How to swim in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Besides relaxing on the beach or visiting Treasure Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there’s no better way to enjoy the island life than going for a swim. Once you have the proper equipment, you can head out into the waves to explore a new watery world — no swimming lessons required! There’s a lot to do and see out in the water you can easily miss if you only stick to dry-land activities. We know Animal Crossing is one of the best cozy games for how it allows you to chill out with friendly villagers and spend all day decorating, but swimming can be just as relaxing. Let’s put on our goggles and flippers to teach you how to swim in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

If you get tuckered out from all that swimming and need a new way to relax, we also have a handy list of the best games like Animal Crossing to inspire you.

Gather the proper equipment

You head to the beach in your coolest outfit ever and suddenly realize you can’t walk out into the water. Uh, you said we can swim now, right? Yes, but you need a wetsuit first.

To get one, head on over to Nook’s Cranny and look in the cabinet that usually holds plants, tools, and wallpaper. You’ll see a randomly selected wetsuit design. Purchase one of these — our horizontal stripes wetsuit cost 3,000 bells — and put it on to enable your swimming ability.

You also have the option of wearing a snorkel. It won’t make you swim faster, stay underwater longer, or blow colorful bubbles (that’d be cool though, right?). Instead, it’s nothing more than a fashion statement. The wetsuit, however, is mandatory.

You can also get a unique Nook-branded wetsuit by visiting the Nook Shop in Residential Services. Select Redeem Nook Miles and purchase it for 800 Nook Miles. The snorkel costs an additional 500 Nook Miles.

Go jump in the water

While swimming is a much-needed dynamic to make the island feel less isolated, you can’t swim to other islands. In fact, you’ll see a rope net surrounding the entire island, mostly submerged just a