Ocean

Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Very common
Temperature	0.5
Structures	Shipwrecks Underwater ruins Ocean monuments (deep ocean only)
Blocks	Water Gravel Sand Dirt Clay Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 0 hex: 0 bin: 0
Biome ID	ocean

The ocean is a common aquatic biome. Oceans are the largest biome by area, covering about a quarter of the Overworld including its variants, and consists of a deep body of water with the surface at an altitude of 63.

Description

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-level 45. The sea floor is fairly hilly, featuring multiple peaks and valleys, and is made mostly of gravel, though some clay, dirt and sand patches may generate near the peaks as well. Some peaks may reach high enough to form islands on the surface of the ocean; these islands are typically small beaches surrounding a patch of a common biome, such as forest or plains. The floor is covered with seagrass and kelp, with "forests" of kelp frequently reaching the water's surface. Aquatic mobs, such as cod, squid, and dolphins, frequently spawn within oceans. Shipwrecks and underwater ruins frequently generate within oceans and all its variants, and generate more often than other structures in other biomes.

Survival in ocean biomes themselves is impractical due to all the water, though should one decide to camp on an island in the ocean, they will face a quite difficult situation. Since ocean biomes are so vast, one might not find mainland for hundreds or even thousands of blocks, meaning whatever resources one finds on an island might be all they have should they decide to not venture out. Depending on the island's size, however, the only hostile mobs that the player might have to worry about are drowned from the ocean, which makes nighttime less challenging.

Variants

The ocean biome has eight additional variants in-game, and one unused variant, for a total of ten different ocean biomes.

Deep Ocean

Deep Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Very common
Temperature	0.5
Structures	Ocean Monuments Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Gravel Bubble column Magma Block Obsidian Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 24 hex: 18 bin: 11000
Biome ID	deep_ocean

In the Deep Ocean variant, the ocean can exceed 30 blocks in depth, making it twice as deep as the normal ocean. The ground is mainly covered with gravel. Ocean monuments generate in deep oceans, meaning guardians and elder guardians can spawn here. Underwater caves and ravines often generate here, forming underwater trenches. Exposed lava in these trenches will occasionally turn into magma blocks, creating whirlpool bubble columns that can potentially drag a player down to their doom, so one must be careful around them.

Frozen Ocean

Frozen Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Uncommon
Temperature	0.0 (default; varies within ocean)
Structures	Icebergs Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Ice Snow Block Packed Ice Blue Ice Gravel Sand Clay Dirt
Data value	dec: 10 hex: A bin: 1010
Biome ID	frozen_ocean

The Frozen Ocean variant has dark purple water at the surface. Like the cold ocean, it has a gravel seabed, though the water's surface is mostly frozen. Large icebergs made of snow blocks, packed ice, and blue ice frequently generate on the surface and polar bears and strays may spawn on these icebergs. Salmon and squid may spawn here as well, and are the only aquatic mobs (other than drowned) that can. Similarly to swamps, frozen oceans have varying temperatures across their landscapes, but have a more noticeable effect in that colder patches have snowfall and ice sheets, while warmer patches have rainfall (up to a certain height, similarly to mountains) and unfrozen water. This does not apply to their deep variants, however.

Frozen oceans, along with their deep variants, will never generate directly bordering land. They will always have a 32 block-wide border of cold ocean around them should they generate close to any land. However, this border is very jaggy and broken.

Deep Frozen Ocean

Deep Frozen Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Uncommon
Temperature	0.0
Structures	Ocean Monuments Icebergs Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Snow Block Packed Ice Blue Ice Gravel Bubble column Magma Block Obsidian
Data value	dec: 50 hex: 32 bin: 110010
Biome ID	deep_frozen_ocean

Deep Frozen Ocean variants also contain ocean monuments and a deeper floor than normal oceans. Unlike its shallow counterpart, the surface of the water is not frozen. Icebergs may still generate and polar bears, strays, and salmon may still spawn.

Cold Ocean

Cold Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Common
Temperature	0.2
Structures	Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Gravel Dirt Sand Clay Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 46 hex: 2E bin: 101110
Biome ID	cold_ocean

The Cold Ocean variant has dark indigo water at the surface. Like regular oceans and frozen oceans, its floor is made up of gravel, although there are scarce patches of dirt, sand and clay on underwater peaks. Salmon, cod, and dolphins, squid and drowned are able to spawn in cold ocean biomes, alongside all the other common hostile mobs.

Deep Cold Ocean

Deep Cold Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Common
Temperature	0.2
Structures	Ocean Monuments Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Gravel Bubble column Magma Block Obsidian Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 49 hex: 31 bin: 110001
Biome ID	deep_cold_ocean

The Deep Cold Ocean variant is similar to cold ocean biomes, but twice as deep. Like other deep oceans, ocean monuments are able to generate here, which contain guardians, elder guardians, prismarine and sponges.

