Pacific Star, October 1996, Ruth Van Jones, Punta Gorda, FL "62 feet Catamaran motor sailer with 26 ft. beam. 8 day/7 night charter to Coral Sea (Flinders Reef 180 minutes N.E. of Port). 7 twin/double cabins with ensuite showers and toilets. Crew: captain, two mates/dive masters and chef. Cost ($2,400. AUD) includes all dive gear including wet suits, computers, night lights. Diving excellent on different sites every time. Bommies full of exquisite corals and tropical fish unique to area. A few sharks. All dives logged but no restrictions; up to five per day. Food excellent and varied including BBQ, steak, chicken, huge shrimp. Both hot and cold dishes at lunch. Boat fully air conditioned. Large dive platform, gearing up space an individual gear storage, excellent boarding ladders. Camera table and crew get you with inflatable if you surface away from boat. . . . Entirely pleasant experience, from direct booking via E­mail­ (PACSTAR@whitsunday.net.au), meeting at local airport. Expressed a preference for open heel fins instead of full foot fins they provide, so they went out and bought two pair for me and my husband. Due to a minor disability I have difficulty climbing ladders, assistance was willingly given; in heavy seas a divemaster jumped into the water and took my gear so I could reboard easily."

Pacific Star, January 1997, Kimberly Chung & John Kerr, Providence, RI. "Have dived the Red Sea and the Maldives and this compares as a first­class dive destination. Pacific Star is a wonderful operation, wonderful Aussie hospitality. No pretentiousness, but everything you need to enjoy first­class diving. . . . Catamaran. 12 guests max. Practical and comfortable with A/C, about 5 years old. The cabins have ensuite baths with hot showers. Cabins are tight, but so what, it's a boat! 3 have double beds, others have twin beds. Only one has window (request this one: convenient location, and above water). Others in the hulls of the catamaran. If you want a double bed, make reservations early and request it. Everyone pays the same price. Dive deck is spacious and intelligently designed. Each diver has own "station," a bench with a grooved shelf behind it that holds tank/BC setup. Easy to get into your BC. Individual storage bins under your bench. After the dive, drop the tank at your station, remove the first stage and the tank is filled. Fresh water shower on deck. Outdoor space on the boat is not conducive to lounging (no flat lounge­deck, not enough chairs and loungers). Shaded area relatively small. Four crew members, all wonderful, worked their butts off to give us a good trip. . . . Owner Shane Bantham was aboard; took a more "exploratory" course than is normal. First rate dive sites. Of the 30 dives offered, only one a "dud." All others were spectacular. We dived Elizabeth, Magdaleine, Willis, and Flinders Reefs. Nice combination between "known dive sites" and exploratory ones; crew often rejected 3­4 spots before anchoring. Dive briefings excellent. Amazing array of life. The highlight; 12 foot tiger shark at Magdaleine Reef (no one wanted to night dive for two days after that!), schools of gray reefies, black tips, white tips. . . . all very curious (and a little unnerving) as they don't often see people. They routinely followed us around and checked us out (a little too often). Dive at Willis where we were surrounded by 14 curious sharks. Another site: emerging from a long tunnel to a small nest­like area. Huge turtle had no place to go but right past us and up! We exited through another long tunnel. Lots of varied terrain on this trip. Many dives with big pelagic action. Others with abundant, big, soft, colorful coral. Others with walls, long, long swim­throughs and tunnels. Many, many sea turtles. Vis; Some say at least 40 meters (from bottom looking up), others say it was more like 25­30m (looking laterally). But, it was all good enough. Sites are beautiful. Allowed to dive their profile, but require computers (provided gratis ­­ as is other equipment if you need it). Computers were monitored. Those with reverse profiles or deep dives were consistently advised of the dangers. Safety rules rigidly applied; if you dive without your computer you are out of the water for 24 hours. . . . Service: everything great, unpretentious and informal, yet completely professional. Crew good natured. Food plentiful, varied, and good, but not gourmet (I am a picky food critic). Snacks after dives (savory and sweet). After dinner, Sara Lee­type desserts. Half the dinners are Australian fare (dry meat and two veg). . . . Tipping not customary in Australia. No one (6 Aussies and 5 Americans) on our trip tipped the crew and the crew did not expect it. . . . Crew went out of their way to find a deserted and sand cay so we could observe the turtles laying their eggs. Saw a dozen turtles making their way up the sand cays & digging pits. Observed one laying her eggs. . . . First­class, boat with all necessities, but no super­upscale luxuries (hot tub, hot towels on the dive deck, coffee delivered to your door, gourmet dinners). Set foot on land twice during a week, each time only for a couple of hours! Had good weather, but on the nights we had bad weather it was tough on everyone. Shane and Toni Bantham very pleasant to deal with. They communicate by fax and by e-mail, and helped us make connecting travel arrangements."

