Dive deep into the oceans of Minecraft with a new mount

How to Ride a Nautilus in Minecraft

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Minecraft’s oceans have finally received a meaningful upgrade with the introduction of the Nautilus mount.

For years, ocean exploration relied on boats, dolphins, and slow swimming mechanics. With the Nautilus, Mojang has added the first true underwater rideable mount, making ocean travel faster, smoother, and far more exciting.

If you are wondering how to find, tame, and ride a Nautilus in Minecraft, this guide covers everything step by step, including where it spawns, how taming works, and how to control it properly once mounted.

What Is a Nautilus in Minecraft?

The Nautilus is a new aquatic mob introduced as part of the ocean focused update.

Unlike decorative sea creatures, the Nautilus is a rideable underwater mount designed specifically for exploring oceans, rivers, and underwater structures.

Once tamed and equipped, the Nautilus allows players to travel quickly underwater without relying on boats or swimming enchantments. It also introduces new armor progression for aquatic gameplay.

How to Find a Nautilus in Minecraft

Before you can ride a Nautilus, you must first locate one in the world.

Nautilus mobs spawn naturally in all ocean biomes, making them fairly common compared to other rare aquatic mobs. You are most likely to encounter them while exploring open water rather than near shorelines.

Nautilus Variants You Can Encounter

While exploring the oceans, you may come across different types of Nautilus mobs:

  • Regular Nautilus
  • Zombie Nautilus
  • Zombie Coral Nautilus

In some cases, a Nautilus may spawn paired with a Drowned mob. If that happens, defeating the Drowned will free the Nautilus, allowing you to tame it afterward. In warm ocean biomes, zombie variants may eventually turn into coral Nautilus forms.Nautilus in warm ocean biome

How to Tame a Nautilus in Minecraft

Once you find a free roaming Nautilus, taming it is straightforward.

To tame a Nautilus, you need to feed it pufferfish. Approach the Nautilus carefully underwater and right click on it while holding pufferfish.

After feeding it a few times, you will see red heart particles, indicating that the Nautilus has been successfully tamed. Once tamed, it will no longer attack or flee and will be ready to ride after proper equipment.

How to Ride a Nautilus in Minecraft

Taming alone is not enough to ride a Nautilus. You also need to equip it correctly.

Step by Step Riding Instructions

  • First, tame the Nautilus using pufferfish.
  • Next, equip it with a saddle by right clicking on the Nautilus while holding one.
  • Once the saddle is equipped, right click again to mount the Nautilus.

After mounting, you can fully control its movement underwater.

The Nautilus allows smooth navigation through oceans, rivers, and underwater caves. It also has a dash ability, letting you sprint through water much faster than normal swimming.

Riding a nautilus with a gold nautilus armor

Do You Need Armor to Ride a Nautilus?

Armor is not required to ride a Nautilus, but it is highly recommended.

Nautilus armor increases durability and survivability, especially when exploring dangerous areas like ocean monuments or deep underwater ruins.

How to Get Nautilus Armor

You can find Nautilus armor pieces in:

  • Buried treasure chests
  • Shipwrecks
  • Ocean ruins

Higher tier armor provides better protection. Diamond Nautilus armor can later be upgraded to Netherite Nautilus armor, offering maximum defense and durability for your aquatic mount.

Why Use a Nautilus Instead of a Boat?

Boats work well on the surface, but they are limited underwater. The Nautilus fills that gap perfectly.

Riding a Nautilus allows you to

  • Move freely underwater without resurfacing
  • Navigate caves and ruins easily
  • Travel faster than swimming even with enchantments
  • Explore ocean monuments safely

For players who enjoy ocean exploration, treasure hunting, or underwater base building, the Nautilus becomes one of the most useful mounts in the game.

Tips for Riding a Nautilus Efficiently

  • Always equip armor before exploring hostile waters
  • Carry extra saddles and pufferfish as backup
  • Use the dash ability wisely to avoid crashing into terrain
  • Avoid hostile drowned groups until your Nautilus is armored

Mastering these basics will make underwater travel far safer and more enjoyable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you ride a Nautilus without a saddle?

No. A saddle is required to control and ride a Nautilus, even after taming it.

Is the Nautilus faster than swimming with enchantments?

Yes. The Nautilus is faster and more efficient than swimming, even with Depth Strider and Dolphin’s Grace.

Can Nautilus be used in rivers?

Yes. Nautilus mounts work in oceans, rivers, and other water bodies.

Final Thoughts

The Nautilus is one of the most exciting aquatic additions Minecraft has seen in years. It finally gives players a reason to explore deep oceans without frustration, making underwater travel both practical and fun.

If you spend time looting shipwrecks, hunting buried treasure, or building underwater bases, learning how to ride a Nautilus in Minecraft is absolutely worth it.