The ocean in ARK 2 covers roughly 30% of Arat's map and holds some of the most valuable resources in the game — oil, silica pearls, black pearls, and high-tier underwater loot crates. But the deep sea is unforgiving. Pressure mechanics, oxygen management, and aggressive aquatic predators make unprepared dives fatal. This guide covers everything you need for successful underwater exploration: scuba progression, the best aquatic tames for every role, oil and pearl farming routes, underwater base construction, and the location of every deep sea loot crate spawn.
Scuba Gear Progression
You cannot survive extended deep dives without proper equipment. Here is the gear progression from surface to deep ocean:
- Basic (Level 30+): Lazarus Chowder (gives 15 minutes of oxygen-free swimming, but no pressure protection) + Simple Pants/Bola. Only safe in shallow water (above 20 meters depth). Good for early pearl collection in coastal shallows.
- Intermediate (Level 50+): Scuba Tank + Scuba Flippers + Scuba Mask. The tank provides 20 minutes of underwater breathing. Flippers increase swim speed by 30%. Mask improves underwater visibility. Requires a Fabricator to craft. The tank runs on oxygen — craft 2-3 charged tanks for extended dives.
- Advanced (Level 75+): Tek Scuba Armor (Tek Helmet + Tek Leggings + Tek Boots). The full Tek scuba set provides unlimited oxygen, pressure protection at any depth, and the Tek Boots give a burst swim boost on cooldown. Requires Element to charge. Essential for deep trench exploration.
- Underwater Mount: A tamed aquatic mount is better than any gear for combat dives. A Mosasaurus or Tuso can dive to any depth without pressure gear, moves faster than a player with flippers, and fights off predators while you gather resources.
Best Aquatic Tames
| Creature | Role | Depth Limit | Why Use It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baryonyx | All-Rounder | Medium (30m) | Fast in water, can stun small prey, amphibious (works on land too). Best early aquatic tame. |
| Megalodon | Combat Patrol | Deep (100m+) | High base damage, pack bonus with 2+ Megs in group. Best mid-tier combat mount. |
| Dunkleosteus | Resource Gatherer | Deep (100m+) | 50% weight reduction on oil. Gathers oil from underwater veins in 1-2 bites. Essential for oil farming. |
| Mosasaurus | Apex Predator | Any Depth | Highest HP and damage of any aquatic. Can fight Tuso. Essential for deep trench and underwater cave exploration. |
| Tusoteuthis (Tuso) | Boss Killer | Any Depth | Grabs and holds prey in tentacles. Deals damage-over-time while holding. Best for hunting Alpha Mosas. |
| Plesiosaur | Transport | Deep (100m+) | Fastest aquatic travel speed. Platform saddle allows underwater base construction on its back. |
Oil and Silica Pearl Farming Routes
Oil: The most efficient oil farming location is the ocean floor at coordinates (30, 70). This area has 12+ oil vein spawns within a 50-meter radius. Bring a Dunkleosteus — it gathers 50-80 oil per vein with its primary attack. A 15-minute Dunkleo run yields 300-400 oil. The second best location is the deep trench at (60, 85), which has 8-10 oil veins plus 3-4 underwater loot crate spawns. Useful for multitasking: farm oil while checking loot crates.
Silica Pearls: Found in shallow water along the eastern coast from (70, 75) to (85, 90). These are the white, glowing clusters on the sea floor. Ankylosaurus gathers silica pearls efficiently in shallow water — no scuba gear needed if you ride the Anky. A 10-minute coastal run yields 200-300 pearls. Deep sea pearls have higher density per cluster but require scuba gear or an aquatic mount.
Black Pearls: Only found on deep sea Eurypterid (sea scorpion) kills and from deep sea loot crates. The Eurypterid spawns along the ocean floor at depths of 50m+. Each kill yields 2-5 black pearls. Best farming method: ride a Megalodon along the deep ocean floor, kill every Eurypterid you see. A 20-minute hunting run yields 60-100 black pearls. Black pearls are required for Tek tier crafting — stockpile them aggressively.
