I’ve always been open about the fact I didn’t start to dive until I was in my 20s, when a girlfriend won a trip and told me I could only go if I got certified ... so I did. I could never have imagined how that decision would change my life. I immediately fell in love with diving and everything associated with it. I became an instructor, managed a dive shop, and years later joined my loves of diving and photography which brought me to where I am today. Through those years, I’ve followed the big names in our industry ... Jaques Cousteau, Stan Waterman, Wyland ... the list is long, but there is a name on that long list that really lived up to my expectations of what a “big name” should be.

In 2013, I visited the annual DEMA (Diving Equipment and Marketing Association) show in Orlando, Florida. DEMA is an organization dedicated to the promotion of scuba diving and snorkeling, and so many facets of our sport are represented at this annual event. I ran into Mike Ball (of Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, a liveaboard based in Cairns Australia) and we struck up a conversation. I was a little starstruck as his is a name I have heard held in high regard through the years. Mike was very open with his knowledge and experiences from years past and the present, talking of how diving has changed over the years. I felt as if I was in the presence of a true legend in the world of diving. After we spoke at length, Mike said, “You should come to Cairns and dive with us." I wasn’t sure if he made that invitation to everyone, but a couple of months later (after working through some scheduling conflicts), I was on the 18-hour flight to Cairns.

Like most people, I’m not a fan of long flights, but this one was worth it. Mike’s boat Spoisport is a beautiful, impeccably maintained boat, and its crew is held to providing the highest standards — of both safety and comfort — to guests, which explains why Mike Ball Dive Expeditions has won multiple awards for service through the years. I was also very impressed by the PADI training offered to guests, from Advanced Open Water to Nitrox, to SDI Solo Diving classes. It was clear that they cared not only about making their guests comfortable, but making them better divers too. I found it interesting that Mike Ball is the only liveaboard owner/operator ever inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (2004).

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea did not disappoint — after all, I was really there for the diving! It was breathtaking — during the day, we experienced gin-clear waters and huge coral walls descending as far as the eye could see. We were graced by healthy, colorful reefs full of sea fans, soft corals and thousands of tiny reef fish on each dive. I struggled before each dive trying to decide between shooting macro or wide angle: bumphead parrotfish munching on the reef, striped eel catfish, tiny yellow boxfish, clownfish, schools of yellowtail surgeonfish. I never knew what I’d see, but I was sure it would never be disappointing.

Night dives were a staple — we did four on the first seven nights of the trip. They were especially exciting — the reefs were so alive at night. Each time my light shone into the darkness, plenty of eyes were looking back. Sharks and other night feeders were everywhere! On one dive, I pointed my light at one unsuspecting parrotfish and within seconds the sharks made it their dinner. Circle of life, circle of life.

This liveaboard trip will always be special to me because it gave me the opportunity to meet a true legend and get to see firsthand what his hard work and dedication has given the world of diving. In my eyes, his generosity, his pioneering spirit and his impact made on the sport of diving — and to those of us who love it — will be hard to beat by anyone.

More from Craig Dietrich:

Diving with Manta Rays | Taking a Shot | 5 Tips for Shooting Underwater at Night

To find out more about Mike Ball Expeditions, click here](/mike-ball-dive-expeditions).