If you’re still playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and still having issues with fishing up sea critters, we’ve prepped up a guide on how to catch sea creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
How to Catch Sea Creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that will help you escape from mundane life. Escape to an uninhabited island and explore what your new home has to offer while making it inhabitable. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about discovery and creativity. After collecting five bugs and/or fish for Tom Nook, the player will be able to meet Blathers, the museum curator; if you are having trouble finding Blathers, lookout for an owl. Once you meet Blathers you will be able to start collecting sea creatures, bugs, and fossils to donate to the museum.
In order to collect the Animal Crossing: New Horizons sea creatures, you need a wet suit. The snorkel received in the mail is simply cosmetic and will not help you collect sea creatures. In order to obtain the wet suit, the player has two available options. The first and easiest option is to get it through the Nook Shop Terminal.
The player can get to the Nook Stop Terminal by entering Residential Services. Once in Residential Services, head over to the Nook Shop terminal and select Redeem Nook Miles. Once in Redeem Nook Miles, scroll down to the Nook Inc. Wet Suit and purchase it for 800 Nook Miles. Alternatively, you can buy the Nook Inc. Wet Suit at Nook’s Cranny for 3000 Bells.
If you purchased the wet suit through Nook’s Terminal, you will have to wait until the next day. If purchased through Nook’s Cranny, the wet suit will be in your inventory; if your inventory is full, the wet suit will be sent to your house storage. Once you have the wet suit in your inventory, you can equip the wet suit. With the wet suit equipped, you can now go into the water and swim. This will allow you to hunt for Animal Crossing: New Horizons sea creatures.
In order to get in the ocean, there are a variety of methods. The easiest way for any player to get into the ocean is by pressing A on the water while on the beach. Alternatively, you can get in the water by jumping off piers or rocks by the water. While swimming in the ocean, keep an eye out for bubbles. Bubbles indicate where sea creatures are. You will need to dive and swim after these sea creatures in order to catch them. Once near bubbles, press Y to dive after the sea creatures.
Once underwater, you will need to swim towards the shadow of the sea creature. Be warned, you can only stay underwater for 10 seconds, so swim fast. Some sea creatures are faster than others so if you are not quick enough, they will swim away. Rapidly tapping A will make your character swim faster. If you fail to catch the sea creature within the allotted time, you will rise to the surface. Upon rising to the surface there will be a short cooldown before you can dive again.
Once you are close enough to touch the shadow, you will have to click on the sea creature; this will capture the sea creature. Once the creature is captured, you will rise to the surface and the sea creature will be added to your inventory. You can choose to donate the sea creature to the museum or sell it at Nook’s Cranny for bells.
While you should now know how to catch sea creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’s worth reiterating the game currently features forty sea creatures. The sea creature the player finds in the ocean depends on the season and/or time of day.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch. In case you missed it, you can find our review here (we recommend it!)
