How does one catch a whale? Use perfect bait, of course. For minke whales in Australia, that means trolling with humans. Eager to lure in the leviathans, we grab snorkels and slip in, holding on to ropes trailing behind Spoilsport.

It takes just 10 minutes before the first minke materializes and glides in to take a look at us, awkward planktonic anomalies dangling from the lines like so much whale bait. At 25 feet, the dwarf minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, is plenty big to make me feel tiny in the cosmic scheme of things — and bold enough to sidle right up next to me, favoring me with its hypnotizing gaze wherein I see compassion and curiosity. Another minke soon shows up, and then another. For the next two hours I’m lost in the moment, completely captivated by the grace and majesty and sheer awesomeness of the gentle giants.

Mike Ball, Spoilsport’s owner and the most experienced liveaboard operator in Oz, comments, “When first starting our minke trips 20 years ago, we thought we’d have to search for them. Quite the opposite. They find us! The whales are naturally inquisitive, as interested in us as we are in them.”

Our many close encounters of the cetacean kind perfectly cap a wonderful week on the Great Barrier Reef. Although the whales alone are certainly enough to justify a trans-Pacific trip to Queensland’s Cairns (home port for Spoilsport’s minke expeditions in June and July each year), the “normal” scuba dives offered on these itineraries are not to be missed.

Cod Hole serves up killer photo ops with supersize resident potato grouper. Jaws drop when we witness terraced gardens of pristine table corals at Acropolis. And pillar-shaped Lighthouse Bommie is on fire from its peak at 20 feet to its base at 80. We find macro gems such as longnose hawkfish and juvenile angelfish, plus schooling barracuda, walls of snapper and olive sea snakes. Oh, and whales too. Try concentrating on nudibranchs and Nemos while you’re hearing whale song from above. Impossible.

You can dive Cod Hole and GBR year-round; June and July are best for seeing minkes. Winter water temps average 76°F. Spoilsport offers three-, four- and seven-night expeditions. mikeball.com

Trip Highlights

Day 1

You can overload on whales, but there’s also some gorgeous diving. The family of lunker resident potato grouper at Cod Hole is very friendly and serves up killer photo ops.

Day 2

Jaws drop when we witness terraced gardens of pristine table corals at Acropolis. The site is packed with fish either cleaning or being cleaned, and others avoiding predators.

Day 3

At Pixie Wall, we find two pink leaf scorpionfish on a bommie in 95 feet of water that is also busy with clouds of shimmering glassfish and bristling with green cup corals.

Day 4

Crowd favorite Steve’s Bommie wows us with schooling barracuda, gangs of blue-green jacks attacking fusiliers, and a wobbegong shark lurking beneath the coral.