Marakura Bay
Protected Area
Kutu Parera (Gaer Arm)
Why dive here
With 46+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, great white sharks, seahorses and southern right whales - Marakura Bay offers some of Fiordland's richest reef diving. Water ranges 12-17°C, warmest January, February, March.
Marakura Bay isn't your typical reef dive, and that’s alright. This shore entry in Te Anau gives you easy access to a silty slope that deepens pretty quickly, dropping to 13m within a short swim. You're mostly here for the quiet calm and a chance to spot the resident *koura* – New Zealand freshwater crayfish – tucked into the bottom, along with some small freshwater sponges. Visibility hovers around 4m, so it’s a site for slower exploration, perhaps a good shakedown dive, or when you’re looking for something different from the usual ocean buzz.
Safety Notes
Cold water this month (avg 12°C). Drysuit or thick wetsuit (7mm+) recommended.
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Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Marakura Bay
Marakura Bay Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Marakura Bay, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-44.66, 167.9) (28km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
12°C
54°F · Range: 11.5–13.4°C
Current Speed
11.4 cm/s
Direction: NE (37.9°)
Chlorophyll-a
0.27 mg/m³
Clear water
Salinity
34.67 PSU
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)
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