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The ocean is an aquatic biome consisting of water. Oceans are the largest biome by area, covering anywhere around 25-33% of the surface area of the Overworld when factoring in all of its varieties and consist of a deep water source with the surface at an altitude of y=62 by default, which is counted as the "sea level" layer of the world.

Description[]

Ocean colors

The separate colors of each ocean variant in Java Edition.

Oceans are vast expanses of water, going from sea level all the way down to the ocean floor, which is at a depth of roughly Y=45 for normal oceans, or Y=30 for deep variants. The seafloor is fairly hilly, featuring multiple peaks and valleys, and is mostly covered by a one-block layer of gravel or sand, though some clay, dirt, gravel and sand patches may generate near the peaks. Ravines can occasionally generate on the ocean floor, forming underwater trenches. Some seafloor peaks may reach high enough to form islands on the surface of the ocean; these islands are typically small and may have very sparse vegetation with very little grass and oak trees. The seafloor is often covered with seagrass and kelp, with "forests" of kelp frequently reaching close to or even touching the water's surface. Fish, squid and dolphins frequently spawn within oceans. Shipwrecks and ocean ruins generate within all oceans, while deep ocean variants can occasionally generate ocean monuments. The regular ocean variant mainly generates when bordering on land, while deep variants generates when away from land.

Survival in ocean biomes themselves is impractical due to all the water. A player who camps on an island in the ocean faces a rather difficult situation. This means that whatever resources found on an island might be all the player has if the player is unwilling or unable to venture out. See the island survival article for more information.

Variants[]

For variants that existed before 1.18, see Biome/Before 1.18.

Oceans come in nine different varieties in-game, including the base ocean and eight different variants. Bedrock Edition has two unused biomes, "deep warm ocean" and "legacy frozen ocean".

Ocean[]

This is the standard ocean variant. The ground is mainly covered with gravel.

The following mobs are naturally spawned here:

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005204
Skeleton1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Enderman105201–4
Drowned55201
Witch55201
Zombie Villager55201
Water ambient category
Cod13–6
Water creature category
Dolphin121–2
Squid121–4
Ambient category
Bat18
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
In Bedrock Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005951
Drowned1005952–4
Slime[note 1]1005951
Spider1005951
Zombie955952–4
Skeleton805951–2
Enderman105951–2
Witch55951
Zombie Villager55952–4
Creature category
Glow Squid10252–4
Squid8252–4
Dolphin7253–5
Water creature category
Cod751014–7
Salmon261013–5
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

Deep Ocean[]

The deep ocean variant generates at deeper waters, with the depth usually being around 30 blocks which is twice as deep as shallower oceans. The ground is mainly covered with gravel. Ocean monuments generate in deep oceans, meaning guardians and elder guardians can spawn there. Dolphins, cod, salmon[Bedrock Edition only] and squid spawn in these oceans as well. Underwater caves and ravines often generate here, forming underwater trenches. Tall seagrass also generates more frequently in deep oceans compared to shallower oceans.

Deep oceans use the same mob spawning chances as oceans.

Frozen Ocean[]

The frozen ocean has low temperature and often borders snowy beaches. Like the standard and cold oceans, it has a gravel seabed, though the water's surface is mostly‌[JE only]/completely‌[BE only] frozen. Neither seagrass nor kelp generates on the seafloor, leaving it entirely barren and reminiscent of pre-Update Aquatic oceans. Large icebergs made of snow blocks, packed ice and a bit of blue ice frequently generate on the surface.

In Java Edition, frozen oceans have varying temperatures across their landscapes, and have a more noticeable effect in that colder patches have snowfall and ice sheets, while warmer patches have rainfall (up to a certain height) and unfrozen water. See also Biome#Temperature.

The following mobs are naturally spawned here:

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005204
Skeleton1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Enderman105201–4
Drowned55201
Witch55201
Zombie Villager55201
Creature category
Polar Bear11–2
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
Ambient category
Bat18
Water ambient category
Salmon11–5
Water creature category
Squid11–4
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
In Bedrock Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1006351
Drowned1006352–4
Slime[note 1]1006351
Spider1006351
Stray966351–2
Zombie956352–4
Skeleton246351–2
Enderman106351–2
Witch56351
Zombie Villager56352–4
Creature category
Glow Squid10272–4
Squid8272–4
Polar Bear5271–2
Rabbit4272–3
Water creature category
Cod751014–7
Salmon261013–5
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

Deep Frozen Ocean[]

The deep frozen ocean generate at deeper waters and also contain ocean monuments. Icebergs may still generate, but unlike normal frozen ocean, the water's surface is not frozen in Java Edition[1]. In Bedrock Edition, the water's surface is entirely frozen.

