Spoilsport Liveaboard Trips – Swim with the Dwarf Minke Whales at the Great Barrier Reef (Premium Adventure)
3, 4 & 7 Night Fly Dive Swim with Minke Whales
MINKE WHALE DIVE EXPEDITIONS
During the winter months of June and July, many visitors to the Great Barrier Reef enjoy the experience of swimming with Dwarf Minke Whales. This liveaboard trip operator has you swimming with Dwarf Minke Whales at the Great Barrier Reef for numerous years.
These dedicated liveaboard trips provide an exclusive opportunity for snorkelling with Dwarf Minke Whales, a unique offering limited to the Great Barrier Reef. Among the operators authorized to conduct such activities, the liveaboard trips are facilitated by Mike Ball Dive Expeditions.
Ribbon Reef #10 of the Great Barrier Reef has consistently stood out as a prime location for exceptional scuba diving, and it has been the favoured spot for most sightings of these Dwarf Minke Whales.
FLY DIVE MINKE WHALES – 3 NIGHTS
2025 Departure Dates – 9 June | 16 June | 23 June | 30 June| 7 July | 14 July | 21 July
- Check-in – Monday 7am – Office, Cairns
- Return – Thursday 8am – Trinity Wharf, Cairns
FLY DIVE MINKE WHALES – 4 NIGHTS
2025 Departure Dates – 5 June | 12 June | 19 June | 26 June | 3 July | 10 July | 17 July
- Board Vessel – Thursday 6pm – Trinity Wharf, Cairns.
(Check-in before 4pm at the Spoiltsport office).
- Return – Monday 11am – Cairns
Ultimate Minke Whale Expedition – 7 Night
2025 Departure Dates – 5 June | 12 June | 19 June | 26 June | 3 July | 10 July | 17 July
Board Vessel – Thursday 6pm – Trinity Wharf, Cairns.
(Check-in before 4pm at Spoilsport office).
Depart Vessel – Thursday 8am – Trinity Wharf, Cairns
Cabin Types
- Premium – queen or double bed, private bathroom, ocean views.
- Standard – twin beds, private bathroom, ocean views.
- Club – twin bunk beds, private bathroom, no ocean view.
- Budget – twin bunk beds, share bathroom, no ocean view.
Trip Highlights (Inclusions)
- Flying Start – Spectacular 250km scenic flight over the reef from Cairns to Lizard Island
- Note: 7 Night Expedition does not include the scenic flight (Departs & Returns to Trinity Wharf)
- Minkes – Dedicated time to find and swim with the whales
Continental Shelf – Dive 100 miles north of Cairns on the edge of the shelf, exposed to currents - Ribbon Reefs – great fish and coral diversity. Ribbon Reef Dive Sites
Cod Hole – Swim with diver size potato cod - Dynamite Pass, Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Wall, Pixie Pinnacle, Coral Kingdom, Flare Point, Blue Lagoon, Gotham City, Vertical Gardens
- Steve’s Bommie – a highlight with an incredible array of weird and wonderful creatures.
Swim with the Minke Whales trip program
Your 3 Night trip is dedicated to maximising your in-water interactions at the world’s only known minke whale aggregation sites, whilst both scuba diving and snorkelling the diverse marine life of the Ribbon Reefs. The interaction with the Dwarf Minke Whales sees you safely holding onto a float line. Depending on the minke whales sense of curiosity you could encounter unlimited interaction time with the whales. Expect close encounters so stay calm and you will be mesmerised by these majestic mammals.
Inclusions
- Accommodation in twin/double cabins
- Delicious meals & snacks, wine and soft drink are included with the evening meal
- Tanks, air fills and weight belt
- Daily cabin service
- Reef ecology programme
- Dive computer workshop
- Transfer to the airport or Cairns hotel after your expedition
- Scenic flight Cairns to Lizard Island
- Vivid Pix digital photo editing software workshop
Optional Extras
Please note that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority requires the operator to collect an Environmental Management Charge of $8 per day spent on the Great Barrier Reef. This amount will be added to your bar bill at the end of your expedition.
- Dive Courses
- Dive Gear Hire ($44.00 per day Full gear Hire)
- Photo Services
Full Itinerary (Subject to Change)
Itineraries for 3 and 4 Night trips combined makes the 7 Night Itinerary.
Monday: (3 dives)
- Check in at our office (3 Abbott St, Cairns) between 6.30 and 7am.
- 7. 15 am: Transfer to Cairns Airport
- 8.00 am: Board a light aircraft for a low level flight over the reef to Lizard Island (flight time approx. 1 hour).
- Board Spoilsport mid-morning where you will be served drinks and snacks while our Trip Director gives you a welcome briefing.
- Time to organise any rental equipment and put your dive gear together on the dive deck.
- 12.45 pm: Dive brief and dive
- 2.00 pm: Lunch
- 3.45 pm: Dive brief and dive
- 4.45 pm: Afternoon tea
- 6.00 pm: Dive brief and night dive
- 8:00 pm: Dinner
Tuesday: (4 dives + night dive)
This is a sample of a ‘typical day’, however exact times may vary to optimise the prevailing weather conditions on the day.
- 6.30 am: Wake up call, light breakfast available in dining room
- 7:00 am: Dive brief & diving commences
- 9.00 am: Full cooked breakfast
- 10.30 am: Dive brief & diving. “Open decks” accommodate 1-2 dives either am or pm.
- 2.00 pm: Lunch
- 3.30 pm: Dive brief & diving
- 4:30 pm: Afternoon tea
- 6:30 pm: Night dive brief & dive
- 8:00 pm: Dinner
Wednesday: (4 dives)
- As per above. Exit last dive 5pm
- As the sun sets we pour the champagne, lay out the nibbles and get ready for an Aussie BBQ party night. Don’t forget to wear your loudest tropical shirt or dress and sing along to music played by our talented crew.
- Spoilsport cruises back to Cairns overnight.
Thursday:
- Early morning docking.
- 7.00 am: Light breakfast
- 8:00 am: Disembark and courtesy transfer to Cairns inner city hotels, the airport or our office where we can store your luggage until 5pm if you have a later flight.
Important:
- We recommend that you allow 24 hours between your last dive and your onward flight (all diving is finished by 5pm Wednesday).
- A luggage allowance applies to the flight from Cairns to Lizard Island:
- 25kg / 55lb per person plus 3kg / 6.5lb – carry on.
- An additional 10kg/22lb is allowed for professional photo/video housed systems.
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