Traces of the Sea People is the first chapter in Dave the Diver. Just after starting his new life and job at the Great Blue Hole, Dave is approached by an archaeologist who needs his help in recovering a lost artifact of the Sea People from depths of the ocean. Read ahead as we go through the events of Traces of the Sea People in Dave the Diver and share some helpful tips for a great playthrough.
See previous: Prologue – A Sushi Bar by the Blue Hole
Objectives:
After meeting the goal to raise the repair money for the sushi bar, Dave will be visited by an archaeologist named Dr. Bacon. He comes to Dave to ask his help in retrieving an artifact that was believed to be something that came from the mythical Sea People from the depths of the Great Blue Hole.
Dr. Bacon also encourages Dave for his offer by upgrading his diving suit for free so that he could dive down even deeper than before. Afterwards, he also introduces the iDiver app which serves as the portal to purchasing upgrades for all of Dave’s diving equipment. Through the phone, open the iDiver app and select to upgrade the diving suit. This will allow Dave to be able to dive up to 80m deep.
Tracking the Sea People
Take a dive and explore the deeper ocean to look for the artifact. Since there is no exact location where the artifact is and the map also changes every dive, the only clue that we have going is that it was found about 70m deep.
Look for a golden item resting on a shelf that is marked with a yellow exclamation mark to find the artifact. Once you get the artifact, a giant eye will appear in the background while the ocean trembles, foreshadowing an encounter later on.
Bring the artifact back up with you once you are done with your dive and Dr. Bacon will meet with you again to reward you with 300 Gold, x5 Olive Oil, and x5 Turmeric. He also expresses to continue working with you as you uncover the secrets of the Sea People.
Next, you’ll head back to the sushi bar to find that the repairs have been completed. You will also get access to the Interior menu which lets you decorate the sushi bar with unlocked or purchased ornaments. Another thing that you can access is the Cooksta app which shows you posts from Bancho to entice people to try out his dishes. The Cooksta app will help you expand your bar operations the more followers that you get.
A Dolphin’s Request
Afterwards, you can head back to the boat to continue fishing in the afternoon. As soon as you dive in, you will encounter a dolphin which appears to be calling your attention.
Follow and swim along with the dolphin until you find its dolphin friend who has been captured under a net. Use your knife to cut the other dolphin loose from the net. The dolphins will then be grateful to you and drop something before they swim away.
This will then start the Dolphin sub mission line where you will meet the dolphin pairs in the following days. After completing the next two of the quests in the quest line, you will receive the Dolphin Necklace which is an accessory that increases your dash speed by 30%.
Not Enough Workers
Head back to the the sushi bar at nighttime to help Bancho. You will then meet Yoshie who is a food critique and a recruiter. She and Bancho appears to have worked together back in the past when Bancho was still working in a hotel. Yoshie is concerned that Bancho still has a taste that is too eccentric for customers that it might drive people away from his restaurant.
Bancho is adamant about his cuisine and wants to prove Yoshie wrong by serving her a Whole-Roasted Shark Head. Yoshie accepts the challenge and waits for the dish to be made. Bancho then asks for your help to get a Whitetip Reef Shark Head and Olive Oil for his dish. Since you already got the Olive Oil from earlier, the only thing you need is the shark head.
Bancho suggests to bring a gun with you when catching the Whitetip Reef Shark. Make sure to check with Duff on the next day to get your rifle up to the task.
A Scolding from Yoshie
After the conversation, you will get access to the Research menu where you can use the Artisan’s Flame you have collected to unlock special dishes, including the Whole-Roasted Shark Head.
This sub mission can be completed while going through the main mission. Completing this will unlock the Recruitment feature which lets you recruit more staff to help out with the sushi bar.
Signal from the Sea People
In the next morning, Dr. Bacon will visit you once again and hand you a radar device. You can use this device to trace signal based from the artifact from earlier. Before diving to chase this signal, you will need to upgrade your suit so that you can reach the area where the signal is coming from.
Follow the radar as it points to the east while heading down to 90m and you will find a cave entrance that is currently blocked by rubble. Dr. Bacon will suggest to talk to Cobra first to find a tool that could help move the rocks.
Ask Cobra about the tool and he will suggest to use bombs to blow up the rubble. But since handling bombs isn’t safe, he suggests to look for the drone materials from the drone he ordered. Since the drone that he ordered hasn’t arrived yet, he assumes that the package has sunk into the ocean.
Where the Currents Flow
Cobra mentions that the drone materials must have been carried away by the sea currents. The only biome that has undersea current in the shallow depths is the Limestone Cave which can be found in the middle of the hole at around 60m depth.
Once you find the cave entrance, you will need to navigate through the currents that flow on and off in a regular pattern. Oftentimes these currents blow towards sharp coral which makes getting caught by them dangerous.
