Practical user information
This chapter provides visitors with practical information about the unique environment of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area. It covers:
- what you can expect when travelling through Fiordland and how to minimise your risks in this isolated area
- protected areas and the rules that govern them: marine reserves and Fiordland’s special ‘china shops’
- the pests that threaten this area, and what you can do to maintain biosecurity in Fiordland’s waters and its precious ‘pest-free’ islands
- care required around marine mammals, including the extra caution needed around the vulnerable bottlenose dolphin population resident in Doubtful Sound/ Patea
- what you need to know to dive safely in this fragile, and at times challenging, marine environment
- how you can avoid polluting the marine area
- the relatively limited radio communications around Fiordland, and the channels and radio operators working throughout the region.
