Water Land

Sea Side (known as Ocean Side in the original NES version and as Water Land in NES re-releases) is a water-themed world, and the third world in Super Mario Bros. 3. Sea Side has nine stages, two Hammer Bros., two fortresses, and five Toad Houses. Cheep-Cheeps and Bloopers are a common enemy in this world.

The ruler of the swift tides of Sea Side is Wendy O. Koopa.

3-1
The first level is set at the bottom of the sea. If the player swims down when a Blooper Nanny appears, they can access an area with many ♩ Blocks, Coins, and a block containing a 1-up. All 3 versions of Bloopers appear.

3-2
After leaping onto the first moving platform, pushing against the a certain wooden block will reveal a Starman. When invincible, all ? Blocks along the way will hold more Starmen; if not, they will contain one coin. To reach the exit, Mario must enter a pipe when the Venus Fire Trap backs into the pipe.

3-3
This level features Big Berthases. If Mario approaches one, it will lunge at him, and if it comes in contact, Mario will instantly lose one life, even if he is equipped with an item. Even though the Boss Bass can be killed with a fireball, a new one will eventually come back. By stepping on a Koopa to the left of a Note Block and a huge formation of blocks, the player will reveal a P-Switch, allowing Coins to appear and the power-up in the Note Block to be grabbed more easily.

Fortress
This castle is a huge maze, with doors all leading to different places. The first, second, third, and fourth doors all lead to the same place: a pool of water with a ? Block concealing a power-up at the end, and two pipes that lead to the beginning of the level. The fifth leads to a secret ledge with a 1-Up in a block, the sixth to a ledge with the door to the Boom Boom battle, the seventh and eighth to the pool, but the last has a cache of coins only Raccoon Mario can snag.

3-4
The level begins with two Goombas walking up a small slope. They can be easily dispatched by pressing and holding Down on the D-Pad while walking down the slope. Immediately afterward, a Piranha Plant inside a pipe is stationed. A ? Block right by yields either a Super Mushroom or a Fire Flower, depending on what the player currently is equipped with. A larger slope curves down nearby, with three Goombas walking up it.

Later in the level is a pipe extending from the top of the level downwards. The pipe contains a Venus Fire Trap. A P-Switch is revealed if one of the low blocks is hit from the bottom. When pressed, many Silver Coins appear near the area of the button. Ahead are two ? Blocks, one containing a Super Leaf. Shortly after, the Goal Panel is located.

3-5
This level introduces Jelectros, invincible jellyfish enemies, and Big Berthas, who look similar to Boss Basses, but simply shoot Baby Cheeps out of their maws. If Mario is equipped with a Frog Suit, he can go down a bubble-spewing pipe to gain access to three 1-Up mushrooms.

3-6
This level is force scrolled, and constantly scrolls in a certain direction. A majority of the level requires Mario to jump from platform to platform to avoid falling.

3-7
On the stack of wood blocks Mario starts out on, the top one contains a powerup. In a later group of bricks, Mario can destroy them to reveal a 1-up. After the first pipe, the player can grab a Koopa shell and release it at the top brick formation to grow a Magic Vine. It will lead to a series of cloud platforms, ending at a block that contains a P-Switch. There is also a hidden pink Note Block that takes Mario to a special Coin Heaven with a Jugem's Cloud at the end!

Fortress 2
This level introduces Stretches, platforms from which Boo heads protrude from. Some Stretches have Boos on one side, while others have them on both. At the end of the level is a pipe leading to Boom Boom, the stage boss.

3-8
The Big Bertha is again present in this level. The water rises to higher levels, but Magic Vines are abundant, allowing Mario to reach safety. The solitary block later has a 1-Up, while the rest have either Magic Vines or Coins. The level later breaks into two paths, and rejoins by the end of the level.

3-9
The level features a pipe that leads to a secret room containing a Frog Suit.

Airship
After avoiding the many obstacles along the way, Mario will meet Wendy O. Koopa. She uses Candy Rings as a weapon, and bounce off walls. After jumping on Wendy's head twice, she will start bouncing around the level, making her more difficult to jump on. After she is defeated, Mario is granted with the Magic Wand.

Canoe
If the player has a Hammer in their inventory, they can break a dirt mound to gain access to the canoe. The player can then control the canoe across the water to an island with three Mushroom Houses.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Water Land only appeared in one episode in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon appearing in The Ugly Mermaid. Water Land was the same but this time has an underwater palace called Mertropolis under the rule of King Mackerel and his daughter Holly Mackerel. Water Land was invaded by King Koopa and the twins Hip and Hop who wanted to conquere it and call it Kooptropolis and soon quickly captured Princess Toadstool, Luigi and Toad (who were all in Frog Suits) but Mario had to overcome his fear of water and soon Water Land was free from Koopa.

Trivia

 * The island chain with the castle is in the shape of Japan, with the castle being equivalent to the location in which Nintendo headquarters are located.
 * The music that plays in this land is very similar to the "Great Fairy" theme from the Legend of Zelda series.
 * The king of this world resembles Mario.