Deep Sea Loot Crates
Deep sea loot crates are underwater supply drops that spawn at fixed locations. They contain some of the best loot in the game: Ascendant-quality blueprints, Element, Tek structure pieces, and rare creature egg recipes. There are 8 known spawn locations:
- Location 1: (28, 68) — Deep trench entrance, 80m depth. Contains weapons blueprints.
- Location 2: (32, 72) — Underwater cave mouth, 60m depth. Contains armor blueprints.
- Location 3: (45, 80) — Open ocean floor, 100m depth. Contains saddle blueprints.
- Location 4: (55, 85) — Deepest trench, 150m depth. Contains Tek blueprints.
- Location 5: (65, 75) — Coral reef edge, 40m depth. Contains tools and weapons.
- Location 6: (70, 65) — Wreckage of ancient ship, 50m depth. Contains rare resources.
- Location 7: (40, 55) — Underwater cave system entrance, 70m depth. Contains Element shards.
- Location 8: (22, 50) — Frozen ocean edge, 90m depth. Contains Tek armor pieces.
Loot crates respawn every 45-60 minutes. On a busy server, set a timer and check the circuit every hour. A full loot circuit of all 8 locations takes 25-30 minutes on a Mosasaurus.
Underwater Base Construction
Building underwater is viable on PvE servers and for hidden caches on PvP servers. Key considerations:
- Structure limit: Underwater structures take 2x the normal resource cost due to pressure reinforcement. A stone foundation underwater costs 2x stone.
- Oxygen management: If your underwater base has an air pocket (enclosed room with an airlock), you can remove your scuba gear inside. Build an airlock room with two doors — enter, close outer door, open inner door, remove mask.
- Best locations: The underwater cave at (40, 55) has a natural air pocket. The shipwreck at (70, 65) provides pre-built walls on three sides. The deep trench walls at (55, 85) offer cliff-side placement with only one approach direction.
- Hazards: Cnidaria (jellyfish) can stun you through walls if the hitbox clips. Place foundations 2 meters off the sea floor to avoid spawns. Alphas can damage structures — reinforce your underwater base metal-tier at minimum.
Use Cases
Scenario 1: Mid-game oil farming run. Gear up with scuba tank, flippers, and a Dunkleosteus. Swim from your coastal base to the ocean floor at (30, 70). Ride the Dunkleo between oil veins, using primary attack on each vein. Transfer oil from the Dunkleo to your inventory when it is 60%+ weight. Surface when the scuba tank hits 20% oxygen remaining. Total time: 15 minutes. Yield: 350-400 oil. Refill scuba tank at base, repeat if needed.
Scenario 2: Deep sea loot crate circuit. Ride a Mosasaurus to Location 1 at (28, 68). Follow the trench northeast to Location 2 (32, 72). Continue northeast to Location 3 (45, 80). Drop to Location 4 (55, 85) — the deepest. Surface to check Location 5 (65, 75) and 6 (70, 65). Double back to Location 7 (40, 55) and 8 (22, 50). Total time: 30 minutes. Check for the red glow of unclaimed crates. Bring a scuba tank even on a mount — if you dismount to open a crate in deep pressure, you need the protection.
Scenario 3: Hidden PvP underwater cache. Build a 1x1 metal room at (40, 55) underwater cave. Place a single vault inside. Store backup Tek gear, Element, and blueprints. Build a second hidden cache at a different underwater location. Most raiders will not spend the resources to check underwater caves for caches — they assume anyone storing valuables underwater would seal them in an airlock room, and they do not have the oxygen to search multiple locations.
Tips
- Dunkleosteus is the oil king — its 50% oil weight reduction doubles your farming efficiency. Never oil-farm without a Dunkleo.
- Always carry a spare scuba tank — if your mount dies at 80m depth, you need to survive the swim to the surface. One spare tank is life insurance.
- Baryonyx over Megalodon for caves — the Baryonyx's smaller hitbox fits through underwater cave passages that a Meg cannot navigate. Use Baryonyx for cave exploration, Meg for open water.
- Deep sea crate circuit pays for itself — a full 8-location run once per hour on a busy server yields enough Element and blueprints to justify the time investment. Set a timer.
- Build airlock rooms in underwater bases — an enclosed room with two doorways creates an air pocket where you can remove scuba gear. Resource-costly but essential for extended underwater base operations.