Spoilsport assists in Mermaid Wreck Discovery - written by Captain Trevor Jackson

Australians rarely acknowledge that they have much of a history. Many of us know more about American or English history than we do about our own. Although in relative terms we have been around for just a short while, the founding and flourishing of a colony so far from its native origins in Europe was fraught with enough trial, peril, triumph and disaster to make it the historic equal of any country. Until the widespread adoption of rail and road use in the first half of the 20 th century, almost all movements between settlements along the coasts were by ship and in early times that was a treacherous business to be in.

The rudimentary charts drawn up by the likes of Captain James Cook and Matthew Flinders were, in relative terms, lacking in detail. Many of the hazards we know of today were uncharted and posed a deadly threat to those who chose a life at sea. In 1817, Phillip Parker King was handed the task by the government at the time to go forth and plug the gaps in the charts that were then available. His ship, the Mermaid, carried him around Australia for several years making life safer for ships and their crews. His mission was successful, but shortly after returning from his journey, tragedy was to strike.

In mid autumn 1829 the Mermaid sailed from Sydney, with goods and chattels for Port Raffles in what is now the Northern Territory. At the helm was a somewhat arrogant new skipper, Samuel Nolbrow. Nolbrow was under strict instructions to follow the safer, but longer, coast hugging passage to the Torres Strait, but despite these orders, he decided go his own way and came to grief near Cairns. The Mermaid, one of the most significant ships in the forming of a new nation was lost.

It is a bitter irony of the sea that almost none of the ships that forged the young country are still with us, well not above the water anyway. That which stole them from the history they helped create, has preserved them as curators of an age long past. The Mermaid, had she not sunk, would have long since been scrapped, but the bones of her still exist somewhere out there, and this month we’re off to find her.

On a trip organised by the Australian National Maritime Museum, Spoilsport is leaving Cairns on New Years Day, with single mission; to locate the wreck of the Mermaid. Aboard will be researchers and scientists from the ANMM and the Museum of Tropical Queensland, as well as a keen and excited Mike Ball crew.

At just 60 feet long and 20 feet wide, the Mermaid will not be easy to locate. But with the help of some modern equipment, not to mention the very latest charts, we plan to locate the tiny twin masted schooner by mid January and help re-open one of Australia’s most fascinating maritime chapters.

Trinity wharf was the usual mix of mayhem and good cheer when I arrived at the ship just after lunch on New Years Day. Crates of scientific gear had begun arriving earlier in the morning and there was an air of anticipation about the place. This would be a very different style of trip than we were used to.

By midmorning on the second day of the new year, we were near Flora Reef, 40 miles south of Cairns. With skies a little overcast and the sea an oily calm the edge of the reef was difficult to make out. I dropped the anchor in a prudent 40 metres and sent a dinghy in to check the reef edge depths. We were good. Time to start.

The scientific equipment was brought out and readied but it was the basic mask, snorkel and fins that were to prove the workhorses of the day. Several artifacts were located by nightfall; the top of a compass, part of a binnacle, some compensating balls, a turnbuckle and an old brass bilge pump were spotted and noted in the reef shallows. But there was a mixed response. What looked like early success was tempered by the fact that at least one of these items, the binnacle piece, post-dated the wreck and to me the bilge pump seemed it would have been more at home on an east coast trawler. At dinner time the jury was still out on the other artifacts. We’d definitely found a wreck, but how old was it?

It didn’t take long the next day to figure it out. The bilge pump had a brand name on it and an internet search showed us that the pump was built just before World War Two. Back to the drawing board.

There was a mood falling over the boat that we needed to move on. Try something or somewhere else. The museum guys were documenting the wreck site we had found for most of the morning while magnotometer teams were spread far and wide across the top of the reef. Late in the day, with barely an hour of light left, a crackled radio call was to change our fate. “Hey guys could you ask the photographer to kit up, we’ve found something”

About a mile to our west, the dinghies converged, there was something down there and everyone wanted a look before night fell.

This time the vintage was right. Spread out around a pile of old anchor chain were dozens of artifacts that could only have come from an early 19 th century vessel. An old bronze bilge pump, pulley blocks, copper nails. This could be it but we wanted definitive proof.

When the Mermaid struck the reef, the crew ran out an anchor to the south east in attempt to steady the ship and prevent further damage. The anchor had been let out on a long length of rope in about 20 feet of water. When the anchor line let go the ship turned side on to the reef and was quickly crushed. If that anchor was still out there, and we could find it, we would have our proof.

Divers spread out in teams across the weather edge of the reef and scoured the bottom. It didn’t take long. Lying in 6 metres of water about 150 metres south east of the wreck site, covered in coral, was a 6 foot long 19 th century kedging anchor. Spoilsport was abuzz, and the Mermaid, one of the most significant shipwrecks in the formation of our country, had been found.

Fodor's Travel Guides Announces Mike Ball Dive Expeditions as a "Fodor's Choice" Travel Experience

Fodor’s Travel, the foremost name in travel publishing, has named Mike Ball Dive Expeditions as a 2008 Fodor’s Choice selection. This distinction recognizes a remarkable achievement and the team at Mike Ball are very pleased to have their efforts recognized in this way.

