southern discoveries - milford discovery centre and underwater observatory

My husband and I cruised up the Sound after a rainy and gray morning. The sun came out and the views of the countless waterfalls and sheer cliffs were spectacular. We were served lunch on the large and spacious boat and chose to add kayaking with a guide to the end of our trip. It was not only interesting, but great fun. After kayaking, we headed down to the underwater observatory and listened while a very enthused and knowledgeable young woman gave us information about what we were viewing.

This a wonderful facility that is exactly what it says - you walk down a set of stairs about 10 metres to a chamber of windows. The location is peculiar in that the top layer of water is fresh water run off, rich in dissolved organics which makes it quite dark. Therefore, the lower layers are darker than normal, encouraging deep water species to reside there. You can see corals, shellfish and fish that are normally much too deep to see. The facility is clean, dry & well kept.The staff are knowledgeable of the sea life, the installation and the locale. A unique experience, and well worth the visit!

This trip was tagged onto our cruise up the Sound and was well worth the extra paid. The underwater viewing room is really well done.

The water was so clear great visibility. There was so much to look at, just an unexpected trip we decided to do last minute but well worth having a look around.

I didn't have high expectations for this - I was just something that was part of a separate plane ride we took into the sound - but we were very pleasantly surprised. The museum part is okay, but what's rally neat is the observatory.You walk down maybe 10 or 20 meters and feel like you're inside of a natural aquarium. Even better, you're able to see some very unique coral that normally grows at much deeper depths but is shallow here due to the conditions.If you're a scuba diver then this is probably nothing, but otherwise I definitely suggest going here if possible.

I added this to my Mitre Peak cruise booking without really knowing much about it so was very pleasantly surprised with the experience. We were dropped off at the end of our Mitre Peak Milford Sound cruise and met by very friendly and well-informed staff who gave us a run down of what to expect. We then went 10 metres below the surface to the underwater observatory where we were met by another highly informed and friendly member of staff who helped us get the most out of our viewing.

Not sure we would have visited had it not been part of the boat tour. It was good way to see close up the underwater life of Milford Sound.My only slight criticism was that with a large group I could hardly see and not hear the videos playing.

After cruising the Sound we were excited to see what went on below the surface. Our guide at the Underwater Observatory was really knowledgeable and we learned a lot from him. The observatory is smaller than I expected but there were only two of us so I t wasn't an issue. It isn't flashy but it is really interesting and well worth the stop.

We went on this as a part of the boat trip we did onto the sound. It was FANTASTIC we really enjoyed seeing the underwater world with the fish and coral. So unexpected. Staff were great.

Milford is prettier above the surface than below the surface. To be sure, this is an interesting stop - you get to see some of the ocean-dwelling creatures below the surface, including starfish, fish, and seaweed. And there are some good boards along the edge describing the history and geology of Milford Sound.But compared to the spectacle outside, this is a more mundane sideshow. These are not the Great Barrier Reefs; while I am sure they are rich with life, they are comparatively less dense, less varied, and less colorful. After not too long, I found myself waiting to get back on the boat and sail through the fjord.

We started with the cruise which was great. Good big breakfast and the cruise was informative about the Milford area. We then went for a kayak with Erica and it was so lovely! There had been a big rain pour the night before so it ended up just being myself and my boyfriend as I think lots of people didnt book with fear of the weather being bad! This made the kayak experience so personal and special as it was just us an the instructor. The day was beautiful and we had so much fun. Erica could answer any questions we asked and she is bubbly and outgoing! We are not great kayakers so we could go at our own pace with no problems at all. We then went into the underwater observatory which is really cool. We saw lots of different sea life! The lighting in the building is really awesome. It totally adds to the atmosphere! Thank you :) Emma and Ben

After learning about the observatory and Milford Sound from the informative tour guide, we were led down 10 metres of stairs to the underwater observatory. This featured several large windows providing 360 degrees of viewing (minus the gaps in between).There were about a dozen types of fish we could see ranging from groups of 3-4 to schools of thousands depending on the type.The staff were extremely informative and had answers to all question. It was clear that they were passionate about their job.My only gripe was about the price, which was $36 per person (or nearly as much as I paid for the Milford Sound cruise). I would still say it was worth it, but I would be hesitant to go again for that price.

A very different experience of marine life. The guide was passionate and informative and although we had been to many aquarium visits in various places this one was the closest to actually being underwater without actually diving ! I could have spent longer here , I hope other parts of the world follow this idea

Glad we took this cruise and not some of the others, as this was a smaller boat and the experience more cozy.- Great, friendly service, and informative commentary on the cruise.- Good amount of food is available for purchase on board.- Free flow of coffee and tea on board.- Comfortable seating.- Lovely views of waterfalls and misty, mysterious fiord.- The Underwater observatory center was pretty informative with great service, but the view of the marine life, except for the white coral, was just okay.

Definitely worth stopping for the extra hour, very interesting guide and many interesting displays on the history & Nature of Milford. The underwater observatory is great too.