Deep frozen oceans use the same mob spawning chances as frozen oceans.

Cold Ocean[]

The cold ocean uses a dark indigo water color at the surface and often generates next to cold biomes like taigas and old growth taigas. Like regular oceans and frozen oceans, its floor is made up mainly of gravel. The vegetation in cold oceans also has less seagrass compared to other ocean variants.

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005204
Skeleton1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Enderman105201–4
Drowned55201
Witch55201
Zombie Villager55201
Water ambient category
Cod15303–6
Salmon15301–5
Water creature category
Squid11–4
Ambient category
Bat18
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

In Bedrock Edition, cold oceans use the same mob spawning chances as oceans.

Deep Cold Ocean[]

The deep cold ocean generates at deeper waters being twice as deep, can generate ocean monuments and has higher amounts of tall seagrass.

Deep cold oceans use the same mob spawning chances as cold oceans.

Lukewarm Ocean[]

The lukewarm ocean has light blue water at the surface and generates in regions with slightly warm biomes like jungles and savannas. Its floor is made of sand, with occasional patches of dirt, gravel and clay in shallower areas. Ocean ruins that generate in lukewarm and warm oceans are made of sandy materials, as opposed to the stony materials that make up ruins in colder oceans. This biome also has more seagrass and less kelp compared to colder ocean variants.

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005204
Skeleton1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Enderman105201–4
Drowned55201
Witch55201
Zombie Villager55201
Water ambient category
Tropical Fish25458
Cod15453–6
Pufferfish5451–3
Water creature category
Squid10121–2
Dolphin2121–2
Ambient category
Bat18
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
In Bedrock Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005951
Drowned1005952–4
Slime[note 1]1005951
Spider1005951
Zombie955952–4
Skeleton805951–2
Enderman105951–2
Witch55951
Zombie Villager55952–4
Creature category
Glow Squid10252–4
Squid8252–4
Dolphin7253–5
Water creature category
Cod752014–7
Tropical Fish[note 2]752013–5
Salmon262013–5
Tropical Fish[note 2]252011–3
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
  2. a b Tropical fish are spawned twice.

Deep Lukewarm Ocean[]

The deep lukewarm ocean generates in deep waters. Since they are a deep ocean variant, they can generate ocean monuments and have more tall seagrass.

The following mobs are naturally spawned here:

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Zombie Villager55201
Skeleton1005204
Creeper1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Enderman105201–4
Witch55201
Drowned55201
Water ambient category
Cod8383–6
Pufferfish5381–3
Tropical Fish25388
Water creature category
Squid8101–4
Dolphin2101–2
Ambient category
Bat18
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

In Bedrock Edition, deep lukewarm oceans use the same mob spawning chances as lukewarm oceans

Warm Ocean[]

The warm ocean has an aquamarine water tone at the surface and often generates next to deserts and badlands. Like the lukewarm ocean, it has a floor mainly made of sand, however no dirt, clay or gravel generate at shallower areas and if this biome generates above sea level, the surface is made of sand instead of grass blocks. Warm oceans feature coral reefs and numerous sea pickles, though kelp does not naturally generate here. Because of the height of the coral reef, warm oceans can appear more shallow than other oceans, though the actual ocean floor is no deeper. This is also the only ocean temperature variant that can generate at deeper waters without needing a deep variant, and because of that monuments can't be found in this biome.

In Java Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005204
Skeleton1005204
Slime[note 1]1005204
Spider1005204
Zombie955204
Enderman105201–4
Drowned55201
Witch55201
Zombie Villager55201
Water ambient category
Pufferfish15401–3
Tropical Fish25408
Water creature category
Squid10124
Dolphin2121–2
Ambient category
Bat18
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid14–6
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
In Bedrock Edition
MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Creeper1005951
Drowned1005952–4
Slime[note 1]1005951
Spider1005951
Zombie955952–4
Skeleton805951–2
Enderman105951–2
Witch55951
Zombie Villager55952–4
Creature category
Glow Squid10252–4
Squid8252–4
Dolphin7253–5
Water creature category
Tropical Fish[note 2]751253–5
Pufferfish251253–5
Tropical Fish[note 2]251251–3
  1. Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
  2. a b Tropical fish are spawned twice.

Unused variant[]

Deep Warm Ocean[]

Legacy Frozen Ocean[]

Information icon
This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition. 

The legacy frozen ocean variant is similar to frozen ocean biomes, but without icebergs, making it look like flatlands of ice. Rabbits, polar bears and strays spawn in here. Rabbits have their snowy texture. No monsters other than drowned, strays and skeletons can spawn here. This biome also generates kelp. Those biomes were much smaller and existed prior in Pocket Edition v0.9.0 alpha. This biome does not naturally generate, though it can be generated using a biome editor or add-ons.

