Mike Ball's Supersport, December, 1994. "Calm and flat. No currents. Water temperature 80°, visibility 60­100 feet. Could dive own profile to 100 feet max. Some divemasters untrained in proper photo/video handling. Had one drop and break our new video housing. Don't bother doing the Yongala on the Watersport. Two dives would be okay, but six was too much. Not enough variety for the cost. Ruth, cruise director, was wonderful. Food was tasty. A class operation and we'll go back to do Spoilsport." Anon.

Mike Ball's Spoilsport, November, 1994. "Good. Safety conscious, excellent boat layout for dive operations. Crew friendly and helpful and cute. Excellent sun tanning and opportunity for entertainment/ recreation between dives. . . . Some Australian food is not edible. Crew all smoked. . . . 130 miles is a long boat ride; six ft. seas make a long bumpy ride. Diving the Great Barrier Reef, diving the Coral Sea - water as far as you can see. . . . Wish we'd known to pay for reservation early enough to pick our berth ­­ don't pick the bow under the anchor. Only saw land once during entire week - an island." Gardner & Gardner

Mike Ball's Spoilsport, February, 1995. "We had been on Mike Ball's Watersport five years ago, and expected the Spoilsport to be 'top of the line.' We paid top price for the suite, at the front of the catamaran, but the raising and lowering of the anchor was right next to us: loud, noisy and in the middle of the night, then again at dawn. The anchor chain would catch, so they had to hammer on it to get it to release. There was a leak in the skin of the boat, so it was necessary to run the bilge pump several times a night (located on the other side of the wall from our bed.) Needless to say we were woken several times each night with all the activity. The air conditioning in the main cabin was inadequate - meal preparation raised the temperature several degrees and the humidity was uncomfortable - the air conditioner would drip on the dining table during the day and meals. The boat was sadly in need of upgrading and everything looked tired. For the money they charge, it needs to be refurbished. . . . Otherwise, the diving, food, staff and weather were marvelous." Tom Watson, Kermeston, OR

Mike Ball's Spoilsport, March, 1995. "Efficient, almost too efficient, crew always cleaning up and hurrying. Poseidon Ventures fell down on job, finally booked directly by phone with Mike Ball." Wuni Ryselikewitsch, Gainesville, FL

Mike Ball's Spoilsport, July, 1995. "Great boat, great crew, great diving. We were lucky that the boat was only 1/3 full - a ratio of 11 guests to eight crew. Since weather dictates much of the itinerary, we didn't venture to the out sites as hoped, but could dive the famous Tawriffic, Watanabe, and Giant Gorgonian, as well as six dives on the Yongala. . . . Big difference in comfort among cabins, so get the best you can afford. Linens changed often, towels available on the dive deck. . . . There is a charge for all drinks except Kool-aid, water, tea, and wine at dinner (vintage April), so you can run up a soda, beer, and wine bill quickly. Food is good, with room for improvement in the quality of meat; presentation attractive. . . . We spoke with Mike Ball and can attest that he cares deeply about the satisfaction of his guests. We'd do Spoilsport again, and Watersport just to dive the Yongala - the best dive in the world." Mel Mccombie and Harris Freidberg, New Haven, CT

Pacific Star, October, 1994. "Great for shark encounters. Our only Coral Sea destination was Litton Reef where packs of grey reef sharks and sleek silvertips were abundant and not shy at almost every dive site. Also, numbers of whitetip reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, trevally in abundance. Wailing away on a tank-banger was effective in calling grey reefs and silvertips. Mostly hard coral at Litton. Few sea fans or dendronephtya soft corals - though a wonderful assortment of brilliant crinoids. Vis was excellent (80­150 ft.) for the most part; water temp: 73 degrees. . . . Seven passengers and a crew of three on our cruise. Food was excellent and plentiful. . . . Dive operation well run. Four­ five dives daily including night dives. Quarters a bit tight but not uncomfortable. . . . Those prone to seasickness may have a bit of trouble with long crossings." John Topalito and Annella Cooper, Eagle River, Alaska

Reef Encounter, July, 1995. "From Cairns dived four different reefs. Night diving was included. The most incredible diving I've ever experienced. Extremely friendly staff aboard the 115­foot vessel. Most memorable experiences include: giant turtles, face­to­face with a moray eel, and being surrounded by four white­tipped reef sharks. The coral is beautiful. No currents; great visibility. This live­aboard is a must for all." Robert Harmon, Virginia Beach, VA

