The Great Aqua Cave is a sub-stage in Endless Ocean. It is the first sub-stage unlocked through the game's story, after Katherine Sunday teaches the player how to cave dive.
During the player's first dive here, "Shenandoah" by Hayley Westenra plays in the background. Following this, it can be selected from a menu during loading screens in order to loop in the background while diving.
In-Game[]
Loading Description[]
"A sea cave that resembles a white palace, fit for a mermaid princess."
Flora, Fauna, and Geography[]
Local Life[]
The rooms of the Great Aqua Cave are home to many unique species, including a resident false killer whale, a small group of West Indian manatees, and a trail of blue-spotted lagoon rays guiding the player from the entrance to White Room.
Other memorable species include longtooth groupers, John Dory, leopard whiprays, yellow boxfish, marbled flounders and blackspotted puffers. During the night, a Pelagic thresher patrols the tunnels.
Location & Geography[]
The Great Aqua Cave can be accessed by swimming through Mermaid Tunnel, which is located at coordinates L-7 in the southeast of the Manoa Lai Sea.
The static salvages found here are the Patterned Pottery and the Iron Pearl of Manoa Lai. A full list of this stage's salvages can be found here.
Spots[]
Great Column[]
Great Column.
This room is out of the way from the rest of the Great Aqua Cave, accessed by entering through a smaller unnamed room preceding it. Named after the large columns present here, a piece of the Patterned Pottery is found on the ground. Monkfish, golden trevallies, and Japanese jack mackerel can be found here, along with a group of bigeye trevallies that appear at night.
Stalactite Labyrinth[]
This large room connects to many tunnels throughout the cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. goldeye rockfish and longtooth groupers are the most notable inhabitants of the area.
Rim Pool[]
Rim Pool.
The rock formations here form a staircase shape, with multiple tiers of rounded rock leading up to a waterfall. Home to a small herd of West Indian manatees and a few shoals of juvenile golden spadefish, the waterfall masks the entrance to the White Room.
White Room[]
Located at the farthest end of the cave, this small, pure white room is home to a lone false killer whale, and the Iron Pearl of Manoa Lai can be found atop the pedestal in the center of the room. This room must be discovered in order to advance the game's story.
Story Significance[]
Depending on how the player chooses to explore Manoa Lai, it is possible to find the Great Aqua Cave's entrance prior to unlocking it, but Katherine will express fear and forbid them from swimming inside. Before the player can enter the cave, they must have visited the game's Aquarium at least once after unlocking it. This then unlocks the Underwater Camera and triggers an email alert from Douglas Banner.
| The mermaid's legend! |
|---|
| From: Douglas Banner
I've been reading the journal of Arthur Edward Fisher, the explorer who discovered this island, and he wrote about this local legend: Long ago in Manoa Lai there was a castle that sank into the ocean after an earthquake. The queen fled into a white cave, but it was also taken by the sea. And there the queen became a mermaid. I'm totally into the surrealism... Anywho, I'm thinking of writing about it for my next article, but I don't have enough to work with. Lemme know if you find the cave, okay? Peace out! |
After this email, Katherine will approach the player and note that a "white cave" would likely be made of limestone, and that there's a lot of limestone around the southeast area of the map. Then, she'll give them basic cave-diving instructions so that they can enter the cave, if they find it.
Upon entering the cave, Katherine will contact the player by radio, saying:
"Wow! I can't believe it. Who would've thought there was a place like this in Manoa Lai? Look at the size of it! I've never even heard of an undersea cave this big. Well, we might as well head on in. This cave is pretty complex. Don't get lost!"
After the player has found the cave and returned to the boat, Katherine will say:
"Hey! you made it! That's amazing! ...I mean, welcome back!
That cave was incredible! I can't believe it really exists! When we tell people about this, they're going to freak out. Maybe they'll let us NAME IT!
Let's see...Katherine Cave? Great Katherine Cave? Hmmm…
Hee hee! I'm just kidding!"
The player will subsequently receive two emails, one from Douglas Banner and one from Alfred Thorman.
| You RAWK! |
|---|
| From: Douglas Banner
Oh and hey! I did more research about the legend of the cave. Check this out: The only one to escape from the cave was the queen's attendant. She was led out of the cave by a spirit appearing in the form of a green flame that guided her to the exit. Could that green thing have something to do with the cave? Hmmm... Well, I guess you can always follow it if you get lost! Ha ha! Peace out! |
| Undersea Cave Discovery |
|---|
| From: Alfred Thorman
Katherine is keeping me updated on the progress of the survey. It seems we still have much to learn about the depth and structure of the cave. Again, I have nothing but the highest respect for your work up to this point. Make sure you get enough rest, and keep up the good fight. -Alfred Thorman |
Gallery[]
.png "Great Aqua Cave (Cutscene).png (1.92 MB)")
.png "Great Aqua Cave (Entrance).png (1.56 MB)")
.png "Great Aqua Cave (Diver entering).png (1.82 MB)")
Notes[]
- The Great Aqua Cave's nickname might have been coined as a result of the manatees living in Rim Pool; these are a creature that was commonly mistaken for mermaids in the olden days.
- Despite being referred to as an underwater cave, the Great Aqua Cave is actually a cavern; caverns always let in some natural light, whereas caves are always dark and tend to be more snug.
[]
Spots:
Great Column • Stalactite Labyrinth • Rim Pool • White Room