.2°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Amy Pan - USA Tanya Mohr - Luxembourg Majorie Donovan - USA
    Excellent service by the crew, clean accommodation, really clear dive briefs (incl handrawn maps). Generally a really thoughtful, great experience with amazing dive sites and an awesome enthusiastic group. Shark feed was amazing, I've never experienced something like that at all. I particulary enjoyed the Cod Hole and Snake Pit dives - tons of life, beautiful (live) reef / coral.Everything was just awesome! 1st experience on a liveaboard but definately not the last. Diving was great. Friendly and helpful staff, lots of fun with the Captain singing...great memories. The shark feed was awesome! The quality and quantity of dive sites was great. The staff were amazing - the ratio between staff and customer was crazy good. I felt very safe during the whole trip. The shark feed at North Horn was amazing as was the swim through at Admiralty Anchor.

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Andrew Feinberg (compact camera)

    Andrew Feinberg (compact camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Andrew Feinberg (compact camera)

    Andrew Feinberg (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Amy Pan (compact camera)

    Amy Pan (compact camera)


  • 3 night Fly Dive Cod Hole Expedition 22 - 25 August

    Conditions

    40m / 131ft
    visibility
    24°C / 75.2°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Jacques Stephens - UK Alexandra Pounds - Australia Ljubica Novkovic - UK
    Fantastic crew (helpful and friendly), fantastic food, fantastic organisation and fantastic diving experience (turtles, corals, fish). There were so many opportunities to dive! I've never done so many dives in one day. The sharks were amazing, the corals in fantastic health, and of course, seeing Nemo was unforgettable.  The crew are absolutely fab! Really hard working and they make an already amazing trip and destination even more incredible. The potato cod, snakes, shark feed, corals, the crew, the captain's singing - all absolutely awesome!

     

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Yotan Benami (compact) click for true format

    Yotan Benami (compact) click for true format


    2nd Place: 
    Melanie Kriese (compact camera)

    Melanie Kriese (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Leah Martin (compact camera)

    Leah Martin (compact camera)


  • 4 night Fly Dive Coral Sea 25 - 29 August

    Conditions

    30m / 98ft
    visibility
    24°C / 75.2°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Frida Choudhary - Sweden Suzanne Leeson & David Vickery - USA Edda Conrad -  Germany
    Great diving and freedom to dive, great staff, great company... awesome! The last dive was awesome, didn't want to come up! I wish I'd had the time to extend to a 7 day trip. I will be back. The staff were endlessly helpful, cheerful, good natured, interested & fun. We had a great trip. Best liveaboard food ever and better than most land-based operations. We would have liked more time at Osprey Reef.The service and the staff are excellent. I liked the dry towels after every dive. And it's a good idea to give every diver a personalised waterbottle.  Every dive was a highlight!

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)

    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)

    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)

    Frida Choudhary (compact camera)


  • 3 night Fly Dive Cod Hole Expedition 29 August - 1 September

    Conditions

    25m / 82ft
    visibility
    24°C / 75.2°F
    water temperature

    Guest Comments

    Cheryl Hamilton - USA Yoo-Ky Kwon - USAAlan Roach & Deanne Moore - USA

    Exceeded my expectations. Personalised attention, I felt like part of a family. The special gluten free meals were very tasty and greatly appreciated. Snorkeling at Flare Point and Pixie Gardens was a highlight.

    The dive staff were excellent - always ready to answer questions and lend a hand. I was impressed. I enjoyed Lighthouse Bommie dive site the best.It was a well rounded experience with good diving, great staff, excellent food and comfortable cabins, Lighthouse Bommie and Steve's Bommie were by far the best dive locations.

     

    Guest Photo Competition - (Click on images to enlarge)

    1st Place: 
    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)

    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)


    2nd Place: 
    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)

    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)


    3rd Place: 
    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)

    Melissa Ianetta (compact camera)