Extraordinary Expedition: National Geographic Weeklong Minke Whale Expedition
Join Minke whale researchers on this very special Minke whale expedition. Minke whales are the friendliest of whales and are comfortable while closely interacting with divers and snorkelers. To look into the eyes of a Dwarf Minke whale is an inspirational and humbling experience. This expedition has been planned for the prime Minke whale season when Minke whale encounters are most reliable. The dive sites will focus on the region between Cooktown and Lizard Island. In addition to an unforgettable wildlife experience, your contribution to this project will aid in the collection of valuable data for a species that is only newly discovered and poorly understood. For more information read about our Minke Whale Expeditions here or contact us.
Eco news: Great Barrier Reef in "Great Shape"
Sitting here in Cairns, with the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea in our backyard we could easily become depressed by all the bad news that keeps perpetuating in the media about the health of our reef. Diving everyday of the week it would be fair to say that our crew are some of the most connected people with what is happening day in day out on the reef. Their belief that our reef is in great shape has just been backed up by James Cook University researcher Peter Ridd who says the Great Barrier Reef is actually in "bloody brilliant shape". While we agree no one should ever take a backseat when it comes to looking after our environment, and no one should be complacent, we are also very lucky. We have one of the best managed Marine Parks in the world.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in their 2009 'Outlook Report', states that "the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most diverse and remarkable ecosystems in the world and remains one of the most healthy coral reef ecosystems". Mike Ball Dive Expeditions continues to contribute to research through monitoring programs, minke whale research, plus hosting scientists and researchers onboard. We continue to educate our guests through the 'Peace on the Reef' and 'Reef Ecology' program. There is no doubt that globally, our oceans and coral reefs face a challenging future due to human impacts. We encourage everyone to look at what they do in their everyday lives to help reduce their own impact.
Qantas are offering amazing airfare
specials LA => Sydney
Fares from Los Angeles or San Francisco starting at US$399 each way based on round trip. More information
From Conneticut to the Coral Sea - Old Broads Go Diving: Group
Report from Spoilsport
This is an abridged version of the full report written by Judie Haynie (far left in group photo below) from the Old Broads Dive Club...
I first met Mike Ball in Connecticut on a cold winter night in January 2007. Snow was piled up about three feet, around the local dive shop. About thirty of us ventured out to hear about diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. And we weren’t disappointed. His presentation to the dive club stirred the imagination, and raised the desire to make a journey to that far off land down under. There was no question about it, we were going to Australia...
The reef was perfectly gorgeous. Very diversified and healthy looking, including very large coral growth sprinkled about with Giant Clams. Nowhere did we see signs of coral bleaching. We could do five dives a day if we so desired. The fifth dive was a night dive, which started right around sunset. I did one night dive with three Australians as dive buddies. It was thrilling, as we were surrounded by giant Trevallies. Everywhere we shone our light there was a hunt in progress. 
Our three daily dives were always a treat. We were able to dive with many different crew members. My favorite dives with Captain Larry, and Ship’s Engineer, Brendon were some of the best in my years of diving. One particular dive, Fast Eddies, started deep, but then he took us up a channel through a beautiful swim thru, and into very shallow water. We saw countless numbers of Dot Dash butterfly, Napoleon wrasse, and Titan trigger fish. Diving Cod Hole, Brendon treated us to a big Potato Cod up close and personal. Two big Cods swam around and around us for the several minutes. All the divers got to experience the large creatures swimming close yet never touching any of us. Snake Pit was an interesting dive site. As you would expect from the name it was full of sea snakes. I’ve seen snakes in the Philippians and in Fiji, but nothing like the Australian Olive Green Snakes.
The Mike Ball live aboard was a wonderful experience! The food was fantastic and the company delightful. The crew, all twelve of them, worked so hard to make sure we would have a fun filled experience and great diving. Having really good people and the good sense to locate a business in one of the ocean’s finest diving areas makes it easy to see why the Mike Ball Liveaboard is regarded as one of the best in the world. We will remember the experience and hopefully be back to enjoy it another time.
Please Note: Five dives are available most days.