Since 1988, Fodor’s Travel has been awarding the Fodor’s Choice distinction to only the very best hotels, restaurants and attraction around the world. Fodor’s writers experience, examine and evaluate thousands of hotels, restaurants and attractions. While every hotel, restaurant orattraction included in a Fodor’s guide is deemed worth a traveler’s time, only fifteen percent of those selections receive the Fodor’s Choice designation.

“From hidden-away restaurants to can't-miss museums, Fodor’s Choice selections recognize the top sights, properties, and experiences our editors and updaters have found in their travels,” says Fodor’s publisher Tim Jarrell. “These places are the best of the best, providing a remarkable experience in their price range or category.”

To see what Fodor's have to say about Mike Ball Dive Expeditions click here

Encountering Mutual Respect– Viarne Mischon

Writer, Viarne Mischon, came aboard Spoilsport for a Minke Whale Expedition in June this year. Her article featured in "Ecos" magazine, the publication of the Commonswealth Scientific and Industrial Reseach Organisation and can be viewed in full here.

"Since the beginning of recorded history whales have always held an extraordinary magnetism for humans. Now, for a particular subspecies fo Minke Whale, which visits Queensland's north coast each year, humans seem to have become just as magnetically interesting. Apart from offering tourists the surreal and often life-changing experience fo coming face-to-face with a cetacean, the peculiar mutual fascination that these dwarf minkes have with humans if providing a world-first opportunity for underwater reasearch, writes Viarnne Mischon."

Coming of Age – Trevor Jackson
Rebreather Diving on Mike Ball Dive Expeditions

It started to get a bit repetitive. People glancing at their watches to check that it wasn’t April the 1 st, or waiting for a punch line. “Sorry, you fair dinkum Trev? Are the guys at Mike Ball really going to start taking rebreather divers on board?”. “Yes we are” I would reply, “ Queensland is coming of age.”

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions have had a habit of setting trends since its inception in 1969. Nearly 30 years later Mike is still breaking new ground. In the last few months the dive crew aboard Spoilsport has been developing a new set of dive procedures that will allow us to become the only liveaboard in Queensland that can legally supervise and conduct rebreather diving - without the need to import specially qualified staff. This has always been a major hurdle as most vessels do not have the staff trained up to do the job.

With the vast and awesome Coral Sea at our doorstep, it seemed almost medieval to exclude rebreathers from the boat just because everyone else had put them in the too hard basket. Out at Osprey Reef, where close-up encounters with sharks and manta’s are common, we could only wonder how much better the interactions would be for divers who weren’t creating bubbles; how much closer could we get to take those photos.

In the early months of 2008 we began to piece it all together. What gear would we need, what staff needed to be trained, which procedures needed to be created? It was a big task but the enthusiasm to embrace rebreather technology had swept through the company. Everyone wanted to learn and evolve.

In July this year we loaded five rebreathers onboard along with some very excited divers and steamed north on our inaugural rebreather trip. Onboard we had pre-arranged delivery of medical grade oxygen and sofnolime so all the divers had to do was turn up, flash their cert cards and dive, dive, dive.

And dive they did. Touching distance from minke whales, turtles and tigers. An elusive thresher shark came to visit, and the walls of Osprey rose up cathedral like from the vast and endless depths. It was awesome and now it was available to the world.

Australian divers whether they are in large groups or small, can now enjoy the pristine waters of the Coral Sea whilst taking advantage of the many benefits which rebreather diving brings; longer bottom times; closer marine life interaction and ultimate silence. No longer will you have to use private vessels or bring your own supervisor to enjoy rebreather diving in Queensland. Spoilsport offers the ultimate in diver comfort and there is plenty of room onboard for the extra space that rebreather users require. So now the only question a rebreather diver might need to ask about using a unit in Queensland is “Do I fancy hovering on a bottomless wall at Osprey Reef surrounded by hammerheads in 70m visibility hearing only the sounds of the ocean?” If the answer is yes, it’s time to get on Spoilsport.

Taken from an article published in The Wet Rag, Sept 2008 - The official publication of the South Pacific Divers Club. To view the entire ezine please go to http://www.southpacificdivers.com/

Dwarf minke whales have returned to tropical waters as part of their seasonal migration.

Passengers on a Mike Ball Dive Expedition in April were the first of the season to experience minke magic on the Great Barrier Reef. The stunned and excited divers were treated to a display of close passes and roll-overs, typical behaviour of the gentle creatures. Disturbing images of Japanese commercial whalers hunting minke whales recently had prompted Mr Ball to extend an invitation to Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett to join him on a minke whale expedition.

"It is not until you come close enough to touch these beautiful, gentle and playful animals that you truly appreciate how special they are and how disturbing the exploitation of whale meat is", Mr Ball said. Since 1996, Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and other operators have been running minke whale trips north of Cooktown. "They provide another jewel in the crown of our region, helping to boost tourist numbers over the trade wind season," Mr Ball said.

Expeditions operations manager Craig Stephen said in conjunction with researchers and government agencies, they had developed a Swim with Minkes Program that had low impact on the whales. "To see thes giants in the water, interact with you and exhibit playful behaviour is spectacular and moving," Mr Stephen said.

Taken from an article printed in The Cairns Post, Monday, May 12 2008

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