Legacy frozen oceans use the same mob spawning chances as frozen oceans for water and passive categories. As for the others:

In Bedrock Edition:

MobSpawn weightGroup size
Monster category
Drowned1002202–4
Stray962201–2
Skeleton242201–2


Sounds[]

When in any ocean biome, unique ocean ambience play randomly. Normal overworld tracks also play, alongside "Axolotl", "Dragon Fish" and "Shuniji", as the requirements for those are merely to be underwater rather than biome-determined.

Ambience[]

List
Name Sound Group
Underwater Ambience File:Underwater Ambience.ogg Loop
Bubbles 1 File:Bubbles1.ogg Loop Additions
Bubbles 2 File:Bubbles2.ogg
Bubbles 3 File:Bubbles3.ogg
Bubbles 4 File:Bubbles4.ogg
Bubbles 5 File:Bubbles5.ogg
Bubbles 6 File:Bubbles6.ogg
Water 1 File:Water1.ogg
Water 2 File:Water2.ogg
Animal 1 File:Animal1.ogg Rare Loop Additions
Bass Whale 1 File:Bass Whale1.ogg
Bass Whale 2 File:Bass Whale2.ogg
Crackles 1 File:Crackles1.ogg
Crackles 2 File:Crackles2.ogg
Driplets 1 File:Driplets1.ogg
Driplets 2 File:Driplets2.ogg
Earth Crack File:Earth Crack.ogg
Animal 2 File:Animal2.ogg Ultra Rare Loop Additions
Dark 1 File:Dark1.ogg
Dark 2 File:Dark2.ogg
Dark 3 File:Dark3.ogg
Dark 4 File:Dark4.ogg

Music[]

The tracks here by C418 have been shortened to 30 seconds on this wiki, due to an agreement with the composer.
Filename
in Minecraft
Gameplay Soundtrack Title Soundtrack Track preview
Axolotl Underwater "Axolotl" File:Axolotl.ogg
Dragon Fish Underwater "Dragon Fish" File:Dragon Fish.ogg
Shuniji Underwater "Shuniji" File:Shuniji.ogg

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierTranslation key
Oceanoceanbiome.minecraft.ocean
Deep Oceandeep_oceanbiome.minecraft.deep_ocean
Frozen Oceanfrozen_oceanbiome.minecraft.frozen_ocean
Deep Frozen Oceandeep_frozen_oceanbiome.minecraft.deep_frozen_ocean
Cold Oceancold_oceanbiome.minecraft.cold_ocean
Deep Cold Oceandeep_cold_oceanbiome.minecraft.deep_cold_ocean
Lukewarm Oceanlukewarm_oceanbiome.minecraft.lukewarm_ocean
Deep Lukewarm Oceandeep_lukewarm_oceanbiome.minecraft.deep_lukewarm_ocean
Warm Oceanwarm_oceanbiome.minecraft.warm_ocean

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID
[No displayed name]ocean42
[No displayed name]deep_ocean24
[No displayed name]frozen_ocean10
[No displayed name]deep_frozen_ocean50
[No displayed name]cold_ocean46
[No displayed name]deep_cold_ocean49
[No displayed name]lukewarm_ocean45
[No displayed name]deep_lukewarm_ocean48
[No displayed name]warm_ocean44
[No displayed name]deep_warm_ocean47
[No displayed name]legacy_frozen_ocean43

Achievements[]

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
Sail the 7 SeasVisit all ocean biomesVisit all ocean biomes except the deep warm ocean/legacy frozen ocean (as they are unused)40GGold

History[]