Lukewarm Ocean

Lukewarm Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Common
Temperature	0.9
Structures	Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Sand Dirt Clay Gravel Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 45 hex: 2D bin: 101101
Biome ID	lukewarm_ocean

The Lukewarm Ocean variant has light teal water at the surface. Its floor is made of sand with the occasional dirt, gravel and clay and it contains kelp and seagrass. Underwater ruins that generate in lukewarm and warm oceans are made of sandy materials, as opposed to the stony materials that make up ruins in the other oceans. Cod, tropical fish and pufferfish may spawn here, alongside the other aquatic mobs.

Deep Lukewarm Ocean

Deep Lukewarm Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Common
Temperature	0.9
Structures	Ocean Monuments Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Sand Bubble column Magma Block Obsidian Seagrass Kelp
Data value	dec: 48 hex: 30 bin: 110000
Biome ID	deep_lukewarm_ocean

The Deep Lukewarm Ocean variant is similar to lukewarm ocean biomes, but twice as deep. Since they are a deep ocean variant, they can generate ocean monuments, resulting in the spawning of guardians, elder guardians, prismarine and sponges.

Warm Ocean

Warm Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	Uncommon
Temperature	2.0
Structures	Coral reefs Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Sand Dirt Clay Gravel Coral Block Coral Coral Fans Sea Pickles Seagrass
Data value	dec: 44 hex: 2C bin: 101100
Biome ID	warm_ocean

The Warm Ocean variant has light green water at the surface. Like the lukewarm ocean, it has a floor made of sand, and like all oceans, it is populated with seagrass. Warm oceans feature large coral reefs and numerous sea pickles, though kelp does not grow here. Tropical fish and pufferfish may spawn here, like in lukewarm oceans, though cod does not spawn.

Like frozen oceans, warm oceans never generate directly touching the land. They will always have a 32 block-wide border of lukewarm ocean around them should they generate close to any land. However, this border is very jaggy and broken.

Deep Warm Ocean

Deep Warm Ocean

Type	Aquatic
Rarity	N/A
Temperature	2.0
Structures	Ocean Monuments Shipwrecks Underwater ruins
Blocks	Water Sand Bubble column Magma Block Obsidian Seagrass
Data value	dec: 47 hex: 2F bin: 101111
Biome ID	deep_warm_ocean

The Deep Warm Ocean variant is similar to warm ocean biomes, but without coral reefs nor sea pickles, and twice as deep. Since they are a deep ocean variant, they can generate ocean monuments, resulting in the spawning of guardians, elder guardians, prismarine, and sponges. This biome does not naturally generate, though it can be seen using Customized Superflat or Buffet world options.

History

Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0			?		Added true biomes. While oceans were not technically their own biome, they would generate as "structures" between other biomes, similarly to mountains.
Java Edition Beta
1.8			?		As part of a biome overhaul, oceans have now been given their own proper biome.
Java Edition
1.0			?		Frozen 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.
1.7.2			13w36a		Deep Ocean variant added, along with may other biomes.
					Oceans are now no longer infinite.
					Frozen Oceans will now no longer generate naturally.
1.8			14w25a		Added ocean monuments, which generate in oceans.
1.13			18w08a		Added ocean variants, including warm ocean, lukewarm ocean, cold ocean, deep warm ocean, deep lukewarm ocean, deep cold ocean, and deep frozen ocean.
					Frozen ocean biome recycled, now generates naturally again, though differently from before.
			18w08b		Deep warm ocean biomes no longer generate.
			18w09a		Added underwater ruin structures, which generate in all oceans.
			18w10d		Added coral reefs, which generate in warm oceans.
			18w11a		Added shipwrecks, which generate in all oceans.
			18w15a		Added icebergs, which generate in frozen oceans.
			18w16a		Cleaned up several biome names, mainly by adding missing spaces and changing "Biome M" for "Mutated Biome".
			18w19a		Names of several biomes have been changed. The exact name changes are listed here.
			pre5		Changed several biome IDs, mostly to comply with their names, listed here.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.9.0			build 1		Deep Ocean added, along with many other biomes.
					Frozen Ocean will now no longer generate.
0.16.0			build 1		Added ocean monuments.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.14			build 1		Added Warm Ocean, Lukewarm Ocean, Cold Ocean, and their deep variants, including Frozen Deep ocean.
					Frozen Ocean now can generate naturally again.
1.4			beta 1.2.14.2		Added shipwrecks, icebergs and coral reefs.
			beta 1.2.20.1		Added underwater ruins.
Legacy Console Edition
TU5	CU1	1.00	Patch 1		Added ocean biomes.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Added deep oceans.
					Added ocean monuments.

Gallery

• 

  View of an old pre-1.13 frozen ocean.

• 

  An example of the random temperature variation within frozen oceans. The darker areas are colder, and have snowfall and ice sheets; the lighter areas are warmer, and have rainfall and unfrozen water.

• 

  Same as the previous image, edited for better visibility.

See also

• Beach
• River
• Mushroom Fields