Nestled in the World Heritage Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is also a part of Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, encompassing 690 hectares of marine habitat. Most dive sites are extreme wall dives and Milford Sound itself is close to 400 meters deep. The reserve is situated along the northern side of Milford Sound and is dominated by very steep rock-walls with rocky shallow reefs in between where a diverse marine life found its home at. You can see sponges, soft corals, black corals or colonial sea squirts here.
great big corals, great fish life - Milford Sound is really a great place to go dive
But what really sets this place apart from others is its blackish water - Milford Sound only rarely receives direct sunlight due to the huge amount of rain the area receives. This and a near constant tannin stained fresh water layer on top of the salt water reduces the amount of light able to penetrate into the depths. But once you get through the layer, a clear blue water awaits.
diving through the top tannin stained fresh water layer to get to clear blue water
Thanks to this phenomenon you don't have to dive to 80metres or so down to spot the black coral - in Milford Sound they grow in depths of 8 meters and beyond which makes for a unique diver's paradise. Overall, the water is very cold here (12-15 Celsius) but once you are underwater, this doesn't concern you - along the black coral you'll be busy admiring numerous other soft corals and marine life completely unique to the area of Fiordland that is regarded as world class diving area.
fiordland wall
If you want to truly experience the magic of this special world you need a local guide. Our tip is Descend Scubadiving team with a base in Milford Sound. Trust us, those guys know this area as no other - they dive every day here.
Milford Sound is home to some juvenile male New Zealand fur seals
the most impressive flamboyant of them all - if you are lucky you can see an octopus in Milford Sound too
"The team of Descend Scuba Diving consists of Lance and myself, Simone. We are a couple and both come from a freestyle snowboarding background. We both have a love for the mountains and extreme environment, which led us to Milford Sound - a magical place where it is possible see huge waterfalls, rainbows and dolphins jumping under it," gives Simone a brief introduction to Milford Sound.
No cellphone reception exists in the area, the only way to contact and book your trip with Descent team is via email. They are checking emails in the mornings and evenings and run trips daily. Sounds good? For more information or book a trip contact the couple by email: info@descend.co.nz
Photos: © Descend Diving
Source: http://www.descend.co.nz
