Spoilsport (Mike Ball) Liveaboard

Diving the GBR was a bucket list item for us and the Spoilsport experience made it everything and more. From the boat, to the crew, the food, and the diving everything was done exceptionally well. From the moment you board the boat until your final step off the gang plank you are the crews number 1 priority. The crew were all very knowledgeable and very helpful. They were friendly and fun.The diving was spectacular. The dive area was well organized with a focus on diver saftey. Dive briefs were very thorough. Divers always had the option to dive with their buddy or with one of the crew. While initially we dove with a crew member, we ended up diving just the two of us as the sites were easy to navigate. The marine life was phenomenal and the corals were spectacular. Each site offered something new and was a bit different. The crew made sure areas of marine life divers should be aware of were well marked. The crew was also aware of each divers skill level and made sure that each dive was a great dive for everyone. Our only disappointment was we were unable to make it out to the Ospry sites and the outer reefs due to weather. We had booked the Coral Seas Safari but ended up diving totally along the continental shelf which resulted in diving a few sites twice.The rooms were comfortable. The food was excellent with a lot of variety in cusine. I would recommend this dive trip to everyone and hopefully we will have the opportunity to return.

We have been on 4 other liveaboards before, and this was clearly the best. The service was always exceptional, from help getting in an out of the water to yummy treats and warm towels on the dive deck after each dive. My wife has problems with her knees and they were always happy to take her tank and BC from her at the ladder so that she didn't have to climb aboard with that extra weight.The rooms are about average for an upper level liveaboard - small, but clean. The beds were comfortable enough, not great, but not a problem. The galley/lounge area was always clean and well lit. There was plenty of space to work on photos on my laptop without feeling like I am blocking someone else, as happens sometimes on other boats.I was a little concerned about the condition of the reef, having read some other reports, but we found it to be in very good condition. All of the dive locations were very healthy. We never had silted out or algaed reefs and always had abundant life. I was a little surprised that there were very few clown fish. Although a few sites had false clownfish, only the last site on the last day had true clownfish, with the bright orange and white stripes. I spent 80 minutes at the top of this bommie photographing the only two true clownfish, just to be sure I got the iconic Great Barrier Reef shot.All in all, I would highly recommend this trip and liveaboard to anyone who hasn't experienced this great dive location. The flight from the USA is very long, but it's worth it at least once in your life. Also, if you are going to come all that way, be sure to do the 7-day cruise, not the 4 or 3-day variants.

Mike Ball Deep Reef liveaboard was fantastic. Mike Ball has a variety of trips available. I ended up on the Deep Reef which to be honest when I booked I didn't exactly know what that meant, the trip just fit my time period so I signed up. In hindsight I'm really glad I ended up on that one as we went far out on the reef to the reefs not accessible on a day trip. As a result we ran into no other dive boats while out on the reef and reefs were in decent shape.There were a number of room options to choose from depending on budget, I chose shared room with bathroom inside it. The room was comfortable and clean. The variety of food served was impressive, there were always snacks available between dives, as well as coffee, tea, and water. The meals had vegetarian and meat options, and we even had a BBQ on the last night. Dive deck was well laid out, and the boat overall had lots of open space, some inside areas you could hang out as well as outside.The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Passenger safety was of the utmost importance. All divers had a GPS unit put in their BCD, there were spotters on the top deck every time divers were in the water, the dingy could be signaled to come and get you if you were too far away to swim back. I tested the dingy service on two occasions and it was perfect. All divers had to check in and out for each dive to ensure all divers were accounted for and if you weren't diving during a non-open deck time you had to tell the Dive Coordinator. I felt completely safe during the trip. We did a shark feed at the beginning of one dive. The Dive Coordinator made the instructions 100% clear as to what the expectations of divers were and if anyone deviated from that they would abort the dive. All dive sites had a dive brief that clearly indicated what was expected in terms of conditions, and potential wildlife to be seen. There was only one occasion that the information was a little off and that was in terms of the strength of a current running through a site. Otherwise information was appropriate.I liked the set up of the diving, two dives in morning, open deck in afternoon where you could do up to two dives and then a night dive. Dive masters were available but not required to go with you. We were allowed to go out with our dive buddies or in groups. They tried to match divers of relatively equal skill for buddies. All the dive sites except one which happened to have a lot of current at the time we were there were very easy dives, nearly no current or very mild.The animal life was varied some sites were really good, and others middle of the road. My favourite site I believe was called Pixie Pinnacle, loads of small animal life, we just went round and round the pinnacle finding more cool stuff every time. Steve's Bommie was also very cool.Some of the animal life I saw was as follows: humphead wrasse, angel fish, gray reef share, white tip reef shark, unicorn fish, trigger fish, eels, grouper, scalloped hammerhead shark, parrot fish, potato grouper, lobster, crab, brittle star fish, tile fish, lion fish, garden eels, pipe fish, butterfly fish, hermit crab, scorpion fish, stone fish, wobbegong, walking fans, anemones, clown fish and leafy scorpion fish.This was my first live-aboard experience but I loved it! I liked the get up gear up and jump in, no lengthy transport getting from land to dive site. I don't think that I could have chosen a better company to go with. The staff couldn't have been better and there was a really great group of divers on board. I've since done one other live-aboard and Mike Ball is still hands down better.