Reef Explorer, July 1997, Bill and Ellen Domb, Upland, CA. "Water 75 degrees, limited to four dives/day. Six divers and five crew (normal is 8 divers and 4 crew). New owner on board planning improvements. Minke Whale trip; snorkeled with them three times, once over an hour. Beautiful reef diving, lots of good advice from Captain Monte. Small camera table, only one outlet for 110 v recharging, power erratic."

Quicksilver, August 1997, Robert Henry, Florisant, MO. "Boat is great; staff friendly and helpful. Pontoon great for non-divers. Reef is beautiful but a lot of dead and broken coral. Expensive at $240 per person for 2 dives including transportation from your Port Douglas hotel, the boat cruise and lunch."

Undersea Explorer, June 1997, Michelle Morgan, Alameda, CA. "Windy season. Boat was slow so moving was done at night which made it a difficult to sleep. The crew and level of service more than made up for it. vis: 70-90 ft. water: 75-78 degrees.. Dive restrictions enforced were buddy teams, by computer only and four dives per day max."

Spoilsport, October 1996, Letitia P. Bailey, Aiea, HI. "Vis 60 to 100 feet, water 72 to 75 degrees. Full week in the Coral Sea with 28 divers on a boat that with 29 maximum. One diver certified on second day of trip; another pair had been diving buddies for 26 years. Four were avid photographers, several tried photography for after instruction on the boat with very good results. . . . Fish less prolific and varied than expected. Another diver on fifth trip commented on drastic decrease since two years ago. Six foot waves and high winds at Yongala wreck dives. Exits were exhausting and alarming. . . . Reef/coral in excellent condition; nudibranchs, anemones, fans, damsels abound. Schools of fusiliers, barracuda, and sharks in designated locations though lionfish, morays, and octopi more cautious. Photo opportunities so good that several photographers remained underwater for most of each day. Turtle mating/egg­laying season; saw both. Shark­feeding dive exciting; wreck dive reported to be exceptional with heavy coral and abundance of fish. I didn't go ; I know my limits. . . . Diving deck well designed. Small tanks for petite divers or those who grown gills making larger tanks unnecessary. Each diver set up own gear initially and it remained in place for the trip. After each dive, remove regulator from the tank valve to signal the need for refill. Ample storage available in a bin under the seat; cameras had their own shelf space. Wet suits hung from a central rack and were secured while the boat moved. 28 divers had plenty of room. . . . Tour director drew a map of each dive location, indicating formation of the reef, swim­throughs, currents, depths, permanent reef residents, and suggested a route consistent with currents; drop­off and pick­up service on request. Crew helped divers struggle into gear without waiting to be asked. . . . If one did not have a safety sausage for emergency pick­up, crew would loan you one. Could rent alternate air source, dive computer, camera, and dive light, or buy Cylumes for night dives. . . . Encouraged to drink water from coolers before and after each dive to help prevent decompression sickness; divers entered the water by leaping from a central platform six feet up, a bit daunting, or from two lower platforms at water level. A long rod was suspended at three meters at the rear of the boat for safety stops. A crew member hoisted divers up as they climbed, which makes exit much easier for us over­the­ hill types. . . . Crew member presented you with a warm towel and noted depth/time/safety stop (and dive group for we primitives who prefer tables to computers). After the dive were freshly baked muffins, scones, coffee, tea. . . . Chef did a great job of feeding 38 people five times a day; produced chocolate mousse on request. Ample portions, varied menus, and accommodation of special requests had us all at the table promptly at mealtimes. Saturday night "shrimp on the barbie" party with a 70's theme. . . . Accommodations were comfortable rather than luxurious; I opted for budget accommodations which turned out to be a crew cabin with upper and lower bunks located in the hull. Had the room, and three hot showers a day, to myself. More upscale cabin which seemed about the same size and layout, was in the center of the boat, and so was also windowless. Two cabins sharing a bathroom appeared to be the norm. Bunks comfortable, though on the rough 10 hour run to the Coral Sea the first night, only selected portions of one's anatomy were in actual contact with the mattress most of the time. I needed Bonine. . . . First evening's social entertainment consisted of a modified Bingo game with divers performing stunts with quality prizes awarded like hats, T­shirts, and windbreakers with various Mike Ball logos on them. Reef education presentations, instruction in underwater photography, movies on video, and documentaries occurred rather informally. No smoking indoors so the afterdeck was always occupied by the chain­smokers, including several of the crew. . . . Professional organization of highly competent people who work together exceptionally well while maintaining the safety and comfort of a fairly large group of people. Divers feel like guests rather than paying customers. . . . What I wish I had known before I left home: They provide towels but no face cloths. PS: I'm now looking for a rich man to support me so I can afford to do this twice a year. Let me know if your millionaire cousin is available and willing to join me in paradise, otherwise known as Hawai'i. He doesn't even have to dive."

