Dive Review of Mike Ball in
Australia/Townsville Great Barrier Reef

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Mike Ball, Jul, 2005, by Rene Umberger, HI, USA ( Reviewer 5 reports). Report 2081.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Spoilsport is a beautiful, well maintained vessel. We chose this trip with Mike Ball specifically to dive the Yongala after several days of diving with them on their No. GBR Minke Whale trip. The weather was not cooperating and we had to wait until the last day of the trip to try for the Yongala. The crew was professional and we trusted them to make the right decision on whether it was calm/safe enough to dive there - which they did. They provided exceptional service (with smiles) by accommodating our special needs to don and doff our gear in the water, due to back injuries. One very disturbing incident on Wheeler Reef which is a "poster child" for successful reef conservation efforts world wide. Crew anchored too close to a large beautiful coral bommie and during the dive we witnessed the anchor chain shearing off entire huge coral heads and cleaving giant chunks off others - it was too painful to watch... This was anchor destruction at it's worst. Though there was a mooring there, we were told it was an illegal one and so they weren't allowed to use it. Apparently, on that very day, Mike Ball's operation was granted a permit to put in a permanent, legal, mooring, however, it does not excuse lazy anchoring techniques. There are plenty of large sandy areas and if they simply put a crew member in the water to guide the capt. to one of them, they would have prevented the horrible destruction their anchor did to that reef that day.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	California, Hawaii, Roatan, No. Great Barrier Reef
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	71-75°F / 22-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Mike Ball in Australia/Townsville Great Barrier Reef

Mike Ball, Jul, 2005,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Mike Ball in
Australia/Townsville Great Barrier Reef