Reef Explorer, September, 1994. "Water clarity excellent. Interesting island stop (nesting birds). Good shark action, schools of barracuda. Bumphead parrotfish. Food and friendliness of crew fabulous. Owners act as captain; their involvement makes big difference." Michael Bryant, NY, NY

Reef Explorer, October, 1994. "The Far North Great Barrier Reef is everything an experienced diver wants. Deep walls, wrecks, big fish action, drifts, hard and soft corals and it always offers new and exciting finds and experiences. The Reef Explorer is the way to do it. Good food. Great staff. It's nice to find an operation for experienced divers - one that lets you dive to your rules and your limits." Alan Spires, Brisbane, Australia

Reef Explorer, December, 1994. "Absolutely fabulous. Kim and Alan run an outstanding operation. The diving was fantastic ­­ thousands of varieties of fish of all sizes. Larger, intact gorgonians seemed untouched by humans. High winds made for an occasionally rough ride, and 'limited' some of our dives to the inner reef ­­ they were great dives. I can't wait to go back and see what I missed outside. The food was gourmet. Fresh scones, banana souffle, fresh sushi and sashimi and tempura, unbelievable. The only thing the boat lacked was a sun deck, but they're making one. Comfortable accommodations. I can't say enough about this incredible trip." Sandy Steffenson, Iowa City, IA

Reef Explorer, December, 1994. "Boat layout was not as good as Telita for camera gear, getting on/off boat. Food top quality. Diving superb. Variety good; tanks and air well maintained. Operation well run; had all dive sites to ourselves; direct diving from boat is great. Reefs in pristine condition. Knowledgeable and competent crew." Pat and Quinn Whiting­O'Keefe, Redwood City, CA

Reef Explorer, January, 1995. "Captains Allan and Kim are a wonderful couple; hosts extraordinaire. Coral Sea Blue vis incredible. Best dive boat in Australia. A return trip." Paul Lebourgeois, Austin, TX

Spirit of Freedom, August, 1995. "Fairly-new 125'yacht (Max Allen Charters, technically Gladstone, but they pick people up in Cairns). I took a 10-day trip with 17 others in a group from Weaver's Dive & Travel in Boulder. This boat is fantastic - Max built it himself, specifically for diving, at a cost of over $4 million. The cabins are roomy and all have private baths with showers. On the main deck are the galley, a large dining and gathering area, a lounge/bar at the fore, and the dive deck. The dive deck is roomy, even if everyone is gearing up simultaneously. There's a fresh water shower on deck, and lockers and dry bins for stowing gear. The upper deck is a sundeck with a spa, and has the lifeboats, bridge, and crew quarters. The boat is equipped with electronic stabilizers, which helped quite a bit - winter on the Coral Sea brought several days of huge rollers, as much as 12-15'. . . . Food was plentiful; we never went hungry. The crew was professional, knowledgeable and above all, friendly, and we all felt like family when the trip was over. Not one person on the trip had a single complaint of any kind. . . . The itinerary was basically wherever we wanted to go, weather permitting. Our original plan was to go north to the Torres Straits, but bad weather forced us to stay further south. We headed out and north in the Coral Sea, then came back south inside the Barrier Reef. We hit several popular spots like Cod Hole, Pixie Pinnacle and Lizard Island, but also did some lesser-known sites, places with numbers for names. One reef at our furthest northern point, Tijou Reef, was outstanding, and the crew said few boats dive it. We only got one night dive in, again due to weather conditions." Sue Kovach, Boulder, CO

Undersea Explorer, October, 1994. "I have logged 1,000 dives and experienced several live­aboard boats: Undersea Explorer was one of the best. The crew was friendly, funny and professional. The food was plentiful, but heavy on the pork. Perhaps that's normal for Australia (I've heard they have since changed cooks). Also they don't have American mustard in Australia. . . . Plenty of room for photo gear. A clothes rack for drying things. Cabins were roomy. . . . The dive sites were wonderful. Huge giant clams on almost every dive. A shark feed, great photo opportunities. Cod hole, groupers the size of sheep, stingray, a school of large barracuda, giant soft corals, and more hard coral varieties and colors, than I've seen before. Not too many eels or octopi, though there were three night dives during the week. Water temp: 76 degrees, vis 60­200; . . . Shore barbecue one night and held fun events. I felt like a kid again. The last evening was awards night, everyone received a certificate with a written highlight of their dive trip. All in good fun. This boat hasn't advertised in the U.S. yet." Sheryl Baugh, Petaluma, CA

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.