Itinerary

Sample itinerary, subject to change based on conditions.

Thursday:  

• Check in at our office (3 Abbott St, Cairns) between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm.
• From 4.30 pm:  Make your own way to meet your fellow passengers. The meeting point for boarding is at 5:30pm, further details will be given at check-in.  Please note that dinner is not provided on the first evening so you may wish to eat before boarding.
• 5.50 pm: Our crew will lead you to board Spoilsport.  Enjoy a glass of champagne and light snacks while your Trip Director provides a full briefing.
• 6:00 pm:  Spoilsport departs Cairns.
• Time to organise any rental equipment and put your dive gear together on the dive deck.

Friday:  (4 dives + night dive) This is a sample of a ‘typical day’, however exact times may vary to optimise the prevailing weather conditions on the day.

• 6:30 am: Wake up call, light breakfast available in dining room
• 7:00 am: Dive brief & diving commences
• 9:00 am: Full cooked Breakfast
• 10:30 am: Dive brief & diving. “Open decks” accommodate 1-2 dives either am or pm
• 2:00 pm: Lunch
• 3:30 pm: Dive brief & diving
• 4:30 pm: Afternoon Tea
• 6:30 pm: Night dive brief & dive
• 8:00 pm: Dinner

Saturday:  (4 dives + night dive)

• As per above.

Sunday: (4 dives)

• As per above, however all diving is finished by 5pm. Spoilsport moors off Lizard Island for the evening.
• As the sun sets we pour the champagne, lay out the nibbles and get ready for an Aussie BBQ party night. Don’t forget to wear your loudest tropical shirt or dress and sing along to music played by our talented crew.

Monday:  (2 dives + night dive)

• 7:00 am:  Light breakfast
• 8:00 am:  Bid farewell to passengers doing the 4 night Fly Dive Coral Sea Expedition who will disembark here.
• 8:00 am:  Stay onboard or take a tender over to Lizard Island to stretch your legs and explore a little of this beautiful island.
• 11:00 am:  New passengers join us here.  Drinks and light snacks provided.
• 12:45 pm:  Dive brief and dive
• 2:00 pm:  Lunch
• 3:45 pm:  Dive brief and dive
• 4:45 pm:  Afternoon tea
• 6:00 pm:  Dive brief and night dive
• 8:00 pm:  Dinner

Tuesday: (4 dives + night dive)

• As per Friday, above.

Wednesday: (4 dives)

• As per above. Exit last dive 5pm.
• As the sun sets we pour the champagne, lay out the nibbles and get ready for a final farewell party!
• Overnight cruise to Cairns

Thursday:

• 7:00 am:  Light breakfast
• 8:00 am:  Disembark and courtesy transfer to Cairns inner city hotels, the airport or our office where we can store your luggage until 5pm if you have a later flight.

Important:

• We recommend that you allow 24 hours between your last dive and your onward flight (all diving is finished by 5pm Wednesday).

This trip is recommended to advanced certified divers: open water certification is a minimum requirement, but please note that some of the Coral Sea reef sites do not even start until 18m beneath the surface.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions does allow solo diving, but only for divers with a Solo Certification (you can complete one of these on board, but must have an Advanced Certification and evidence of at least 100 logged dives).

Scuba divers traveling on their own will be paired up with other divers on board, who have similar experience/skill levels.

The Coral Sea dive sites have 1,000m wall drop-offs. In regards to maximum dive depths on Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, depth guidelines are based on individual diver experience and industry standards. The maximum depth, for divers with appropriate certification and experience, is 40m. Dives in excess of 40 meters (132ft) to a maximum of 50 meters (165ft) can only be undertaken by divers with a minimum experience of 100 dives with 25 deeper than 30 meters (100ft) including one to a depth within 3 meters of dive being undertaken.

