The Animal Crossing Summer Update is here and it's a big one! We've been playing it non stop since the update went live and here's everything you need to know.First things first you'll have Isabelle explain that the waters have been surveyed and they're safe for swimming! Swimming isn't new for Animal Crossing as it was a feature available in New Leaf, but we at Venom are still excited about it. It's great that Nintendo are consistently adding more features to New Horizons and we're looking forward to what comes with the next Summer update in August.

How does it work?

In order to swim in the sea you need to be wearing a wet suit, snorkels can be purchased as well but these aren't actually needed to do any diving. There's a few different kinds of wet suits to choose from too;

• A striped version which can be purchased from Tommy and Timmy at Nooks Cranny for 3,000 Bells
• The Nook Inc Wet Suit which can be redeemed for just 800 Nook Miles
• A Leaf Print Wet Suit which is available under "Special Goods" within Nook Shopping, also for 3,000 Bells

These colours will update each day so be sure to keep a look out for your favourite colour and designYou can enter the water in a variety of ways, it also doesn't matter which level you're on - as long as there's access to the water you're good to go. We've already seen from the trailer you can run to a ledge and do a flip into the water, as well as jumping or simply go up to the waters edge, press A and your character will gently wade into the ocean.[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://blog.venomuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Animal-Crossing-Summer-Update-Flip.mp4"][/video]

What can I do in the water?

A huge part of Animal Crossing is collecting all the bugs and fish, with this update a "Sea Creatures" tab has been added to your Critterpedia with 40 slots so there's plenty to do!Once you're in the water you're going to want to look out for any bubbles coming to the surface, this will be a good indicator of something to dive for. Once you're close press Y to dive and when you swim over the item you will automatically dive down for it.Don't worry about drowning or anything like that, after a set amount of time diving your character will automatically come up for air!Whilst swimming or diving holding A will allow you to move, however tapping A will help you move faster.

Pascal The Otter

We've got a cute new visitor to the Island - Pascal The Otter! You'll first encounter Pascal when you collect a scallop. He'll pop up out of the water and ask if you wanted to trade your scallop for a DIY recipe. This is where we unlock the new furniture set ... but more on that later.It appears that Pascal will only give you one DIY recipe a day so you can't get them all in one go (unless you time travel of course)Pascal tells you about Pearls, these allusive items are what you will need to craft your new furniture but getting them is looking to be a bit of a grind, but will be oh so worth it.

You can also expect another visitor who looks very similar to Gulliver. We've not encountered him yet - we'll be sure to update this once we've met him!

New Furniture Set

Fitting in with the ocean theme the new furniture set is the Mermaid furniture. This isn't the first time the Mermaid furniture has made an appearance in Animal Crossing. Still it's absolutely cute.Here's the furniture you can unlock by trading scallops with Pascal and what materials you'll need to craft them;

• Mermaid Sofa - 1 Pearl, 10 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Rug - 1 Pearl, 3 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Vanity - 1 Pearl, 1 Giant Clam, 2 Coral, 2 Iron Nuggets
• Mermaid Dresser - 2 Pearls, 1 Giant Clam, 3 Coral
• Mermaid Bed - 2 Pearls, 2 Giant Clams, 5 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Chair - 1 Pearl, 2 Giant Clams, 2 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Lamp - 1 Pearl, 3 Conch, 2 Coral, 2 Iron Nuggets
• Mermaid Shelf - 1 Pearl, 1 Giant Clam, 4 Coral
• Mermaid Wall Clock - 1 Pearl, 3 Sea Snails, 2 Coral, 2 Iron Nuggets
• Mermaid Screen - 2 Pearls, 3 Giant Clams, 5 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Closet - 2 Pearls, 1 Giant Clam, 2 Coral, 5 Sand Dollars
• Mermaid Table - 2 Pearls, 5 Sand Dollars, 5 Stones
• Mermaid Wall - 2 Pearls, 2 Sea Snails, 2 Sand Dollars, 2 Coral, 2 Giant Clams

Have you been playing Animal Crossing? Check out our Animal Crossing Review if you're still on the fence!

Want to be featured in an upcoming blog post? Contact us and we'll come visit your island for a tour!