Founded in 1952, Fiordland National Park is the largest national park in New Zealand, and is also one of the largest in the world. Formed by glaciers carving their way through these mountains millions of years ago, Fiordland is now an area of almost unparalleled natural beauty. The results of these glaciers are deep, sweeping valleys which slope down to incredibly deep fiords. Throughout the Fiordland National Park, the lakes and fiords can reach depths of up to 400 metres deep in some places.
In all, there are a total of 14 fiords in the national park, of which Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound are the most visited. Within these Fiords, the large amounts of annual rainfall wash down the mountain sides, taking with it the tannins from the vegetation. The effect of this is that this 'stained' freshwater tends to sit on top of the saltwater in the Fiords, and stops the sunlight reaching down into the lower levels of the water. Subsequently, many species only found in deeper waters, can often be found in quite shallow water in Fiordland National Park.
There is plenty of diving available in Fiordland, and it tends to be available all year round, especially in the more sheltered fiords which can be found in the far north of the park. As mentioned earlier, the nature of the diving in Fiordland tends to be characterised by this unique light absorbing water, which restricts algal growth, and allows a different kind of marine and coral life to exist in the relatively shallow waters. Throughout the fiords, there is a good level of life living here. A good variety of fish, along with a large number of corals, sponges and anemones can be found throughout.
The marine life tends to be varied, and throughout Fiordland you can expect to see life including Banded Wrasse, Pigfish and Perch. You will also come across large numbers of dolphins living in the Fiords, in particular the Bottlenose Dolphins can be seen quite regularly. In all, it is estimated that approximately 160 species of fish live in the waters surrounding Fiordland National Park.
There are a number of good dive sites within Fiordland, which tend to sit within the two marine reserves, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound), and Te Awaatu (The Gut). Sites such as the Chimney and The Gut provide divers with an experience that is shaped by the steep walls and unusual corals which can be found in these waters. For lovers of wreck diving, there is the opportunity to visit the wreck of the Waikare, a 90 metre steamer which was beached after striking a rock in 1910. Nowadays the Waikare sits in approximately 15-25 metres of water in Dusky Sound.
The water temperatures below the initial freshwater layers tend to vary between 11 degrees C and 15 degrees C throughout the year. The waters here do tend to remain relatively calm, allowing for good levels of visibility despite the lower levels of light.
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Milford Sound
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