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Updated: Tuesday, 11 December 2007 |
| 2008 Feature Stories | |
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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 |
| 2007 Feature Stories | |
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On the 6th November 2007 The Eco Certification Program has been developed by industry for industry, addressing the need to identify genuine ecotourism and nature tourism operators in Mike |
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| 2006 Feature Stories | |
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Off gas and hike into history! In 1770 while on his epic voyage of discovery aboard the Endeavour Captain Cook climbed to the summit of Lizard Island to sight safe passage through the Great Barrier Reef. Now, Lizard Island is the Great Barrier Reefs most luxurious reef resort and is a special feature of Mike Ball Dive Expeditions 7 night Coral Sea Safari. Lizard Island is conveniently located at the end of the Coral Sea sector and the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef phases of the itinerary. If your holiday dive budget is short on time or money you can use Mike Ball’s Fly Dive option to join or depart the 7 night Coral Sea Safari at this halfway point... For the full story click here>> |
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Spoilsport... what a season! Since moving Spoilsport from Townsville to Cairns in March, Mike Ball has never looked back. Spoilsport has provided an extra touch of luxury to the special Mike Ball liveaboard service maintained for many years by Supersport. With all diving conducted north of Cooktown divers have enjoyed spectacular diving with a wide marine life bio-diversity on the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Adventurous divers are satisfied with large marine life encounters, including dozens of reefs sharks, silver-tips... For the full story click here>> |
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Symphony At Sea by Bob Halstead Departure Date: 6 December, 2007 / Expedition: Fly Dive Coral Sea - 4 Nights A good friend of mine, one of the world’s top underwater photographers, recently sent me an e mail. He has not had a good year. A romance failed, he caught hepatitis, could not dive for nine months and had to spend a lot of time just lying around. Not the sort of fellow to waste a moment of his life, he decided to try something he had never done before – and started... For the full story click here>> |
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Osprey Reef Picturesque As Ever. The remote Coral Sea has treasures where only seeing is believing… Osprey Reef is one of these treasures. It is hard to believe that in 1991 Osprey Reef suffered damage during Cyclone Joy. The regeneration of corals and marine life has been outstanding. Osprey Reef has been a favorite destination on our recent itineraries with the shark action creating some great photo opportunities. For more information on our 7 night Coral Sea Safari click here>> For the full story click here>> |
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Spoilsport a big hit! The transfer of Spoilsport to our Cairns operation has been a big hit: high occupancies with passengers ranging world wide, great shark action in the Coral Sea , superb diving at new locations at Osprey Reef, and more fun had than you can poke a barracuda at. Some recent passenger comments: Laurenti Oliver & Raymond Raphaelle, France. "Good staff, paying a lot of attention to guests. Excellent dives with... For the full story click here>> |
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Minke Whales still around. Even though the official Minke Whale season has been over since the end of July we are still getting reports of Minke whales being spotted at Lighthouse Bommie on the Ribbon Reefs as recent as the 14 th of August, both crew and passengers were excited with these encounters. The 2007 ‘official’ Minke whale season starts on the 14 th of June with only 10 dedicated expeditions. To avoid disappointment booking in advance is highly recommended... For the full story click here>> |
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Paradise Sport Leaving Papua New Guinea We have decided to close our PNG operation; this will take effect from January 26th 2007. I would like to thank those who have helped us promote this fantastic destination and apologize for any inconvenience this disappointing news will cause. It has been a very difficult and sad decision. We will have enjoyed 10 fabulous years in PNG and have made many friends and have many dedicated loyal PNG staff... For the full story click here>> |
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Cairns Dive Operators miss brunt of Cyclones Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have been in the news lately with Cyclone Larry skimming 100 kilometers south of Cairns and Cyclone Monica passing 150 kilometers north of the Cod Hole and Lizard Island. Now that May is here… blue skies are returning, temperatures have dropped a few degrees and the cyclone season is over. Dive operators are cheering that the Cairns reefs, Ribbon Reefs and Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea are free of damage from the two cyclones... |
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Great Barrier Reef Art by Maria Watson. Maria Watson is an Australian artist based in tropical North Queensland and has spent a lifetime living between the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest which has greatly influenced her art work. Maria’s wide variety of medium use is due to her degree in Fine Art and also Fashion Design; hand painted silks and other textiles, traditional painting and drawing mediums such as charcoal, water colour, gouache and oils, as well as sculpture mediums including glass, metals, leathers and wood. Her work can be seen world wide. Spoilsport and Paradise Sport have a variety of Maria’s work displayed in the saloon areas and cabins and passengers can order these direct with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions... For the full story click here>> |
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Peace on the Reef – Why wait, get yours now. Since its conception in 1994 our Peace on the Reef program has educated thousands of divers to the on going issue of reef and marine life protection and conservation.If someone, and we all do sometime, accidentally makes contact with the reef we give them a wave and a gentle reminder of the 'Peace on the Reef' signal. This way divers expect to be told if they are being careless and become more aware of their actions underwater. Our Peace on the Reef stickers has had a revamp and is looking more colourful then ever. To get yours now simply email Liz with your full name and postal details and will send you a new Peace on the Reef sticker. For the full story click here>> |
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2006 Archive Stories |
Cyclones, 3 Stinger Suits, 3300 Dives, 22 Mike Ball Dive Expeditions - April |
| Guest Photo Competition Winners - April | |
| Solo Diving 'Hassle free' - March | |
| Spoilsport 'A new era' - March | |
| Paradise Sport Hot's Up - February | |
| Forget Frogfish by Peter Pinnock - January | |
| Milne Bay 'A new season' - January | |
| MInke Whale Project 2005 Awards - January | |
| Papua New Guinea by Martin Heyn - January | |
| Win The Key to PNG Competition - January | |