I absolutely love, love, loved my week on the Spoilsport! I was not ready to depart when the time came.The crew was amazing- with the exception of one of their "volunteer" crew members, they were all attentive and friendly. (perhaps they could screen those volunteers better) The Captain, "Pirate Pete" was quite the entertainer and played the guitar and sang! Our Divemasters, Ash, Shona, Kirin (also our cruise director)... I'm sorry I can't remember all of their names but they were all wonderful and fun.My cabin was clean and compact with plenty of storage space. The AC was a bit though to control and kept hedging a bit toward Arctic but after a word to the crew it was quickly fixed. We always had plenty of hot water for our showers which is not always the case on a liveaboard.The food was very good, they catered to all the funky habits and needs of the divers without so much as a raised eyebrow. There was plenty of variety, I loved the soups that were served with most of the lunches. And there was always something to nibble on.Now, about that diving...The dive deck is well run. The dive deck towels could have been a bit bigger. I'm a small person and thought they were itty bitty but they were always clean and dry and waiting for us. The briefs were thorough with maps drawn and full explanations of currents and possible dangers. After the brief we were allowed to dive when we wanted, with or without a guide, divers choice. I particularly loved that because I have a camera and would prefer not to be with a crowd or moving too fast. My buddy and I were first in and last out on most of the dives. On the first day when we came back way later than everyone else we apologized only to be told that the crew was there to cater to us and it was fine! Sweet.We saw so much... The Giant Potato Cod were so much fun, gentile giants, they swam right up to check us out and just stayed around to have their portraits taken. We saw Giant Clams, beautiful corals and tons of little stuff as well, nudies, sea squirts, anemones, christmas tree worms... I enjoyed the game of, Stump the PhotoPro, in which we were to take photos of things we thought he couldn't identify. He actually did very well.For me the hardest thing about the diving was deciding weather to take the fish eye or the macro lens. We did a fantastic drift dive that I think was called, Vertical Gardens. The drift dive was followed up with a shark dive. Living in Hawaii, I get to see lots of sharks and expected the shark dive to be tacky but it was a ton of fun! A great time was had by all I think even the sharks enjoyed it. And the photo ops on that dive were stellar.Of note to some- The 100 mile overnight to Osprey Reef was quite rough and a number of people were sick, although most came around in a day or so, I would be sure to bring your patches if you have a tendency toward seasickness.Would I do this trip again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

Mike Ball is a fantastic operation to dive the Outer Great Barrier reef with, the level of service was just fantastic, and even though it is more expensive than some of the other operations the additional cost is made of for by the great dive masters, food, and accommodations.The common area is comfortable, with many rows of tables to eat at, and couches to lounge on. On the dive deck, each diver has their own personal cubby with space on top for your camera gear (one of my favorite things is that they have compressed air hoses on top so you can quickly dry your camera gear if you need to do a lens or port swap). Before each dive they have someone to help you get all your gear on, during the dive you can optionally have a divemaster show you and your group around the site, and after the dive you'll be greeted with a warm towel to dry off with.We did the three night Ribbon reef trip and stayed in a cabin with an ensuite bathroom. Perfect level of comfort considering that you don't really spend all that much time in the room.The diving was absolutely fantastic, hitting places like Cod Hole, Steve's Bommie, and Acropolis. All had extensive and healthy coral reefs with amazing hard coral, loads of reef fish and macro life like mantis shrimp. The variety and colors of the hard corals were better than anywhere I've been besides Kosrae.On Steve's Bommie there were some beautiful "nemo" clownfish. We didn't see a lot of sharks, nowhere near what I've seen in Tahiti and Palau, but we did see some.I can't imagine diving with any other operation and I'm looking forward to going back to do the full 7 day trip that also takes you out to Osprey Reef where you get to see much more large pelagic life!

It's truly amazing. But given the cost of the trip I do think it is over priced. The accomodation, food and service is very good, but not up to the standard of the price. That being sad, it was a wonderful and amazing trip and experience. On most dive sites the marine life and coral is not as beautiful as on other places, but we saw some amazing things. I would recommend it for sure.

This was my first time in Australia, and first time diving in the Pacific. Overall, it was an excellent experience. The staff was off the charts incredible, from top to bottom. The marine life was also absolutely amazing - I couldn’t have hoped for more. The one thing I didn’t love is that they don’t necessarily have a guide in the water on each dive. As an Assistant Instructor with close to 800 dives at the time I was perfectly comfortable navigating by myself, but having never been diving in the Pacific I had no idea what creatures to look for or where to find them. After the first day there was sometimes, but not always, a guide in the water.I would definitely go back and dive with them again. It was a great experience and some of the best diving I’ve ever done!