There are three parts that you need to find within the cave: computer chip, motor, and camera lens. They are scattered in random locations within the cave. After finding all of them, you can head back up to the boat and talk to Cobra.
But before leaving the cave, take this time to grab as many of the Sea Grapes and White Spotted Jellyfish as you can as they will be needed for some missions later on. The jellyfishes are immune to your harpoons, so using the gun to kill them would suffice, although you will get less from them for now.
Talk to Cobra once again and he will tell you that you will have to wait for the next day before you can deploy the drone. He will reward you 500 Gold, x5 Soy Sauce, x5 Salt for retrieving all the parts. Continue on fishing, completing the sub missions that you have encountered, or helping the bar for now.
Beyond the Rock Pile
Talk to Cobra again the following day and he will have completed the repairs for the drone. Dr. Bacon also gives you a Camera in case you find something that you need to document down below. Cobra will also start selling different consumable tools that you can use when diving, as well as he can buy stuff that you do not need.
Head towards the cave entrance again and install the bomb on the rubble to blow a path. You can then go through the entrance to reach the Sea People Record Chamber.
Dr. Bacon suggests to investigate the chamber to find more clues. Check the pillar, the mural and the painting of dolphins inside the room.
Next, take a photo of the mural using the camera. Go in front of the mural to pull out the camera. Make sure that the mural is in focus to get a proper picture of it.
Look back at the painting of dolphins and you will find an artifact. Pick it up and then head back to the boat.
Back at the boat, Dr. Bacon will arrive and take the artifact from you to study it. Shortly after, a group of people led by a guy named John Watson shouts at you and warns you not to harm the ocean, or else they will come after you.
Continue on with your day and head back to the sushi bar at night. You will then meet a VIP named Vincent who comes into the restaurant and demands to be impressed by the bar’s dish. Bancho takes the challenge and decides to make a dish made up of Sea Grapes and White Spotted Jellyfish.
This will then start the Gourmet Vincent’s Challenge sub mission which you can complete just by collecting the necessary ingredients. This is a timed challenge and you only have 2 days to procure the ingredients before Vincent comes back.
Duff’s Pink Delivery
The following day, Dr. Bacon comes back to tell you that he found more signals that lead deeper into the ocean. However, you will need a Deep Sea Headlamp to see through the pitch black waters. You then check with Duff to see if he head the headlamp you need.
Call Duff through your Contacts app to ask about the headlamp. Duff says he has one, but you need to do him a favor first. Once of his prized figures that was supposed to be sent to him has sunk into the ocean and he needs you to retrieve it.
Dive into the water, stay on the west side of the sea, and dive downwards where you will eventually find the shipwreck and the package that Duff has been waiting for. Before you can get to it, a tentacle grabs the box and takes it inside the shipwreck. In order to get into the shipwreck, Duff will give you his Gas Cutter, so head back to the boat for now.
The Leahs-chan Rescue
Once you have the Gas Cutter, swim back to the shipwreck and use it to cut the panel off of its side. This will be done in a minigame where you have to follow the green circle as it moves through its path. Beware that the circle can move faster or slower, so try to keep up with it.
Inside the shipwreck is a path that leads to the lair of the giant squid. It wakes up just as you’re about to get the box and then it sends you far away.
How to defeat the Giant Squid
This will be your first boss fight and it is against the Giant Squid. Its main weakness is its big eye, but it can use its tentacle to cover it. Moreover, it can send a jet of water that sends you back to the cave passage. Once you’re in the passage, it has the ability to make its tentacles shoot out from the walls and ceilings.
Look out for stirring sand on the floor and ceiling and get away from it as soon as possible to avoid getting hit by the tentacles. Having an underwater scooter can help you get through the passage quickly. Once you’re close to the squid, be careful and do not stay close under its main tentacle which can whack you.
The giant squid doesn’t last long as it just needs a few good shots at its eye to defeat it. Once defeated, you will find one of the Sea People collapsing from exhaustion while another one comes to its aid. They then notice you and swims away.
Approach the tentacle of the giant squid and you will be able to cut a piece of its meat to take back to Bancho. Then, you can retrieve the pink delivery box to give back to Duff. He will then give you the headlamp that you need. You will also be rewarded with 500 Gold, x5 Black Vinegar, and x5 Salt.
Giant Squid Dish
Give Bancho a call to tell him about the squid meat you got. He decides to close up shop for the night and hold a party instead to celebrate your hard work.
Speak with the Guests
Back at the sushi bar, talk to Bancho and the guests to know what they have to say about you. Afterwards, have a toast with everyone and enjoy the night away. A cutscene will then play showing John Watson appearing to be preparing for an assault while looking at your party from a distance.
This concludes the first chapter. On the next day, Dr. Bacon will give you a visit, still hungover from last night’s party. He reminds you to prepare your gear before taking your dive into the dark depths.
See next: Chapter 2 – Into the Deep