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The Manoa Lai Sea is the setting in which Endless Ocean takes place. It is located off the coast of the Manoa Lai Island in the South Pacific, which is part of the fictional Pelago Commonwealth.
It acts as the main stage of the game, through which each of the other stages can be unlocked and then accessed.
The region's default background music consists of two instrumental tracks, one titled "Embrace of Manoa Lai" which plays when diving during the day, and the other titled "Moon of Manoa Lai", which plays when diving at night. These songs also become the default for every other stage, after they have been explored.
The western sea off Manaurai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
The western sea off Manoa Lai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
La mer à l'ouest de l'île de Manauraï est préservée et abrite une faune extraordinaire.
Das Meer westlich der Insel Manaurai besticht durch seine reine Schönheit und seine natürlichen Reichtümer.
Il mare a ovest dell'isola Manaurai è un florilegio di bellezze incontaminate e ricchezze naturali.
The western sea off Manaurai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
El mar al oeste de la isla de Manaurai guarda tesoros naturales de una belleza incomparable.
Flora, Fauna, and Geography[]
Local Life[]
The Manoa Lai Sea is home to a massive array of marine life, from tiny sea slugs to huge whales. These creatures pose no threat to humans, and have no fear of them, meaning they can all be approached and interacted with. In addition, Manoa Lai hosts a variety of other life forms which cannot be interacted with, such as coral, sea sponges, kelp, clams, and anemones.
Several of its inhabitants are the subject of myth to the people of the Pelago Commonwealth, with one such creature, the Ancient Mother, acting as the driving force of the game's story.
The Manoa Lai Sea is located off the western coast of Manoa Lai Island, of which there is fairly little information known. Most of what is known comes from a Japanese Endless Ocean guidebook, which states that Manoa Lai Island is part of the greater Pelago Commonwealth, an archipelago containing over 1,000 islands. Its capital city Ka'ia is located on Rishu Island, about 80 kilometers away from Manoa Lai Island, and hosts the aquarium. Endless Ocean 2's Gatama Atoll, also part of the Commonwealth, is located to the south of Manoa Lai Island. The island long went undiscovered, as it has powerful currents surrounding it that prevented anyone from entering. It was only officially discovered in the 20th century by Arthur E. Fisher, which attracted global attention to it for its unique ecosystem. It was soon forgotten again, however, and the island is now owned by the United State's Marianas Foundation - the organization that sent the player to Manoa Lai.
Many collectable items are also scattered around Manoa Lai, which can be seen and collected under zoom glows. While some have fixed locations, others appear randomly with different chances of appearing. These salvages may earn the player a reward upon collecting them, such as a cosmetic item, though most have no associated reward. A complete list of these salvages can be found here.
Sub-Stages[]
Manoa Lai has four sub-stages, the most of any stage in the series. These sub-stages cannot be accessed right at the start of the game, and must be unlocked through various means.
This sprawling underwater limestone cave is accessed through Mermaid Tunnel, and is the first sub-stage to be unlocked. Rumored to be the subject of a Manoa Lai myth in which a castle sunk into the sea, this cavern is home to many unique creatures, such as West Indian manatees and a resident false killer whale.
Reaching down to 550 feet (~167 meters) below sea level, this deep-water trench is home to a host of deep-sea creatures, from giant squid to tiny deep-sea blind shrimp. It is accessed after being given an experimental air mixture allowing for deep-sea diving, and entering the Passage to the Abyss found in Deep Valley. The walls of the crevasse contain several caves, and the seafloor beneath, known as the Whalebone Chasm, hosts both a large whale fall and a group of hydrothermal vents which are active during the day.
Discovered by the player while researching whale shark migration routes around Mo'ia Atoll, these ancient ruins are shrouded in mystery. Powerful currents of unknown origin litter the halls, and stone monuments written in an ancient Pelago language can be found throughout. It is also home to several species found nowhere else, such as Atlantic tarpon, marbled rays, and bottlenose dolphins.
Accessed by entering the Pirate Ship drifting around the Manoa Lai Sea, Ship's Rest is an entirely optional area, not being needed to complete the main plot. Home to several shipwrecks, including the large wreck of the Navier and Fighter Wreckage, this stage has an abundance of sharks. One of these sharks is Magu Tapa, one of the game's two legendary creatures, which can be found here at night.
Spots[]
In the context of Endless Ocean, spots are locations which display a text cue in the bottom right corner of the screen upon entering, and that are marked with a fish marker on the map once discovered. Typically, they also have introductory cutscenes, which play when the player first discovers them. This stage contains sixteen spots, which is the most of any stage in the series.
