Tide times for Milford Sound

About tides at Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fiord, so the tide is a smaller part of the picture than rainfall — a heavy downpour puts a layer of fresh water over the salt and changes the colour of the whole thing. The range here is modest and the water is usually sheltered, but the tide matters at the wharf and for anyone kayaking or diving, where the freshwater layer sits over the tidal water below.

Milford Sound has a semidiurnal tide, meaning two high tides and two low tides in roughly every 24 hours and 50 minutes. Because the lunar day is longer than the solar day, each tide arrives around 50 minutes later than the day before.

Tide heights are given in metres above chart datum, the level that soundings on nautical charts are measured from. Spring tides, with the largest range between high and low, follow the new and full moon. Neap tides, with the smallest range, follow the quarter moons.