Dive is free. Bubbly Basin is not.
That is the whole answer to the question most people arrive with. Dive came in the free Ver. 2.0.0 update on 5 August 2026, so you can learn it and use it at Bleak Beach without spending anything. The Bubbly Basin area itself is the paid half, and it needs the Expansion Pass.
Free — Ver. 2.0.0
- Learning Dive, and using it at Bleak Beach
- Buoyant Blocks — structures can float at any supported height in the water column, not only on the seabed
- New hair colours and emotes
- Bulk storage transfer and shared storage
Four independent write-ups cover the Ver. 2.0.0 patch notes. That coverage is for the patch as a whole — we have not checked which individual features each of the four mentions.
Expansion Pass — $34.99
- The Bubbly Basin area itself
- 36 habitats and 50 new Pokémon — 48 of them from habitats, Manaphy and Phione from elsewhere
- Dream Island, a Ditto outfit, ocean-themed furniture
- One purchase covering all three Parts; Part 2 is due late 2026
Price and the three-Part structure both have two independent sources.
Before you start
- You already have the Jump ability.
- You already have the Surf move.
- You have finished the Bleak Beach request “Raise the environment level!”.
Learning Dive, in order
- 1. Go to Bleak Beach.
- 2. Talk to Professor Tangrowth outside the Bleak Beach Pokémon Center. That conversation is what puts the prompt in front of you.
- 3. Walk the beach and collect Seaweed ×5. It grows in the areas next to the water, all the way round.
- 4. Hand all five to Manaphy on the island to the north. This is the step that teaches you Dive.
- 5. Bubbly Basin unlocks the moment you deliver them — if you own the Expansion Pass. If you do not, you keep Dive and keep using it at Bleak Beach.
This chain is reported the same way by four independent guides.
Where people get stuck
- Buying the Pass and expecting a new area straight away. The Pass does not skip the Manaphy quest — the delivery is still the trigger.
- Assuming Dive is behind the paywall. It is not, and neither are Buoyant Blocks or shared storage. Try Dive at Bleak Beach before deciding whether the area is worth $34.99 to you.
- Chasing Manaphy and Phione through habitats. Neither is tied to one. Manaphy comes through story progression and Phione through the Starmie Doll, which is why the tracker shows 48 of 50 as habitat-bound.
What comes next
According to Nintendo Life, and we have not found a second source for any of this: inside Bubbly Basin the sequence is to raise the Environment Level to 3 by discovering habitats and befriending Pokémon, build the Ocean Temple, rebuild the Pokémon Center, then push the Environment Level to 5 — with the rebuilding kit appearing in the Pokémon Center shop once you reach Level 3, and Manaphy encountered after the temple is finished. The Ocean Temple's material quantities come from the same single source. Treat the lot as reported rather than confirmed.
Practically, that means the next thing you do is discover habitats — and that is where the rest of this site starts being useful.
Questions people are actually asking
Can I go underwater without buying the Expansion Pass?
Yes. Dive arrived with the free Ver. 2.0.0 update and works at Bleak Beach. The Expansion Pass buys the Bubbly Basin area itself, along with its 36 habitats and its 50 new Pokémon — 48 of them from those habitats, Manaphy and Phione from elsewhere.
What do I need before I can learn Dive?
The Jump ability, the Surf move, and the Bleak Beach request "Raise the environment level!" completed.
Where do I get the Seaweed for Manaphy?
Walk the shoreline at Bleak Beach and collect five Seaweed from the areas next to the water, then hand all five to Manaphy on the island to the north.
When exactly does Bubbly Basin open?
The moment you hand the five Seaweed to Manaphy, if you own the Expansion Pass.
How much is the Expansion Pass and what does it cover?
It is $34.99, and that single purchase covers all three Parts. Part 1 is Bubbly Basin; Part 2 is due late 2026 with no firm date announced.
What happens after I reach Bubbly Basin?
According to Nintendo Life, and we have not found a second source: the main goal is raising the Environment Level to 3 by discovering habitats and befriending Pokémon, then building the Ocean Temple, rebuilding the Pokémon Center, and later reaching Environment Level 5 — with the rebuilding kit appearing in the Center shop once you hit Level 3, and Manaphy encountered once the temple is built.
Habitat and Pokédex data compiled from game8 and Nintendo Life and cross-checked. Value ratios, material totals and build orders are calculated on this site, not copied from either of them.