The Lagoon is located in the northeastern corner of Manoa Lai, and it is the first area the player will have access to. The primary attraction to this area comes in the form of the vibrant corals that fill it, along with the accompanying variety in sea life - plenty of small, colorful fish make their homes in the various nooks and crannies provided to them. This variation in species also depends heavily upon the time of day and season - if the player visits at night, they'll find that some of the Lagoon's residents have disappeared, only to be replaced by entirely different species.
Coral Forest is the second area the player will have access to over the course of the storyline, named for the distinctive and striking coral tower formations specific to it. The player can find several larger kinds of fish here than in the Lagoon, including humphead wrasses and bicolor parrotfish. The small cave called the Gem Chest of Loa can also be found here.
This spot is named for the fact that it consists of a large, overarching rock formation enclosing a cave that has several round holes in the ceiling. The player is introduced to the salvaging mechanic here - Katherine walks the player through the process of picking up the Dolphin Medal from a zoom glow in the area. According to an email from Alfred Thorman, Blue Holes is well-known locally because the strange way currents flow here seems to draw in such items from time to time.
Located just west of Coral Forest, Triple Steps is a spot in which the rocks jut out of a steep incline in three distinct tiers, making the area look like a staircase. It is home to a diverse array of marine life that changes depending on the season and time of day, as well as coral that changes color depending on the time of year.
This maze-like collection of stone formations hides many secrets in its nooks and crannies. Larger and less-colorful creatures make their homes here, like Japanese bullhead sharks and a resident scalloped hammerhead that patrols the hallways. Just to the west, a humpback whale makes its rounds.
Found to the south of Blue Holes, Sunshine Beach is a large stretch of sand close to the surface of the ocean. Here, California sea lions make their homes, and a prominent rock here known as Dolphin Rock is the home base for a pod of short-beaked common dolphins. As well as this, the corals on said rock are also home to several smaller fish, including a solitary luna lionfish.
Mermaid Tunnel is a small, serene area patrolled by a green sea turtle and Bower's parrotfish. The soft pink corals around its entrance are seen in very few other places around Manoa Lai. Obese sea pens also appear in this spot's sand at night. The tunnel itself, a round hole bored into the rock to the Southeast of the Manoa Lai Sea, leads into an expansive unexplored cave system, known as the Great Aqua Cave.
Wild Channel is a wide hallway of rock located roughly in the mid-Southern area of Manoa Lai, somewhat to the west of Sunshine Beach. Its main attraction comes in the form of its largest resident, the local North Atlantic right whale that patrols up and down the channel, turning around in the wider sections of sea at either end. Other creatures include a few leopard whiprays and a golden trevally that also make their own rounds. At night, obese sea pens appear in the sand within the channel.
Secret Lake is a small inlet of the Manoa Lai Sea found in the southeast, and a deep, circular area surrounded by walls of rock. Due to the odd flow of the currents, occasionally large numbers of specific creatures will be drawn here, in an event known as a "Tanga Day". The player will receive an email notifying them of any current Tanga Days as they begin.
This spot is nicknamed "the blue desert" due to its depth and the vast expanse of sand seen at the bottom of it. Located in mid-southern Manoa Lai, Deep Valley houses the Passage to the Abyss. The player is unable to enter the passage until they're granted a special air mixture that allows them to breathe at higher pressures. Several zebra sharks make their homes here, near the rim of the Passage to the Abyss.
Marked on the player's map right next to the marker for Deep Valley, Passage to the Abyss has an apt name - it is the short stretch of water that transitions the player from the Manoa Lai main stage to the Abyss. sperm whales can be seen emerging from the depths from time to time, as well as opahs seasonally living in the passage.
Comb Reef is a formation of coral-covered rock in the western area of Manoa Lai. Its name comes from the fact that it resembles a comb when viewed from above, with several protruding formations of rock forming miniature dead-end 'hallways' between them. Within the reef, several crown-of-thorns starfish inhabit the area's table coral, and epaulette sharks lay on the sandy seabed. The nearby sea is also home to a group of diving emperor penguins.
Green Garden is so named for the abundance of kelp that grows there. It is shallow and close to the surface, but the area is also well-known for being dangerous to reckless divers due to the threat of being entangled in the long, clinging fronds of kelp common to the area. This area is also home to bearded and spotted seals, which alternate depending on the season.
This spot located somewhat to the southwest of Manoa Lai is visited during the course of the story, in order to study the migratory routes of whale sharks. While conducting this research by grabbing onto the creature's back, it leads the player to the long-abandoned Underwater Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll.
Frequented by blue whales and the elusive Ancient Mother, the Great Drop-off is as it sounds: a massive cliff sloping down into the ocean's depths. The surrounding area is home to many juvenile golden spadefish.
