Exceptional, memorable A quite simply amazing 4 night Minke Whale trip. I have decades of diving experience and many liveaboards and this one is exceptional. Blessed with perfect weather, 30m visibility and a genuinely humbling, epic Minke whale encounter, the whole experience was exceptional. The absolute stand out for this company, however, is their super slick organisation, dive safety and wonderful staff. The boat is a perfect dive set up, the food awesome. Enough said? Well definitely book again!
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Jonnymitch
Doonan, Australia
20/07/2024
Dwarf Minkes galore and Professor Minke as well. Once again we headed North to escape the Melbourne Winter for a short while. How could we resist visiting in the peak of the Dwarf Minke Whale season which occurs during June and July. After our first expedition with Mike Ball in 2012, we were hooked. The staff is professional, experienced and extremely helpful. The accommodation is comfortable and the food is delicious and plentiful. We were lucky enough to have "Professor Minke" Alistair Birtles as our onboard Dwarf Minke research. He is the font of Minke knowledge collected over more than 25 years.
Apart from snorkeling with Dwarf Minke whales while diving we also saw lots of corals, fish and a variety of marine life around the ribbon reefs. The staff are extremely conscious of passenger safety and the dive briefs are comprehensive. Some staff are available to accompany divers.
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Anne S
Melbourne, Australia
08/07/2024
Minke whales and diving beautiful Great Barrier Reef! What more can one ask for??!! Had a wonderful week on Mike Ball’s Spoilsport late June/ early July 2024. We saw Minke whales several days, heard great talks by Minke researcher, Matt, and dove among beautiful coral with abundant fish. The food was fabulous and the crew full of energy and ready to help. Captain Trevor sang to us a couple nights when not at the helm. An overall fabulous experience and one I highly recommend!
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Renee B
Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico
06/07/2024
Wow, what an amazing experience being able to swim with the Minke whales. The dive sites were amazing, the food was great, and, the staff were very welcoming and helpful.
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Juliette Casey
05/07/2024
7 Day Minke Whale Expedition. Very comfortable boat, Excellent Crew who do their best to maximize your time with the whales both in the water and observing from the surface. Great diving where you are given a very generous amount of time underwater. Food was plentiful and tea and coffee available 24/7. I would definitely book again. Very professionally run and the crew make the trip, they are all great at their job.
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rebecca
05/07/2024
Will book again The crew was incredible. They had such good energy that elevated the experience. Food was great. They were very accommodating to everyone with all levels of experience. Will be taking this trip again.
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Victoria S
24/06/2024
Adventure of a Lifetime - Spoiled Sport Courteous, helpful, professional, FUN! We just returned from a 3 night Minke Whale expedition and had an absolutely incredible experience. From the time we left Lizard Island until we disembarked in Cairns, every bit of the trip was well organized and clearly communicated. The meals throughout the trip were plentiful and delicious. The night time gatherings in the living room were engaging and fun, a great way to learn more about the overwhelming amount of beautiful coral and sea life everyone had seen each day. If you’re looking for the right Dive Operator to see the Great Barrier Reef, Mike Ball is the operator and Spoiled Sport is the Team! Book it and you will not be disappointed.
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Dan M
14/06/2024
Perfect for snorkelers too!!! I went as a snorkeler as not able to dive, however ALL the sights we went to were perfect for this, which was something I was not expecting. The top of all bommies were <5 meters from the surface, so incredible viewing- the coral was in pristine condition and such a profusion of fish. The boat itself was kept immaculately clean, the food was excellent and the staff very informative and attentive. I loved this trip and absolutely highly recommend doing it, even as a snorkeller. If you really want to see the reef and all her beauty do this vs a day trip!!
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kerriemid
Melbourne
06/06/2024
Very good but... I'll start with my problems as I would still recommend overall.
I booked standard cabin. They were under booked, 4 standard cabins (8 people) full, 4 completely free cabins (so technically everyone who booked standard could have their own cabin)
Rather than offer everyone their own cabin (I was paired with a complete stranger as a solo traveller), they said you can move to another empty cabin (same cabin, no upgrade) for 100aud extra. What?
The cabin is empty. I'm paying almost 1000 Australian dollars a day. It's not an upgrade
If I sit on a plane and there's a free window seat in economy class, after take off the cabin crew will let me take the seat for free. Heck if there's a free row of 3 seats, I can move and take the whole row = for free.
We didn't even get to osprey due to weather, the boat for sure saved money on fuel..i put my do not disturb sign on my room door for 2/3 nights for bed making and cleaning so no extra cleaning.. Why charge extra for the same cabin, not even an upgrade
2nd gripe, 28 degrees water I wanted a 3mm wetsuit. They give me 5mm almost brand new wetsuit, ruined my first 2 dives adjusting with the weights. They don't have 3mm on board But surely kit everyone out before on land ? Wetsuits aren't the most difficult thing to store or maintain.
Anyway. Positives = Great dive sites. Special thanks to guido and yujia for fantastic guiding. Food was also excellent, shout out to June. But each and every crew member from captain to volunteers was great.
I would still return, albeit keeping eye on prices
