Courses and Prices

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions offers a range of dive courses which can be undertaken onboard our liveaboard expeditions, covering everything from Open Water Referral, right through to Solo Diver and Nitrox Courses. Please see below for complete list.  Standard dive expedition fees are in addition to course costs listed below.

Discuss your needs with us: The exposed deep waters of the Coral Sea make it less suitable for trainee divers and snorkelers. Please discuss your course needs with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions prior to booking your travel arrangements.

Medical Requirements: There are medical considerations for all course participants and these are listed at the bottom of this page.

PADI Scuba Diver:  Divers with the ‘PADI Scuba Diver’ certification are only qualified to dive with a Divemaster or Instructor to a maximum of 12m.

Medical Considerations and Requirements

PADI Open Water Divers, PADI Open Water Referral and PADI Scuba Diver Upgrade courses.

PADI Open Water, PADI Open Water (OW) Referral and PADI Scuba Diver Upgrade students completing their certification in Queensland must have their medical completed to Australian Standard 4005.1 if they:

1. Have an at risk medical condition, indicated by a yes answer on the Medical Declaration, or
2. Are over 45 years old, or;
3. Have a body Mass Index (BMI) over 30, or a waist size of over 102cm for a male or over 88cm for a female.

If the medical is not completed in Queensland, the Australian Standard 4005.1 form must be supplied and completed by your doctor (preferably a medical practitioner with experience in diving medicine); this medical must be produced prior to commencement of course. The medical must be no older than 90 days.

All other courses

Complete a PADI Medical Statement and return to us ASAP.
For “All other courses” a positive response to the medical questionnaires does not necessarily disqualify you from participating in a course; we may however request that you seek advice from a medical physician and supply a medical statement clearing you as “fit to dive”. We strongly recommend this course of action to avoid any disappointment.

Visiting Instructors

Visiting Instructors conducting training must:

• Show proof of your training agency membership and liability insurance,
• Comply with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions safety procedures,
• Comply with Training Agency procedures.
• Ensure minimum student age is 12.

If conducting Open Water training instructor must show:

• All student paperwork as required by dive training agency prior to training,
• Provide PADI Medical Statement for each student (refer to Medical Considerations & Requirements above),
• Course completion paperwork at end of training prior to students diving unsupervised.