Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ first ‘summer’ update is finally live. While it’s not quite summer for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, we do get the new update and every feature involved. The first of these is diving, a returning mechanic from past games which allows players to dive into the ocean and hunt for sea creatures. Here’s how diving works and how you can catch every critter.
If your game hasn’t automatically updated, you’ll need to click the + button and manually select ‘software update via the internet’ to get started. You’ll know you have the latest version if Isabelle’s morning announcements include a description of the new diving activity.
To get started, you’ll need to head to Nook’s Cranny and purchase a wet suit for 3,000 bells.
From there head to a beachfront, pier or overhanging rock and you can dive directly into the water using the A button. I recommend diving off the pier — it produces a very satisfying splash.
Once you’re in the water, you can swim freely using A to push forward. You can hold A to doggy paddle, it does tend to be quite slow, so mashing A constantly is your best option for moving around easily.
As you explore, you’ll notice bubbles rising to the surface.
These are sea creatures you can capture for your collection.
To collect these sea creatures, approach the rising bubbles and hit Y when you’re just above them. Your villager will dive into the ocean and discover a shadow under the water. Align your villager’s body with this shadow to catch the sea creature.
Some move away from you when you dive down, so plan your dives carefully to catch them before they escape.
There are 40 new creatures to collect including sea slugs, snails, starfish, octopuses and more. Like fish and insects, they are seasonal and appear at particular times of the day (although some are very common and will appear regularly). You can check out the list of catchable sea creatures here.
There’s also another cool surprise for players who catch scallops in their travels.
If you catch a scallop you’ll encounter Pascal, an NPC who craves these creatures. He’ll ask you for yours and give you a new DIY recipe from the gorgeous ‘mermaid’ set.
While you will need to donate at least one scallop to Blathers eventually, you get free reign after that.
If you’ve fallen off the Animal Crossing bandwagon in the last few weeks, the new summer update is the perfect reason to come back. With brand new collectables, NPCs and recipes there’s plenty here to keep you playing the game for a little while longer.
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