Mike Ball 7 night Coral Sea Safari - Great Barrier Reef

The Mike Ball 7 Night Coral Safari combines the Fly Dive Coral Sea and Fly Dive Cod Hole itineraries. The new 7 night, 450 mile Coral Sea Safari includes some of the best dive sites on Australia’s Great Barrier and Coral Sea featuring:

• Spectacular Challenger Bay
• Diver size fish at the Cod Hole
• Plummeting Coral Sea wall dives
• Exciting shark action 
• Schooling trevally and barracuda
• Exploration of Lizard Island
• The Cod Wall
• The prime Ribbon Reef sites
• Dive site guarantee!
• Superior vessel stability in adverse weather conditions

Dive the pristine Ribbon Reef's north of Cooktown and remote Coral Seal with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions.

This trip departs every Thursday, boarding commences at 7pm at the Marlin Jetty in Cairns City. Arrivals prior to 4pm can leave their luggage at the Mike Ball office in the city and the luggage will be transferred to the Spoilsport after 5pm.

Itinerary:

Thursday: Check-in and Departure

• 7:00pm Cruise overnight to the magnificent Ribbon Reefs, the first stop on your 700km dive odyssey.

Friday: Ribbon Reef #9 - Pixie Gardens, Cod Hole

• Buddy up with diver size fish that dive with you at the Cod Hole!
• Swim with giant potato cod, napoleon wrasse and moray eels
• Night dive where decorator crabs, egg cowry shells, moray eels and crayfish are just a few of the creatures you can find.

Saturday & Sunday: Coral Sea - Osprey Reef

• Cruise 100 miles overnight to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.
• Enjoy 40 meter (132ft) visibility with spectacular walls disappearing to 1000metres.
• At North Horn swim with giant potato cod, napoleon wrasse, moray eels, tuna and barracuda.
• Witness the resident shark population including grey whalers, whitetip reef sharks, silvertips and hammerheads.
• Find the caves, overhangs and spectacular walls adorned with huge soft coral trees and gorgonian fans.
• Night dive.

Monday: Lizard Island & Ribbon Reef #10 & #9 – Cod Wall, Cod Hole, Challenger Bay

• Climb “Cook’s Look” at Lizard Island where Captain Cook searched for safe passage through the reef.
• Explore the rarely dived Cod Wall at the outer reef edge that disappears into 60 meters (200ft).
• Shallow but fantastic, Challenger Bay is extremely rich in biodiversity from spectacular coral gardens and unusual critters through to large schooling fish. Great night dive location… watch out for Baza the Barra!

Tuesday: Ribbon Reef #9, #5, #4 - Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Pinnacle, Andy’s Postcard, Clam Beds, Vertical Gardens

• Circumnavigate Pixie Pinnacle and Lighthouse Bommie shrouded in fusilier baitfish.
• Rising from 80 meters the pinnacle of Andy’s Postcard is encrusted in had corals, lion fish, nudibranchs, octopus, schooling trevally and barracuda.
• Night dive.

Wednesday: Ribbon Reef #3 - Flare Point, Joani’s Joy, Steve’s Bommie

• Spiral majestic coral pinnacles teeming with diverse marine life.
• See huge schools of baitfish stalked by barracuda, mackerel and trevally.
• Anticipate spectacular coral gardens, spotted rays, reef sharks and green turtle sightings.

Thursday: Dock

• Early morning docking at Trinity Wharf - Cairns, breakfast, 8:00am courtesy transfers to Cairns city hotels.

Prime dives sites - GUARANTEED!
This itinerary has been designed to include the ‘prime’ Ribbon Reef sites that have restricted access.

If weather forces an itinerary change Mike Balls surety of access to the prime Ribbon Reef sites is your guarantee of the best diving.

Spoilsport’s outstanding stability minimises disruption to your itinerary and your diving experience.

Cabins:
All cabins are twin or double. The best cabins are the large "Premium" cabins with double bed and private ensuites. There are large "Standard" twin cabins, now also with their own private bathrooms, and "Economy" twin cabins (over and under bunk beds) with shared bathroom facilities.

Inclusions:

• 7 Nights, approx 26 dives
• Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole & Coral Sea
• Twin or double accommodation.
• Tanks and weight belts
• Sheets, towels and linens
• Complimentary soft drinks
• Three meals daily, plus snacks
• Aussie BBQ and party night
• Cairns City Transfers 

Specialised Minke Whale expeditions depart June & July. Mike Balls special Minke Whale Permit allows guests to observe and interact with these creatures at close range.

Please Note: Flying After Diving - the surface interval between the last dive completed at 5pm and flying at 9.30am is 16.5 hours, which exceeds the DAN minimum requirement of 12 hours. An additional safety feature is that Skytrans flys below 1000ft, weather permitting.

Mike Ball requires the full payment when booking. Additional costs such as gear hire and advance courses can be paid when on the trip although it is beneficial to advise me if you require these options.

GREAT NEWS! All payments made to Travstar do not incur a credit card surcharge.