Underwater driving



Underwater driving is a game mechanic in the Mario Kart series. It was first introduced in Mario Kart 7, and has appeared in all later games since. When drivers are underwater, a small propeller will pop out from the back of the kart, and some of the driver's statistics are changed.

Underwater driving is implemented on new courses, classic courses and battle courses. Various other mechanics such as anti-gravity and Jump Boosts also appear in underwater sections, though gliding is automatically canceled when entering the water. Various underwater enemies such as Cheep Cheeps and Sidesteppers can also be found in the water. Prior to the introduction of underwater driving, entering deep water will usually respawn or slow down the player. When the player is underwater, the music is slightly altered, though there are courses that have their own arrangements for underwater sections.

Although the mechanic was introduced in Mario Kart 7, Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast features a similar mechanic, where the players could race underwater by riding on Enguarde the Swordfish or via their barrels. It is featured in Salty Sea, Shimmering Sea and Open Ocean.

In Super Mario Kart, if a driver goes into the water, they can drive underwater for about four seconds until Lakitu pulls them out. This allows them to potentially get back onto the racecourse without needing Lakitu.

In-game statistics
In Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, when driving underwater, the handling, speed, and drifting of most drivers, vehicles, and tires are different than usual. For some examples from Mario Kart 7, the Egg 1 would become faster, while the Barrel Train would become slower. In Mario Kart 8, the Badwagon strongly excels while underwater, but it has among the worst underwater statistics in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

It is worth noting, however, that if a vehicle is using anti-gravity while underwater, the anti-gravity stats will take higher priority than the underwater stats.

Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit do not use different stats while driving underwater.

Courses with underwater segments
Courses with normally optional segments are marked with an asterisk (*).


 * Maka Wuhu*
 * Water Park
 * Sweet Sweet Canyon
 * Thwomp Ruins*
 * Twisted Mansion
 * Dolphin Shoals
 * Yoshi's Island
 * Los Angeles Laps*
 * Amsterdam Drift (T, R/T, all versions of 2 and 3)
 * Piranha Plant Cove (all routes)
 * Tropical Coast
 * Omatsuri Circuit
 * Lightning Lagoon
 * Cheep Cheep Reef
 * Water Park
 * Sweet Sweet Canyon
 * Thwomp Ruins*
 * Twisted Mansion
 * Dolphin Shoals
 * Yoshi's Island
 * Los Angeles Laps*
 * Amsterdam Drift (T, R/T, all versions of 2 and 3)
 * Piranha Plant Cove (all routes)
 * Tropical Coast
 * Omatsuri Circuit
 * Lightning Lagoon
 * Cheep Cheep Reef
 * Omatsuri Circuit
 * Lightning Lagoon
 * Cheep Cheep Reef

Trivia

 * is the only battle course to include underwater driving, while Dolphin Shoals and Piranha Plant Cove are the only courses to start underwater.
 * In Mario Kart Tour, SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2 and SNES Vanilla Lake 2 have unaccessible underwater areas. Both areas can only be entered by falling into them during Glider Challenges.
 * Singapore Speedway and Bangkok Rush have shallow bodies of water. Unlike in Bangkok Rush, the propeller appears when a back portion of small kart (such as a Pipe Frame driven by small and medium drivers) is submerged in the pool in Singapore Speedway.