Help: Mike Ball vs SOF July 20th Coral Sea

[DoubleJ757]

Hello all,

I am currently planning on doing a trip to Australia in July and have decided that liveaboard diving is the way to go. I am debating between going out on either the Spoilsport or the SOF as they both have boats leaving on the 20th going to the Coral Sea (from research what seems to be the place to hit). I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for one over the other, or if people familiar with the sites could look at the itineraries and let me know which you feel is better?

Also any recommendations for must sees in Australia, non diving related, is appreciated as well.

 

[stiebs]

Both Mike Ball and Spirit of Freedom are top notch outfits and neither will disappoint.

As far as other must sees, that really depends on how long you'll be out here, and whether or not you are going elsewhere already. Australia is a big place - it's 1400miles from Cairns to Melbourne, and 2200miles from Perth to Sydney. At the very least, since you'll be in the area, a stay in the Daintree Forest is a relaxing way to spend a couple of nights.

 

[WetPup]

I would be checking availability to be honest with you. That is smack in the middle of minke whale season and I would be unsurprised if both boats weren't already fully booked.

Both Spoilsport and SoF are much of a muchness really. I prefer Spoilsport for personal reasons (I know a number of the crew), but SoF has basically the same level of service and comfort.

 

[MatWill]

Hi,

I worked on Spoilsport and I would say that if you get good weather/winds the sites can be some of the most spectacular you will ever dive in your life. Im diving all over the world now and just got back from Bonaire but my time with Mike Ball is still the standout dives of my lifetime. My only advice is that when you are on either of these boats is remember that you alone are responsible for your personal safety. You will dive over 100nm offshore in the middle of nowhere, if the wind picks up and you miss that jesus line get out your safety sausages!

Both boats go out to Osprey so its going to be much the same - try and stop at Steve's Bommie if the weather is good!

Have fun

 

[DoubleJ757]

Thank you all for the replies!! Yea, I have been keeping a check on both boat to make sure there is still availability, so far so good! As to my other things to see, I'll be flying in to Sydney on the 9th and will have from the 9th until the boat leaves to fill time.

 

[sunshower]

I went out on Spirit of Freedom several years ago. It was a great boat, solid crew, and the diving in the Coral Sea lived up to the hype; right up there with Galapagos in that regard. Amazing how those minkes can just appear out of the blue and disappear back into it. Lots of other cool stuff too. Have a great time.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Both great trips and not much to chose between them. Spirit is a slightly newer vessel but they both pretty much have the same itinerary and the same sites. cant go wrong on either.
As mentioned above July is the busiest as its Minke migration so if you haven't already booked I would do so quickly

 

[Danac]

Hi,

I worked on Spoilsport and I would say that if you get good weather/winds the sites can be some of the most spectacular you will ever dive in your life. Im diving all over the world now and just got back from Bonaire but my time with Mike Ball is still the standout dives of my lifetime. My only advice is that when you are on either of these boats is remember that you alone are responsible for your personal safety. You will dive over 100nm offshore in the middle of nowhere, if the wind picks up and you miss that jesus line get out your safety sausages!

Both boats go out to Osprey so its going to be much the same - try and stop at Steve's Bommie if the weather is good!

Have fun

Hey there! I've booked the Spoilsport in May (very excited!) and wanted to check in about your comment above. I understand that the trip requires advanced certification (me) or experienced OW (my boyfriend), which we qualify for yet I must admit that my boyfriend just hits the minimum requirement of just 10 dives in the past 12 months as an OW diver. Can we expect the dives to be guided or at least to have detailed instruction by the dive masters before each dive?

 

[WetPup]

There's detailed dive briefings, yes, absolutely. But you shouldn't expect the dives to be guided. Sometimes one of the crew will jump in and you can follow them around, but if you actually want a guide, you need to pay for it.

 

[covediver]

When I was on Mike Ball a few years ago, dive briefings were extremely detailed, service was outstranding, a real once in a lifetime experience. On every dive, a boat employee was available for buddying. Not sure if this was "guided" as much as "escorted". Nothing but fond memories of our days on Osprey Reef. It was a long way to go, but worth every mile.