*Mike Ball Dive Expeditions - 3, 4 & 7 Night Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole & Coral Sea

Join this dive expedition to dive the Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole or the Coral Sea. The vessel is a custom built 30 metre twin hulled vessel and provides superb dive and guest facilities. This tour suits novice to advanced divers and guests can partake in up to 26 dives.

You can choose between three different trip options. Starting from a three-day trip up to the Ribbon Reefs and Australia’s famous Cod Hole or take a Coral Sea expedition for four days to Osprey Reef and North Horn to experience the amazing amphitheatre shark dive, drift dive along sheer 1000m coral walls and fantastic 40 metre visibility, or if you want to get the full experience you can combine the three- and four-day itinerary and go on a seven-day dive adventure!

Our three- and four-day trips include a spectacular one-way scenic flight between Cairns and Lizard Island. If you decide to book the seven-day experience, you depart from and return to Cairns onboard Mike Ball to the Cairns Trinity Wharf.

We have everything you need for a comfortable, enjoyable liveaboard dive expedition. Guest cabins are a combination of double and twin share cabins. All are air-conditioned and are serviced daily. Relax in the spacious lounge / bar inside, or head up to the sun deck and enjoy the view over the Coral Sea. Our award-winning food and service caters to all dietary requirements which are freshly prepared by our onboard chef.

3 Day, 3 Night Cod Hole: up to 12 dives

Summary: Best Marine Biodiversity

Experience: Novice to Advanced Divers and Snorkelers

Embark: Monday 7am - Mike Ball Office

Disembark: Thursday 8am - Trinity Wharf, Cairns

4 Day, 4 Night Coral Sea & Cod Hole: up to 14 dives

Summary: Adventure Diving

Experience: Advanced, or 15 logged ocean dives inc. 5 in last 12 months

Embark: Thursday 6pm – Trinity Wharf, Cairns.

Disembark: Monday 11:45am - Cairns

7 Day, 7 Night Coral Sea Safari: up to 26 dives

Summary: Best Adventure and Biodiversity

Experience: Advanced, or 15 logged ocean dives inc. 5 in last 12 months.

Embark: Thursday 6pm – Trinity Wharf, Cairns.

Disembark: Thursday 8am – Trinity Wharf, Cairns

Dive Sites:

Crystal Plateau - Bougainville Reef - Coral Sea: The reef top descends to a spectacular terrace of hard corals at 20-30m before edging over into an abyss hundreds of metres deep. Sea fans and soft corals adorn the reef wall where sharks also patrol.

Dungeons & Dragons - Bougainville Reef - Coral Sea: The reef top here is cut with an incredible maze of caves, tunnels and swim throughs – great to poke around to discover fish and other critters.  Or venture beyond the shallows to a wall descending to around 1000m, where you can find sharks and barracuda.

Admiralty Anchor - Osprey Reef - Coral Sea: Named after an anchor lodged midway through a tunnel that makes for an exciting swim through. A maze of huge towering bommies are home to plenty of fish and a delight to explore. Below them a sheer wall attracts sharks and occasionally manta rays.

North Horn - Osprey Reef - Coral Sea: Welcome to shark central!  Watch a controlled shark feed with 10-30 grey reef, white-tip reef, silver tip sharks.

False Entrance - Osprey Reef - Coral Sea: This site never disappoints with exciting fish action alongside  colourful gorgonian fans, whips and soft corals. Resident barracuda and schooling big eye trevally make for great photo opportunities, and keep an eye out for cruising hammerheads out in the blue.

Cod Hole - Ribbon Reefs: The Cod Hole is famous for its diver-sized potato cod. These fish are incredibly inquisitive and don’t mind getting very chummy with divers. A great opportunity to capture photographs of these magnificent characters or a simply hang out and enjoy their company.

Pixie Pinnacle - Ribbon Reefs: An exciting pinnacle dive, draped in soft corals and absolutely heaving with fish life.  Spiral your way up the pinnacle and search for interesting critters such as the flame file clam, or ‘disco clam’, named for the flashing light that appears to pulse along its mantle.

Coral Kingdom - Ribbon Reefs: A fantastic coral dive with vast beds of staghorn and other varieties, and dotted with colourful giant clams.  Bump headed parrotfish and inquisitive barracuda cruise the site along with schools of other reef fish.

Steve’s Bommie - Ribbon Reefs : Steve’s Bommie is a photographers dream with an incredible quantity of diverse marine life. Hunt out such creatures as stonefish, scorpionfish, octopus, clown anemone fish and turtles, not to mention the many schools of fish that call this place home.

Cancellations

• More than 60 days before departure: no charge (full refund applies)
• Between 60 days and 30 days before departure: 20% of your tour cost
• Within 30 days of departure: 100% of your tour cost (no refund applies)

Premium Rooms: Have a 1 x Queen Bed or 1 x Double Bed with private bathroom and Premium Ocean Views.

Standard Rooms: Have low-level Twin Beds (2 x Single Beds) with private bathroom and Ocean Views.

Club Rooms: Twin Bunk Beds, (2 x Single Beds) 1 bed on top and 1 bed below with private bathroom.

Budget Rooms: Have Bunks Beds, (2 x Single Beds) 1 bed on top and 1 bed below with a shared bathroom outside the room in the hall.

Please enquire for sole occupancy  / Nitrox and gear hire additional cost / ‘Fly Dive’ Luggage Allowance = 25kgs (55lbs) per person. 3 kg (6.5lbs) carry-on and an additional allowance of 7 kg (22lbs) for professional photo/video housing