As you navigate the world of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you’ll notice that a significant portion of the map is submerged and can only be explored by diving. At the game’s beginning, players lack the ability to swim, which makes searching for Hangyodon impossible at first. However, it’s relatively straightforward to gain access to these underwater areas with some dedication.
Before you can swim or dive, you must obtain specific equipment. The essentials for swimming are flippers, while for diving, you will need a snorkel mask. Unfortunately, these items are obtained separately from two different characters located in the Spooky Swamp, which is initially inaccessible.
Unlocking Flippers for Swimming
Activate the Gate to Meet Keroppi
As mentioned, players need to secure a pair of flippers to start swimming, which can prove a bit challenging. While Keroppi will soon provide you with the crafting plan for the flippers after you meet him, the toughest part is accessing Keroppi in the first place. He, along with Kuromi, is situated in the Spooky Swamp area on the eastern side of the map, where entry is blocked until you unlock the gate near Chococat’s crafting station.
To accomplish this, you must team up with Chococat to complete the Power Up the Gate quest. This task involves locating three yellow Power Crystals through various puzzles sprinkled throughout the main area of the resort. You can access this quest shortly after you befriend Chococat, who will provide you with a device to help locate the Power Crystals. It shouldn’t take long to complete this quest! Once done, head through the gate and find Keroppi at the southern end of the Spooky Swamp.
If you’re savvy with the gliding balloons, you might be able to navigate over the broken bridge once the gate opens, thus cutting down your travel time. If not, simply take a longer route.
Once you find Keroppi and give him his welcome gift, you can start the Finding Flippers quest. Keroppi will hand you the plans to create the Flippers along with the critical component: the fins. The final item you’ll need is the Flipper straps. Head a bit to the left of Keroppi and go west on the map to find a small dock with a chest containing the straps. If you’re having trouble locating it, enable the guide in your quest tracking menu, which will highlight the path to the chest for you.
Related
One Year After Its Release, Hello Kitty Island Adventure Has More Reasons To Play Than Ever
Since launching last July, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has grown immensely, but the adventure simulation game has a lot more in the works for fans.
With both items obtained, visit Chococat’s crafting station to create your Flippers. After crafting, the flippers will be an automatic item, meaning you won’t need to select them from your inventory to swim — they will activate automatically whenever you’re in water, letting you swim freely. However, diving requires an additional item.
Unlocking the Snorkel for Diving
Befriend Kuromi in the Spooky Swamp
The Snorkel, essential for diving, is not as easily unlocked as the flippers. Like the flippers, the character you’ll need to interact with is also in the Spooky Swamp. Interestingly, the spookiest character on the island, Kuromi, holds the key to unlocking the Snorkel. After achieving friendship level 6 with her, she will activate the Deep Diving quest.

Related
Animal Crossing’s Hello Kitty Collab Was A Wasted Opportunity
Animal Crossing: New Leaf showed players the potential of amiibo collaborations with Hello Kitty, but Nintendo failed to follow up when it mattered.
Kuromi will start by telling you about her missing item in Spooky Swamp. Her locket has sunk to the bottom of the pond behind her witch hut, and she needs your help to retrieve it. For this task, she will temporarily lend you her snorkel. To use it, jump into the water and press the button or JoyCon indicated on the screen with the snorkel icon to dive down. Although you won’t see the snorkel on your character, it’s still in effect.
This allows you to explore underwater to retrieve Kuromi’s lost item. Keep in mind that a stamina bar will appear while under the water tracking your dive duration. If it depletes before you resurface, your character will automatically ascend. Once you return her locket, Kuromi will reclaim her snorkel but will give you the crafting plans for your own.

Related
“If I Was Thinking About That, I’d Be Paralyzed” – Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s Composer On Pleasing Fans
The composer for Hello Kitty Island Adventure discusses the creative process and challenges behind designing the game’s varied soundscapes.
To craft the snorkel, you’ll need 2 Sparks, 2 Iron Ingots, and 10 Rubber. Rubber can be easily found in the main resort area, Iron Ingots can be crafted from Iron Ore located around Mount Hothead, and Sparks are crafted from the friendship gifts that Kuromi gives you. Once you gather all the materials, go to a crafting station in Hello Kitty Island Adventure to make the snorkel.
Like the flippers, the snorkel functions automatically and does not require equipping. Just dive into the water and head down to start exploring the depths, but be mindful of your stamina. If you can, unlock the mailbox near Hangyodon’s comedy club for quick travel right to his club underwater, which helps alleviate concerns about stamina when visiting him in Hello Kitty Island Adventure.