New Zealand’s largest national park, founded in 1952, Fiordland is a World Heritage Site and is one of the most beautiful and untouched areas on earth. With steep mountains that ascend high into the sky above from the fiords and canyons hundreds of feet beneath the water’s surface, this magnificent area is enormous. You could very well spend an entire lifetime here, and still feel as though there were more to see.
Diving Fiordland is not for the uninitiated, and for even the most seasoned divers, it can be challenging depending on where you go. In some places, you find yourself flying over deep ancient canyons 400 meters below the murky surface, all the while wondering whether the current will loosen its grasp on you when you’re finally ready to ascend. Here is a very brief sampling of the wonders that await at Fiordland.
Dusky Sound
Diving in Dusky Sound is amazing, as you are often greeted by New Zealand fur seals. One of the shallower areas, it is home to at least three fantastic wrecks, all of which are filled with life. The Endeavour, New Zealand’s first official shipwreck, was scuttled here after her useful life was over, way back in 1795. Not to be confused with Captain Cook’s Endeavour, not much remains of her but a heap of rubble filled with starfish and other creatures.
A 4000 ton steamer called the Waikare lies in shallow water just off Stop Island. With depths between 6 and 30 meters, this ship hit a rock while transporting 400 tourists in 1910. Everyone made it off safely, but the ship sank before she could be repaired.
The 50 meter wreck of the Ranginui sits upright in 60 meters of water in 1995, and is teeming with life. Suitable for expert divers only, it sunk while moored and is quite ghostly, with all features still as they were left when the small ship was last tied up.
Milford Sound
The only of the fourteen fiords with public road access, Milford Sound has some interesting shore dives at Sinbad Gully and Harrison’s Cove. With a viewing chamber for non-divers, Harrison’s Cove is spectacular, with red and black corals in abundance, and spiny sea dragons, lots of nudibranchs, crayfish, featherstars, and other creatures everywhere you look. As with most of the dive sites at Fiordland, this site has a layer of fresh water between 2-6 meters on top, followed by a halocline and finally, salt water beneath. With walls and slopes that extend to hundreds of feet below, most dive profiles here call for depths between 30 and 60 feet. Needless to say, excellent buoyancy control is a must, not only for your safety, but to preserve the corals from damage.
New Zealand Fur Seals are commonly encountered here, swooping toward you on a collision course, and sometimes passing you with only inches to spare. There are small stands of kelp, and you will find quite a few fish, but the dives mainly focus on the many invertebrates and other small creatures that cling to the sloping walls of the sound. On occasion, you will see octopus or spiny dogfish sharks, and penguins are sometimes seen as well.
Doubtful Sound
Pods of bottlenose dolphins hunt the waters near Secretary Island, and Deep Cove is fabled for its carnivorous starfish, which prey on the bountiful blanket of mussels that feed by filtering the rich waters of the sound. With bright red and black corals in some areas, and an abundance of fish, this is without a doubt one of the most incredible dive sites in New Zealand. Doubtful Sound is accessible only via special charter; the area provides an opportunity to experience solitude and tranquility, both above and below the water.
In most cases, you will need to bring your own gear, and you will need to arrange for your trip well in advance. There are several charters which will happily transport you to the area summer or winter, and without a doubt, the effort you make to visit is sure to pay off.
Breaksea Sound
Home to a colony of New Zealand fur seals, and featuring areas which are suitable for snorkeling as well as diving, Breaksea Sound is simply fantastic. With magnificent vistas both above and below the surface, and with an abundance of marine life, it offers exceptional photo opps. Watch for large anemones and sponges where small creatures hide, and keep an eye out for the cod and other fish that call the area home. As with other Fiordland sites, the sound is very deep in places, so be careful to watch your depth closely as you explore.
Preservation Inlet
With deep gorges and sheer walls festooned with feather stars, eleven armed starfish, red corals, and brilliant sea squirts, Preservation Inlet has a few different areas to explore. At Cavern Bay, a beautiful kelp forest hides a multitude of fish and other creatures, and within Long Sound and Narrow Bend, you will find countless colorful creatures to photograph.
One of the most popular areas, the China Shop, features incredible black coral stands in only 10 meters of water, and colorful sea pens across a sandy field. With red coral and white brachiopods, as well as countless nudibranchs, sea stars, and crustaceans vying for the opportunity to be photographed, this area affords the opportunity for a long and leisurely dive. No anchoring is permitted, and care should be taken to avoid contact with the corals as they take decades to recover from even slight damage.
There are many dive shops in Te Anau, Bluff, and Invercargill which provide a variety of different experiences, including helicopter trips to frozen ice dive sites onshore. Prepare by logging dives with your local shop in advance of your trip if you can, and remember to work on buoyancy control and photography skills prior to embarking. Well worth the preparation and hours of travel it can take to find yourself here, this incredible place is vast and astonishing. With amazing sea life and plenty of opportunities for recreation while not diving, Fiordland is one place that will never leave you!