Australia Minke Whale Group Trip June 2025

Why Join This Trip?

• 98% success rate (since 1996) to witness and interact with the fascinating Minke Whales in their natural habitat on the Great Barrier Reef. The largest pod seen was 28 whales and the longest encounter was 10 hours.
• Travel aboard Australia's most awarded dive liveaboard boat, the MV Spoilsport
• Spend a day off the liveaboard to explore Cairns on Day 4
• Led by Tim Yeo, a seasoned professional with extensive knowledge of the region and its marine life
• 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
• Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure. 

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Trip Overview

Embark on the 7 Night Ultimate Minke Whale Expedition for an extraordinary underwater adventure. This unique journey combines a 4-night Fly Dive Minke expedition with a 3-night Fly Dive Minke experience, ensuring maximum in-water interactions with the world's only known minke whale aggregation sites. Guests will explore the diverse marine life of the Ribbon Reefs, with highlights including encounters with diver-sized potato cod at the Cod Hole and the opportunity to swim with dwarf minke whales at Lighthouse Bommie. The expedition also includes exploration of vibrant dive sites such as Pixie Pinnacle and Dynamite Pass. With a high success rate of 98% in minke whale encounters since 1996, this Mike Ball expedition promises a remarkable underwater experience.

Inclusions

• 7 nights accommodation in twin/double cabins on the MV Spoilsport
• Full board delicious meals & snacks
• Wine and soft drinks with the evening meal
• Up to 22 dives and 4 night dives
• Light aircraft flights from Cairns to Lizard Island on embarkation day, and back from Lizard island to Cairns on disembarkation day.
• Tanks, air fills, and weight belt
• Daily cabin service
• Reef ecology program
• Dive computer workshop
• Transfer to the airport or Cairns hotel after your expedition

Exclusions

• Arrival transfer
• Environmental Management Charge of $7AUS per person, per per day spent on the Great Barrier Reef
• Equipment rental
• Dive Courses
• Gratuity

Trip Type

This trip is a GUIDED GROUP TRIP. It will be led by an experienced Bluewater Trip Leader who will provide  logistical assistance and support throughout the trip. While you are welcome to bring your underwater photography equipment, the Trip Leader is not necessarily a photo expert and is unable to offer much in the way of photography advice. Our Guided Group Trips provide an excellent opportunity for guests who enjoy meeting and traveling with other like-minded individuals or for those who benefit from the additional reassurances of group travel.

Learn more about what's included in this trip type.

Sample Itinerary

• Monday:  (3 dives)
• Check in at the office (3 Abbott St, Cairns) between 6.30 and 7am.
• 7. 15 am:  Transfer to Cairns Airport
• 8.00 am:  Board a light aircraft for a low level flight over the reef to Lizard Island (flight time approx. 1 hour).
• Board Spoilsport mid-morning where you will be served drinks and snacks while our Trip Director gives you a welcome briefing.
• Time to organise any rental equipment and put your dive gear together on the dive deck.
• 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)
• 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
• 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 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.
• Spoilsport cruises back to Cairns overnight.
• Thursday:
• 8.00 am:  Guests disembark in Cairns
• Free day to explore the city
• 5:30pm: Check back for boarding. (Have dinner before checking in as champagne and light snacks are served this day.)
• Friday:  (4 dives + night dive)
• 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 briefing & dive. “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. Exit last dive by 5 pm.
• 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.
• Moor off Lizard Island.
• Monday:
• 7.00 am: Light breakfast
• 8:00 am: Disembark Spoilsport. Our crew will walk you to the airport on Lizard Island.
• 9.30 am: Board a light aircraft for a low level flight over the reef back to Cairns (flight time approx. 1 hour).
• 11:45 am: Land Cairns and courtesy transfer to inner Cairns 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 Sunday).

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About the MV Spoilsport

MV Spoilsport is purpose-built for Mike Ball Dive Expeditions to provide divers with a new level of comfort and convenience. With a total of 14 cabins catering to a maximum of 28 guests, the liveaboard provides a range of accommodation options, including 4 Premium, 4 Standard, 4 Club, and 2 Budget Cabins. Each cabin, designed for comfort and convenience, features amenities such as en-suite bathrooms (excluding Budget Cabins) and air conditioning. Read more about MV Spoilsport here...

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About the Trip Leader

Tim grew up in tiny Singapore, where driving for more than an hour meant you would need a passport. Traveling was always his passion, but Tim became addicted to dive travel soon after he got scuba certified in Malaysia.

During Tim’s undergraduate studies at UCLA, he flew home to Singapore every summer to visit his parents for a couple of weeks. Then he would take off to a new dive destination in Southeast Asia (such as Thailand, Indonesia, or the Philippines) to satisfy his cravings for warm tropical diving.  As his diving addiction grew, Tim eventually became a staff instructor with PADI and an instructor trainer with SDI. After getting his instructor certification, Tim spent time teaching scuba in Malaysia and Vietnam. Tim has since traveled to over 40 countries and scuba dived off the shores of 7 continents.

Tim loves all types of diving: Wreck diving in the Red Sea and Truk Lagoon, big animal diving in Socorro and Galapagos, beach diving in Bonaire and Bali, muck diving in Anilao and Lembeh Straits, wall diving in Roatan and Sipadan, and reef diving in Palau and the Fiji. Read more about Tim here.

Contact Tim at tim@bluewaterdivetravel.com for more info about his trips. 

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Flight Information

Guests should arrive into Cairns Airport (CNS) and take a taxi to the Mike Ball Office (3 Abbott St, Cairns) to check-in for the trip no later than 7am on 23 June. We suggest arriving the day before (22 June) and staying overnight at a local hotel to rest before the expedition starts. 

Disembarkation is at 8am on June 30. Guests will fly from Lizard Island back to Cairns and can expect to arrive in Cairns at 11:45am. Transfers will be provided to Cairns Airport or an inner-city hotel. Guests with a same-day flight can store their luggage at the Mike Ball Office until 5pm. Note that diving will finish no later than 5pm on Jun 29 so please take this into consideration when booking your outbound flight.

Charter Flight Information

• This itinerary includes light aircraft flights from Cairns to Lizard Island out on the Great Barrier Reef to meet the boat on embarkation day, and back from Lizard island to Cairns on disembarkation day. Light aircraft flights have the following baggage weight limitations per person:
• 1 checked bag maximim 55lbs (25kg) AND
• 1 carry-on bag maximum 5.5lbs (3kg) OR
• 1 professional photo/video housed system maximum 22lbs (10kg)

Flight Package 

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many of our customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in our group trip packages.

However, we are more than happy to work with you to find the best travel itinerary for your trip and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if you make the final booking. We will check through your travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed. 

If you would like us to book flights, hotels, and transfers for your domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

Payment Schedule

• Deposit: $800
• Payment 2: $1,000 due June 1, 2024
• Balance: due February 1, 2025

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Photo Gallery 

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