Guest photos of the Month
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Red Lionfish
Laura Della Torre |
Mantis Shrimp
Myreen Palitsch-Jaeger |
Manta Ray
Myreen Palitsch-Jaeger |
Every summer as we usher in the new year here at Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, we consider the changes that will come about in the following 12 months. For me the biggest change is returning to the bridge of Spoilsport full time in April to re-engage with the magical Coral Sea. But the big change for the company is that we are returning to our roots. In the latter part of the year, Spoilsport is heading back to where it all began, the mighty, SS Yongala.
When Yongala left Mackay on the morning of March 23rd, 1911, the crew on board had no way of knowing that they were steaming into the jaws of a preposterous storm. Somewhere on a steamship between London and Sydney, sitting in a wooden crate, was a radio destined to be fitted to the Yongala. Had that radio already been fitted, coastal stations may have been able to warn the ship. The Meteorological Office advised Mackay that cyclonic seas could be expected between there and Townsville, but there was no way of telling Yongala before she left. The lighthouse keeper on Dent Island watched the ship as she battled her way through increasing seas at the top of the Whitsunday passage. He was the last person to ever see her afloat. She disappeared for decades and passed into maritime folklore
Now the ship, located by the navy just after World War 2, is unquestionably the finest wreck dive in the country. And from our point of view, and to coin an old expression, she is ‘back by popular demand’.
Everyone here is excited. And they should be. In terms of history and marine life, the 100 metre long Yongala is peerless. At a shade over 25 metres to the sand she is within the realms of most divers and the protection afforded her by the Historic Shipwrecks Act means that many of her fittings and artefacts lie untouched at the site for all to see.
At this stage we are running two, week long trips. The first departs Cairns and visits Holmes and Flinders reefs on the way to the wreck and on into the port of Townsville. The second is a mirror image of that trip, arriving in Cairns a week after departure. Mike Ball Dive Expeditions made its name providing 5 star service to this 5 star wreck, and these trips will prove the old adage. Everything old is new again. Get onboard.
All healthy coral reef ecosystems harbor vast stocks of territorial herbivores that manage and minimise algae growth on the reef. Algae, while vital at the base of the food chain, is not visibly abundant on healthy coral reefs that thrive in clear, nutrient-poor water. Nonetheless, algae survives and is fed upon by an active community of industrious grazers including parrotfish, surgeonfish, rabbitfish and even some damselfish.
Sporting a distinctly birdlike beak, parrotfish feed not only on algae but on coral itself by scraping their beak (formed by fused teeth) across and even though solid rock. The ingested algae, coral and rock pass through a marvel of evolutionary engineering, the pharyngeal mill, a second set of fused file-like teeth in the throat that mashes the rocky chunks into sand which the fish quickly vents.
Recent studies indicate the largest parrotfish species, the bumphead, passes a whopping six tons of sand through itself a year! At over a meter long, the behemoth’s unusual head has a bony bulge on each side that supports steely muscles that power its menacing jaw.
Bumpheads are common on GBR and Osprey. At Fast Eddies (Round the Bend) in the Coral Sea, I routinely spot schools 50 strong in early mornings tucked into a deep cut-in in the reef hovering almost motionless. Directly above on the reef edge there are many parrot species with overlapping territories, where colourful males frantically chase any same-species male rival in sight.
While not all surgeonfish are algae-feeders, many common species nip at local algae all day long. The unmistakable lined surgeon dwells on reef tops and edges. Its spines are actually venomous. The convict surgeon also common on the GBR is best viewed whilst gliding over outer exposed reef flats in glassy conditions. The palette surgeon (“Dory”) can be found directly under the boat at our coral-rich dive site, Challenger Bay.
Rabbitfish species, however, are found in pairs often nibbling away at the reef. Two striking standouts, the Coral and Foxface rabbitfish, are reasonably approachable and their rich yellow hues contrast superbly against the deep blue.
Herbivorous damselfish work hardscrabble on their patches of life-supporting turf, each species matched for habitat and algae. Feisty Jewel damsels defend tiny algal kingdoms amongst shallow corals. At our site Clam Beds, marauding mixed-species of parrots, surgeons and rabbitfish routinely overrun the hapless gregories and pillage their supplies.
In the wild, it is no picnic for the herbivorous fish. Besides being an essential part of the food chain, i.e., important prey of grimly efficient predators, grazers and farmers play a critical role in a healthy reef. If you dive on the GBR or Osprey Reef, a supporting cast of herbivores will be toiling away while you glide by.
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