3 night liveaboard with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions onboard Spoilsport from Monday 6 June 2022 to Thursday 9 June 2022 with Aletta.

Saturday 4 June headed up to Cairns via Lucinda for Girrigun TUMRA Open Day community event. Met up with Aletta in the afternoon and we headed down to for a cheeky cocktail at Salt House before seafood platter for two at Prawn Star. Quick flutter at the Reef Casino on our way home.

Sunday 5 June caught up with Jared and Stevie for breakfast at the Pullman and then just an easy day wandering around Cairns Plaza. Decided to watch Top Gun at the movies and chill with a drink in the spa by the pool. Dinner at Lemoncello was divine! Early night to be up early tomorrow for diving adventures.

Monday 6 June joined the rest of the adventurers bright and early at the Mike Ball office in Cairns. We jumped on the buses and headed over to Cairns Airport to Hinterland Aviation. Got to experience an hour flight from Cairns to Lizard Island flying low over the beautiful reefs along the way. Saw turtles and sharks – Allie saw whales towards the end of the flight! Scattered clouds and rain around and a little bumpy coming into land on Lizard Island. Quick transfer from the beach over to Spoilsport. Late breakfast and boat briefing from Kieran (trip director), Richard (first mate) and Pablo (Master Reef Guide and Photographer) and met all the crew – Skipper, Rikki, Claire, Ashley, Monty, Nathan, Marita and volunteers Chelsea and Mouse. Steamed out to the Cod Hole for our first dive (looking for whales on the way).

Dive 1 at the Cod Hole – Tagged along on the introductory dive with Allie, David, Ed with Monty. Amazing first dive with such an interactive potato cod up in your face. Pablo showed us some beautiful shallow water corals. Pretty dive site with lots to see – white tip reef sharks, clams and those potato cods! Super hungry after the dive for a 3.30pm lunch.

Up anchor and moving to our second site. Rikki led everyone in the minke whale dance on the top deck… shortly afterwards a pod of spinner dolphins joined us for some fun in the bow wave. No whales spotted but, despite all our lookout efforts.

Dive 2 Challenger Reef Night Dive – Monty led the group again for Allie’s first ever night dive. Saw lots of white tip reef sharks, trevally and red bass hunting in our torch light. Saw cool feeding corals, shrimp, grey reef shark, and lots of funky plankton.

Late night with the dives slightly delayed but a very yummy curry dinner and wine with everyone on board. Hung out and headed straight to bed.

Tuesday 7 June up bright and early for light breakfast before getting ready for our first dive.

Dive 3 at Coral Kingdom – within minutes saw a great hammerhead shark… swam right over the top of Keiran, Ed and David but they didn’t look up to see it – just Allie and me, so special! Big school of bumphead parrot fish, nudibranch, titan trigger fish.

Underway motoring along and the shout comes “whales”! So we pulled up near Lighthouse Bommie and ran the snorkel lines out the back and all quietly slid in the hang off the lines waiting for whales to swim by. Two whales came by  over about a 90 minute period slowly swimming passed and hanging around the boat. Loads of jellyfish stinging everyone. After about 90 minutes and no whale sighted for a while, divers started getting in. Last ones off the snorkel lines just in case they came back. *Video and some photos taken by Aletta.

Dive 4 at Lighthouse Bommie – as we got in fascinated watching Pablo film and photo the octopus, saw lots of corals and invertebrates, really enjoyed getting some macro photo time in. Love the feather stars and fan corals. Lots of lionfish, and anemone and anemone fish.

Dive 5 at Pixie’s Wall – lots of pretty small creatures and corals for some more macro shots even some ascidians. Cool nudibranch and a little crevice for Allie’s first swim through.

Dive 6 Night Dive at Pixie’s Wall – (didn’t take the camera but Allie shared some good shots). Grey reef sharks as we jumped in hanging around the boat, big hermit crab, turned the torches off with green glow from the boating lighting our way. Lots of eels swimming around one nearly 2m long! Trevally and red bass hanging around. Lots of corals feeding but very cool garden under all the over hangs and in the crevices.

Nice dinner of fresh fish and potato bake. After dinner Keiran gave us the science talk presentation about minke whales (normally the researchers are on board but none on this trip).

Wednesday 8 June up early again for light breakfast and first dive of the day.

Dive 7 at Crack-a-Jack tall pinnacle with lots of fans and corals with worms, anemones, and cool shrimp hiding in a crevice at the end of the dive.

Saw a whale breach but on a mission to get to Steve’s Bommie for mooring booking.

Dive 8 at Steve’s Bommie cool worms on the fans, lots of stone fish and lion fish, leafy scorpionfish, glassfish hanging out under coral. Cool dive site with great visibility.

Dive 9 at Flare Point really cool coral garden but still signs of heat stress fluorescing and bleaching but not too much mortality. Cool crab in the coral, massive giant clam, sleeping eel, nice easy dive to finish the trip.

Last night early BBQ dinner cooked by Richard on the deck with champagne. Started to blow up as we headed home. Enjoyed the friendly photo competition and watched Pablo’s video and photos he took of the trip. So amazing of Mike Ball Dive to provide this so we can share the wonderful memories.

Bit of a rough slog back to Cairns over night but woke up back on shore, had breakfast and said our goodbyes. Enjoyed a day lazing around Shangri-La hotel before flying home early Friday morning.