Notable for being the only spot in the game not marked on the map with a fish marker, the Pirate Ship only appears after completing the Great Aqua Cave segment of the story, as well as after having filled in 60% of the map of Manoa Lai. After these conditions have been met, this ghostly abandoned ship will appear at three different locations, taking the player to Ship's Rest should they enter it.
Landmarks[]
In the context of Endless Ocean, a landmark is a location which is not marked on the map, but still displays a text cue in the bottom right corner of the screen upon entering. Landmarks are generally named after a small, yet notable geological formation or reef. Manoa Lai has many landmarks, of varying levels of importance.
This small alcove located near Mermaid Tunnel is most notable for the rotation of diving seabirds that can be found here, hunting small, schooling fish. A piece of the Storyboard can also be found here.
Acting as a "meeting place" for all sorts of marine life, this small island lies between Sunshine Beach and Wild Channel. Its most notable inhabitants, an Asian sheepshead wrasse and a pair of red cornetfish, can be found here in winter.
Found within Sunshine Beach, this rock is namely surrounded by a small pod of short-beaked common dolphins. A luna lionfish sits atop the rock formation, accompanied by many smaller reef fish.
This landmark is a small den found to the north of Rock Bluff, marked by several soft corals along its walls. It is most notable for the abundance of permanent zoom spots containing various species of blenny, found on the coral-covered rock in the center of the cavern.
To the northwest of Triple Steps lies this empty stretch of sand, marked by a single giant clam. A piece of the Pirate Compass can be found in the sand here, and several species of shark pass through here depending on the season and time of day.
The passage to Secret Lake lies beyond this small, empty dome of sand. No notable creatures or salvages appear here, aside from those typical of Manoa Lai's sandy seafloor.
Just to the south of Deep Valley is this rocky overhand, populated with soft coral. It is therefore one of the best places to find pygmy seahorse zoom glows.
This narrow rocky hallway to the west of Rock Bluff is most well-known for being the location in which the Ancient Bracelet appears. It only spawns after having observed and received analysis back on all six stone monuments in the Underwater Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll, and once picked up, will trigger a unique creature to appear in the Ruins.
Home to a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins, some bigeye trevallies, a whale shark, and more, this sandy slope can be found directly east of Comb Reef. It is one of the three spots in which the Pirate Ship can park.
A small cave populated with isobana coral and several small species of reef fish, the Gem Chest of Loa is found on the perimeter of Coral Forest. A piece of the Whale-God Mirror can be found here.
This relatively barren landmark found near Green Garden is devoid of any life, aside from the occasional random zoom glow that may appear on the location's isobana coral.
Densely populated with soft pink coral, this landmark lies to the south of Mo'ia Atoll. It is inhabited by several species of small reef fish, but not much else.
Gallery[]
A sunset over Manoa Lai.
Manoa Lai during the nighttime.
A sunrise over Manoa Lai. The sail of the Gabbiano can be seen.
Another sunrise over Manoa Lai, visible from the Gabbiano's deck chair.
Notes[]
Manoa Lai is easily the largest stage in the series, several times larger than any stage present in Endless Ocean 2.
The Manoa Lai Sea is home to a highly improbable ecosystem, consisting of tropical fauna coexisting peacefully with polar bears, Japanese cormorants, and more.
During development, several changes were made to the sea's topography. The most notable change was the removal of a small lake that used to be in the center of the island north of Wild Channel, called Marine Lake.
Real-Life Information[]
Dive Blue Holes in Palau For an Epic Dive Adventure
A video made by a Palau dive company, showcasing Blue Holes.
The Manoa Lai Sea likely takes much inspiration from the real-world Republic of Palau. This applies to its overall appearance, the creatures that reside there, as well as various dive spots, some of which have near-identical counterparts in Palau. Even the name of the Pelago Commonwealth, known outside of North American translations as the Republic of Paoul, is strikingly similar.
The most obvious example of this is Blue Holes, which is almost certainly based on a very popular dive spot in Palau also known as Blue Holes. Palau's Blue Holes is a reef containing a cave with several large holes in the ceiling - quite similar to the structure in Manoa Lai.
The western sea off Manaurai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
The western sea off Manoa Lai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
La mer à l'ouest de l'île de Manauraï est préservée et abrite une faune extraordinaire.
Das Meer westlich der Insel Manaurai besticht durch seine reine Schönheit und seine natürlichen Reichtümer.
Il mare a ovest dell'isola Manaurai è un florilegio di bellezze incontaminate e ricchezze naturali.
The western sea off Manaurai Island abounds with unspoiled beauty and natural resources.
El mar al oeste de la isla de Manaurai guarda tesoros naturales de una belleza incomparable.
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