2018 July - MV Spoil Sport
Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Australia (172)Australia (172)
Expand ACT, Jervis Bay (1)ACT, Jervis Bay (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)Northern Territory, Batchelor (1)
Expand Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)Northern Territory, Vernon Islands (1)
Expand NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)NSW, Broughton and nearby islands (16)
Expand NSW, Cook Island (1)NSW, Cook Island (1)
Expand NSW, Forster (2)NSW, Forster (2)
Expand NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)NSW, HMAS Adelaide wreck (1)
Expand NSW, Jervis Bay (2)NSW, Jervis Bay (2)
Expand NSW, Julian Rocks (3)NSW, Julian Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)NSW, Lord Howe Island (1)
Expand NSW, Merimbula (1)NSW, Merimbula (1)
Expand NSW, Montague Island (4)NSW, Montague Island (4)
Expand NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)NSW, Nambucca Heads (1)
Expand NSW, Nelson Bay (45)NSW, Nelson Bay (45)
Expand NSW, Nymboida River (1)NSW, Nymboida River (1)
Expand NSW, Oakland wreck (7)NSW, Oakland wreck (7)
Expand NSW, Seal Rocks (3)NSW, Seal Rocks (3)
Expand NSW, Shellharbour (1)NSW, Shellharbour (1)
Expand NSW, Solitary Islands (1)NSW, Solitary Islands (1)
Expand NSW, South West Rocks (8)NSW, South West Rocks (8)
Expand NSW, Swansea (3)NSW, Swansea (3)
Expand NSW, Sydney (14)NSW, Sydney (14)
Expand NSW, Tweed River (1)NSW, Tweed River (1)
Expand NSW, Wollongong (2)NSW, Wollongong (2)
Expand Queensland, Coral Sea (2)Queensland, Coral Sea (2)
Expand Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)Queensland, Gold Coast Seaway (1)
Collapse Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)Queensland, Great Barrier Reef (4)
Expand Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)Queensland, HMAS Brisbane wreck (1)
Expand Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)Queensland, North Stradbroke Island (1)
Expand Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)Queensland, Wolf Rock (1)
Expand Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)Queensland, Yongala wreck (1)
Expand South Australia, Edithburgh (1)South Australia, Edithburgh (1)
Expand South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)South Australia, Hopkins Island (3)
Expand South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)South Australia, Kangaroo Island (1)
Expand South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)South Australia, Neptune Islands (4)
Expand South Australia, Point Lowly (1)South Australia, Point Lowly (1)
Expand South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)South Australia, Port Lincoln (1)
Expand South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)South Australia, Rapid Bay (1)
Expand South Australia, Second Valley (1)South Australia, Second Valley (1)
Expand South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)South Australia, Tumby Bay (2)
Expand South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)South Australia, Victor Harbor (1)
Expand South Australia, Wool Bay (1)South Australia, Wool Bay (1)
Expand Tasmania, Derwent River (2)Tasmania, Derwent River (2)
Expand Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)Tasmania, Tasman Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)Victoria, Bellarine Peninsula (2)
Expand Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)Victoria, Mornington Peninsula (5)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (1)
Expand Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)Victoria, Port Phillip Heads (1)
Expand Western Australia, Busselton (1)Western Australia, Busselton (1)
Expand Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)Western Australia, Exmouth Gulf (3)
Expand Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)Western Australia, Murion Islands (2)
Expand Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)Western Australia, Ningaloo Reef (2)
Expand Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)Western Australia, Rowley Shoals (1)
Expand Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)Western Australia, Shark Bay (1)
Expand Fiji (4)Fiji (4)
Expand French Polynesia (2)French Polynesia (2)
Expand New Zealand (2)New Zealand (2)
Expand Papua New Guinea (1)Papua New Guinea (1)
Expand Tonga (1)Tonga (1)
Expand Vanuatu (1)Vanuatu (1)
In July 2018, Mick Todd and I returned to Cairns for another Spoil Sport trip. This time for the Mike Ball Dive Expeditions’ “7 Night Ultimate Minke Whale Expedition”, a voyage which also included diving Cod Hole with its fabulous Malabar Goupers and Potato Cods as well as some superb diving at Summer Bay, Steve’s Bommie, Gotham City, Snake Pit, Pixie’s Pinnacle, Crack-A-Jack and Flare Point. The crew included Mike Ball himself and Julia Sumerling, an outstanding Expedition Photographer and Videographer. 

 

Nothing beats first encounters and as I had never seen a Dwarf Minke whale, let alone been in the water with one, I was totally focused on the Minke whales. 

 

There are two known species of Minke whales: the North Atlantic Minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and the Antarctic Minke whales, Balaenoptera bonaerensis. The former visit the northern Great Barrier Reef from May to July, the only known reliable aggregation in the world. Now we just had to find some. Or more accurately they had to find us. And they did. Oh yes, we had Minke whales off the stern! Two long mermaid lines were let out and we quickly grabbed our masks, snorkels and cameras and slid into the water. They were bigger than I had expected. Weighing up to several tonnes and reaching eight metres in length, “dwarf” seemed a misnomer to me. Big but very friendly - surely they must be one of the most friendly of whales. And they seemed genuinely interested in me, slowly approaching, establishing eye contact before effortlessly gliding off. Again and again. Julia said that if I wanted to get really close encounters I should sing to them. Julia had not heard me sing. 

 

This was a fantastic experience which I enthusiastically recommend. The Great Barrier Reef is the only location where snorkel and dive tours with Minke whales are available and Mike Ball Dive Expeditions is one of only a few operators licenced to operate them.