About Anita Bay Dive Site
Anita Bay provides serene dives in Milford Sound's northern arm, depths 10 to 30 meters with overhangs, nudibranchs, and juvenile fish. Sheltered from main swells, it's ideal for night dives revealing bioluminescent life. Operators shuttle from Deep Water Basin; combine with waterfall swims for full-day adventures.
Safety Considerations
Poor viz from tannins (3-10 meters) heightens disorientation risk; use continuous lights and buddy contact. Subtidal currents from glacial inflows demand down-current entry planning. Hypothermia sets in fast at 10 degrees Celsius; monitor core temp. No-touch policy for fragile ecosystems, aligning with REI and Leave No Trace underwater. Pre-dive: review DAN decompression tables. Night dives require glow sticks on gear.
Essential Gear
Primary: 7mm wetsuit, twin tanks for extended profiles. Suunto Zoop2 console, backup light (Bigblue VL18000P). Compass for navigation, delayed SMB reel.
Emergency Tips
Silt-out: ascend hand-over-hand on buddy's line. DCS symptoms: in-water recompression if shallow, else surface oxygen. Coordinate with Fiordland Coastguard VHF 12. Hyperbaric via Air Ambulance to Dunedin.
Evidence: 2021 silt incident resolved by lights and SMB (WorkSafe NZ report). Equip accordingly for Anita Bay's magic.