New Horizons contains 40 deep-sea creatures that can be caught by swimming and diving. They are recorded in the Critterpedia and can be donated to Blathers at the museum, sold for Bells, or collected for completion.
Deep-sea creatures were added to New Horizons with the first Summer Update on July 3, 2020. After obtaining a wetsuit, the player can enter the ocean, swim toward bubbles, and dive when a shadow appears below the surface. The creature is caught automatically if the player reaches it underwater.
The total is sometimes confused with the game's fish or bug counts, which are separate categories and much larger. Deep-sea creatures also have different appearances, prices, movement speeds, and seasonal availability. Examples include sea stars, sea anemones, oysters, lobsters, and giant isopods. Although the creatures are called “deep-sea” in common gameplay language, the player catches them in the surrounding ocean rather than in a special deep-water zone.