Dive safety is paramount on these trips, especially given the remote location of some of these reef sites. There is no reverse profiling. There are no set limits on dive time: although divers must return to the boat with a minimum of 50 bar of air left in their tanks.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions has an open dive deck policy, allowing you to dive as much, or as little, as you like. Most certified divers will do up to five (5) dives per day (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon plus a night dive). On a normal itinerary, Spoilsport will visit up to three (3) different dive sites per day.

Diving equipment is not included in the tour price. You are welcome to bring your own or hire it on the boat ($44 per day full dive equipment rental). All divers are required to use a Nautilus Lifeline GPS (these are included). Extras include Nitrox and the choice to participate in some dive courses (PADI Advanced or Nitrox).

Certified divers can enjoy up to 26 dives on this trip: you do not have to do all of the dives, do as many or as few as you like.

Certified divers will be required to show evidence of their certification: through current dive licenses and log books. All divers will be required to sign a Waiver Release and Indemnity Deed on board the boat. You will also be required to complete dive medical paperwork on board.

Some of the reef sites you may visit on this trip all pending weather conditions:

Crystal Plateau – Bougainville Reef – Coral Sea

The reef top descends to a spectacular terrace of hard corals at 20-30m before edging over into an abyss hundreds of meters deep. Sea fans and soft corals adorn the reef wall where sharks also patrol.

Dungeons & Dragons – Bougainville Reef – Coral Sea

The reef top here is cut with an incredible maze of caves, tunnels, and swim-throughs – great to poke around to discover fish and other critters.  Or venture beyond the shallows to a wall descending to around 1000m, where you can find sharks and barracuda.

Admiralty Anchor – Osprey Reef – Coral Sea

Named after an anchor lodged midway through a tunnel that makes for an exciting swim through. A maze of huge towering bommies are home to plenty of fish and a delight to explore. Below them a sheer wall attracts sharks and occasionally manta rays.

North Horn – Osprey Reef – Coral Sea

Welcome to Shark Central!  Watch a controlled shark feed with 10-30 grey reef, white-tip reef, and silver-tip sharks.

False Entrance – Osprey Reef – Coral Sea

This site never disappoints with exciting fish action alongside colorful Gorgonian fans, whips, and soft corals. Resident barracuda and schooling big eye trevally make for great photo opportunities, and keep an eye out for cruising hammerheads out in the blue.

Lizard Island

Mid-expedition we moor off Lizard Island, saying goodbye to some guests and welcoming new ones. You will have a few hours to relax on the beach, go for a swim or climb the hill to Chinaman’s Ridge for a view.  One of our crew members will show you around.

Cod Hole – Ribbon Reefs – Great Barrier Reef

The Cod Hole is famous for its diver-sized potato cod. These fish are incredibly inquisitive and don’t mind getting very chummy with divers. A great opportunity to capture photographs of these magnificent characters or simply hang out and enjoy their company.

Pixie Pinnacle – Ribbon Reefs – GBR

An exciting pinnacle dive, draped in soft corals and absolutely heaving with fish life.  Spiral your way up the pinnacle and search for interesting critters such as the flame file clam, or ‘disco clam’, named for the flashing light that appears to pulse along its mantle.

Coral Kingdom – Ribbon Reefs – GBR

A fantastic coral dive with vast beds of staghorn and other varieties, and dotted with colourful giant clams.  Bump-headed parrotfish and inquisitive barracuda cruise the site along with schools of other reef fish.

Steve’s Bommie – Ribbon Reefs – GBR

Steve’s Bommie is a photographer’s dream with an incredible quantity of diverse marine life. Hunt out such creatures as stonefish, scorpionfish, octopus, clown anemone fish, and turtles, not to mention the many schools of fish that call this place home.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions are just that, dive trips. However, snorkelers and non-diving partners are more than welcome to join in. Please note that the Coral Sea does not really have any suitable snorkel sites, although some snorkelling may be enjoyed on the Ribbon Reefs. Discounts apply for snorkelers: contact us for more information on prices.