Java Edition Classic
0.0.12aAn infinite ocean now surrounds the map.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0previewAdded true biomes. While oceans were not technically their own biome, they would generate as "structures" between other biomes, similarly to mountains.
Java Edition Beta
1.8Pre-releaseAs part of a biome overhaul, oceans have been made into their own proper biome.
The ocean level has been decreased by one block (64 to 63).
Oceans have been made much larger and take up most of the map and their floors were made of a mix of clay, dirt and sand.
Java Edition
1.0.0Beta 1.9 PrereleaseFrozen ocean biome added. At this time, it generates as an ocean with a solid layer of ice at the surface. It also generates in small patches alongside the shore of the new snowy biomes.
1.7.213w36aDeep ocean variant added, along with multiple other biomes.
Oceans have been made much smaller. In addition, oceans now only have gravel as the ocean floor. In contrast, old oceans had their floors made out of dirt, sand and clay.
Frozen oceans no longer generate naturally.
1.814w25aAdded ocean monuments, which generate in oceans.
1.1318w08aAdded ocean variants, including warm ocean, lukewarm ocean, cold ocean, warm deep ocean, lukewarm deep ocean, cold deep ocean and frozen deep ocean.
Frozen ocean biome now generates naturally again, though differently from before.
18w08bWarm and lukewarm oceans now generate with sand floors.
Deep warm ocean biomes no longer generate naturally.
18w09aAdded underwater ruin structures, which generate in all oceans.
18w10dAdded coral reefs, which generate in warm oceans.
18w11aAdded shipwrecks, which generate in all oceans.
18w15aAdded icebergs, which generate in frozen oceans.
Ocean variants now have their own water colors.
18w16aRenamed FrozenOcean to Frozen Ocean.
18w19aRenamed Warm Deep Ocean to Deep Warm Ocean.
Renamed Lukewarm Deep Ocean to Deep Lukewarm Ocean.
Renamed Cold Deep Ocean to Deep Cold Ocean.
Renamed Frozen Deep Ocean to Deep Frozen Ocean.
pre5Changed the ID warm_deep_ocean to deep_warm_ocean.
Changed the ID lukewarm_deep_ocean to deep_lukewarm_ocean.
Changed the ID cold_deep_ocean to deep_cold_ocean.
Changed the ID frozen_deep_ocean to deep_frozen_ocean.
1.1620w06aUnderwater ruins and shipwrecks are now rarer.
1.16.220w28aDeep frozen ocean now has a layer of ice on the surface.[2]
20w29aDeep frozen oceans no longer have a layer of ice on the surface once again.[3]
1.1721w06aAll ocean biomes generate with a stone floor below Y=50 instead of a sand or gravel floor.[4]
21w15aAll oceans generate with a sand or gravel floor once again.
1.18Experimental Snapshot 1Deep warm ocean biomes now naturally generate.
The temperature of ocean and land biomes are now interrelated, instead of completely independent.
21w37aDrowned are now able to spawn in warm oceans.[5]
21w43aThe deep warm ocean biome has been removed.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0Oceans and frozen oceans have been added. While oceans were not technically their own biome, they would generate as "structures" between other biomes, similarly to mountains.
v0.9.0build 1As part of a biome overhaul, oceans have been made into their own proper biome.
Deep ocean was added along with multiple other biomes.
Frozen oceans were renamed to legacy frozen oceans and no longer generate naturally.
v0.16.0build 1Added ocean monuments with guardians and elder guardians.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0beta 1.2.14.2Added warm ocean, lukewarm ocean, cold ocean and their deep variants. Also, there are new frozen oceans and deep frozen oceans.
Added shipwrecks, icebergs and coral reefs.
Changed ID of old frozen ocean to legacy_frozen_ocean.
beta 1.2.20.1Added underwater ruins.
1.17.0beta 1.16.230.56All oceans generate with a stone floor below Y=51 instead of a sand or gravel floor behind the Caves & Cliffs experimental gameplay toggle.[6] This does not occur in the Old world type.
1.17.30beta 1.17.30.23All oceans generate with a sand or gravel floor once again behind experimental gameplay.
Deep warm ocean biome now naturally generate behind experimental gameplay.
1.18.0beta 1.18.0.20Deep warm ocean biome now naturally generate by default without enabling experimental gameplay. Normal and deep frozen oceans now generate near snowy biomes.
beta 1.18.0.25The deep warm ocean biome no longer generate naturally.
Legacy Console Edition
TU5CU1 1.00 Patch 1Added ocean biomes.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Added deep oceans.
Added ocean monuments.

Trivia[]

  • Before 1.18, the plains and forest biomes generated in patches within regular deep ocean biomes, similar to how "hills" biomes generated within their respective base biomes, creating islands.
    • Although normal deep ocean biome could generate standalone, normal deep ocean biomes also generated in patches within normal ocean biomes.
  • Before 1.18, regular and deep frozen oceans could generate near any kind of biome. It was somewhat common to see an iceberg bordering a desert, savanna or badlands in Bedrock Edition. Until 1.18, frozen oceans had a rough regular ocean border to minimize this effect in Java Edition.

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. MC-131587 — resolved as "Works As Intended".
  2. MC-131587 — Deep frozen ocean biome does not generate with ice on the surface
  3. https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-131587?focusedCommentId=795166&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels%3Acomment-tabpanel#comment-795166
  4. MC-214783 — "Oceans generate with stone floors" — resolved as "Fixed".
  5. MC-159025 — "Drowned do not spawn in warm ocean biomes" — resolved as "Fixed".
  6. MCPE-125235 — Ocean floors are generated with stone floors

External Links[]

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