Supersport & Spoilsport, January 1997, Don Achson, Silver Spring, MD. "The trip on the two boats was everything I expected. Mike Ball runs a first class operation. I was particularly impressed by the dive operation, the best I have ever seen. All staff friendly and helpful. vis: 80­100 ft. water: 82 degrees. Buddy restriction was enforced. An oddity, though, our room on the Spoilsport shared a bathroom with the adjacent cabin. That's fine, but the tiny sink had only a cold water spigot and the mirror was so poorly illuminated as to be nearly useless. Mirror in cabin wasn't much better."

Supersport, September 1997, Gary Gibbs, Modesto, CA. "Mike Ball's trip to Cod Hole was great! Staff courteous and fun. Dive sights good to very good. vis: 60-75 ft. water: 60-70 degrees. Accommodations in the superior class are very good; premium looked good as well. Recommend standard class for singles or budget travelers. Cooks accommodated us vegetarians superbly well. Equipment readily available and in good shape."

True North, April 1997, Steve G. Rosenfeld, Simi Valley, CA. "Whale shark trip live­aboard. All free diving; if the sharks are there it's great. if not forget it. The local reefs are unimpressive. The exception is the Navy Pier, lots of unusual life, big and small. vis: 30­50 ft. water: 80 degrees. The True North is a great diving boat with lots of deck space. On the downside, the cabins are very small and the restrooms and showers are on the main deck."

Undersea Explorer, September 1996, Ralph Baker, Las Vegas, NV. "Crew friendly. Marine biologist on board to give us insight on fish behavior and how fish have adapted to their particular niche. Informative and educational. vis: 75-80 feet. water: 75-78 degrees. No diving restrictions were enforced."

Watersport, March 1996, Jeff Roberston, Roseville, CA. "Diving on this graveyard is surreal, especially the night dives. The amount of sea life attracted to the Yongala is amazing and thought provoking. Corals are brilliant, the resident turtles and eels are magnificent, the fish life is so profuse it gets in the way of seeing other things like 3 different varieties of sea snakes. vis: 35­50 ft. water: 80 degrees. Quite a dive. The Watersport crew pretty much left you alone to do your own thing on the advanced dive, but were always available to help with anything needed. The food plain but plentiful. Accommodations Spartan."

Watersport, August 1997, Robert Henry, Florisant, MO. "Crew excellent, very helpful. Supposed to dive the Yongala but never made it due to high seas. Told later it is common not to get to the wreck. Reef incredible: water 73 degrees; vis 80 to 100 feet. Heard 'whale song' but never saw them. Food fair, diving excellent."

Copyright 1998 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.