Current
specials are now available for January and February 2010 Eco News: Committed to our Environment  On January 1st 2010 new legislation will come into force in Queensland ensuring our waters are further protected from sewerage generated onboard vessels. During our annual refit in March, a treatment plant was installed onboard Spoilsport; after months of refining and testing, the treatment plant is now up and running. To this end we are very proud to announce that Spoilsport does not contribute excess nutrient load / sewerage pollution into the beautiful waters of the Coral Sea.
Zoning of the offshore waters of Queensland does still allow untreated sewerage to be discharged by tour operators; however Mike Ball Dive Expeditions are committed to the environment and proud to be one of the few operators that have taken this important contribution to long-term, sustainable eco-tourism.  
 
As Captain Blood and Shark Heart (aka John Romney; Richard Fitzpatrick of the Fitzpatrick clan) boarded Spoily, I knew there be adventure at foot on the old brine. What were these scurvy dogs a’ brewing on this fine Thursday eve with the winds a calling from the north? Aargh it be a chill wind up my spine as ‘Bait Man’ (with trouble in his eyes) followed close behind. What mischief were these scurvy dogs going to involve me in on these seven days of adventure? As we gathered in me bridge all became revealed, ‘shark wrangling’ they cried with a gleam in their eyes, ‘we be lassoing sharks and tagging them and setting up monitors along the reef. We be sent by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to study these misunderstood creatures of the deep and create awareness about the importance of these fine animals and to dispel the myths that sharks be an enemy to man’. Aargh. Yes me lads there be many a time me family jewels have risen to me throat as a 5 meter Hammerhead or a 3 meter Bull shark has joined me on one of my journeys beneath the brine. Some people attract dogs while they be out on an early morning stroll, for me its these breathtaking creatures of the deep aargh. With gentle trade winds behind us the setting sun afore, we approached Osprey reef, anticipation flowing through our pirate veins. There be many shark to be seen here, I says to Shark Heart ‘Aye me lad’ he cried ‘& many a yarn can be told of these waters where man and beast have come together, some scary and some just mind blowing aargh’ What a tale unfolded as adrenalin oozed from 28 people gathered from the four corners of the globe, all sitting mesmerized as these nemesis of the deep, 50 strong, swam around us with only one interest, to feed from the carcasses of tuna sacrificed to them. It be no surprise that sharks be fish feeders not man eaters as we were lead to believe in those old sea hunt shows. Amongst this frenzy were Shark Heart and Bait Man with one purpose; to tag these creatures and to prove to us that aye, sharks be our friends. Success we toasted over champagne and prawns on the barbie later that eve, as 28 more people in this universe were convinced it is better to protect our friends beneath the waves than to destroy them, as many a dark heart on our planet are trying to do today. So why don’t you come and join me and me scurvy crew here at Mike Ball as each week we swim with these and many more exciting creatures of the deep in the Coral Sea. Aargh  
The grouper fish family (Serranidae) has many species that vary greatly in size, shape, colour and habitat. While the tasty and easily recognisable coral trout is a ‘typical’ grouper, other species look and behave nothing like them at all. Some are shy and reclusive, often lurking in recesses within the reef. Others are small, colourful and active and swarm above pinnacles and reef edges. There are only a few really big groupers on Indo-Pacific reefs. The largest, the Queensland grouper, can easily exceed two metres in length. Second largest are potato cod that is rare in nature but common at Cod Hole where even newbie photographers can get solid close-up shots of them. Common on all reef sites are metre-long flowery cod that are often are tended to by cleaner wrasse. Although most grouper species are not large, averaging 30-60 cm in length, they do have highly variable body markings. Some have brilliant blue spots like the coral trout, coronation trout and peacock cod while the barramundi cod has polka dots. Numerous well-camouflaged species abound too. The names tell it all: hexagon, honeycomb, blue-spotted, blacktip, blacksaddle, white-blotched, white-spotted and white-streaked cod. All groupers are born female and if they survive long enough, become male. Unknown to many, anthias are in the grouper family. Their males maintain harems of colourful females. On pinnacles, three species—threadfin, redfin, and scalefin dominate the seascape above 10 metres. Photogenic squarespot anthias are found on the bottomless walls of Osprey Reef below 20 metres while striking hawk anthias dwell at similar depths but very close to reef walls and crevasses, often upside down. Closer still to the reef live cryptic arrowhead soapfish that release a slimy substance (grammistin) to deter predators. The other two common soapfish on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are the six-lined and the barred. In the past I dived with a German Fish ID icon, Dieter Eichler, who told me how a fish specialist learned that soapfish are toxic when he put a specimen in his shorts ‘unt his testicle swelled to the size of a grapefruit’. Ouch! That’s not your usual grouper problem. For recreational fisherman, the issue is getting a good catch. Our sites on the outer Ribbon Reefs have been declared a green zone, i.e., no fishing. Coral trout numbers have come back big time. Nowadays, I often see rival trout fight for a spot on the reef but there’s no vacancy. Many adults then venture afar to populate new reefs. Barramundi cod numbers too are rebounding. The Northern Ribbon Reefs of the Great Barrer Reef support a rich heritage of marine fauna, including groupers. While some species have a broad range of prey and habitats, others are specialized. Almost all members of this highly successful family are dominant predators in almost every habitat on the reef.
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