Dolphin Shoals

Dolphin Shoals is the second race course of the Star Cup of Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This course takes place on a beach with dolphins swimming around and an undersea cave with a large Unagi. Dolphins here appear and swim by the racers in the shallow waters. Multiple dolphin shaped hills can be seen in the background. It is the last new course in the game with an underwater section.

This course has two music themes that change mid-race depending on whether the placer is on dry land, or in the sea depths. When viewing Highlight Reels, a saxophone solo also plays in the music, but when racing, the music loops before the solo begins. This feature is shared with Super Bell Subway. On the final lap, a faster variant of the dry land music with added whistles plays throughout the course, unlike all other lap-based courses where the final lap music is simply a sped up, slightly higher-pitched version of the regular music. Dolphin Shoals is the first course in the Mario Kart series to start underwater.

Course layout
The course starts in a lake. There is a left turn coming out of the lake and then leading back underwater with three ramps in the section - one is on the left, one is on the right, and one lays straight ahead. There are rings situated in the air past the ramps, which Dolphins also jump through. After that section, still underwater, there is a left turn leading the players to an undersea cave, where two paths split. The left path leads to an area where players float above Pipes generating currents keeping the player floating, which they can also perform Jump Boosts on. The right path is a shortcut split with two other paths, one with the current-generating pipes going to a platform with a Dash Panel and one leading to a small cave section with two more Dash Panels.

When the two paths meet, there is a Dash Panel which players jump over along with more water bubble pipes, and a big Unagi. Players can drive over and perform tricks off the Unagi's body, where coins also appear. If players fall off it, they can just drive under it. After that, players leave the water and go into anti-gravity and jump off a ramp out of the cave. The ramp leads to a platform held with rocks that are almost tilted sideways. There are then two more ramps, the second of which is a Glide Ramp. Players fly over a water rapid then land back on the track where there are a few more turns, going back underwater and leading to the finish line.

When Lakitu is holding the start signal, he is shown on the right side of the player. When crossing the finish line to start another lap, he’s also shown on the right side of the player, holding the lap count signs.

On either side of the finish line, Toads wearing scuba diving gear can be seen floating up and down in the water.

Shortcuts

 * At the end of the course, just before the Start/Finish line, a Mushroom boost can be used across the sand to bypass the final turn of the lap.

Staff ghost
The staff ghost for this track is Wendy on the Landship. The time is 2:19.160. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on 200cc, the staff ghost is Ludwig with a time of 1:38.911.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 * Mario Kart Facebook page: Next stop: Dolphin Shoals – an underwater paradise in Mario Kart 8 where blue Spiny Shells glisten in the sunlight and shortcuts hide behind every reef.
 * Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: "Aquatic creatures swim around this beautiful, marine track. You can enjoy some underwater encounters with animals like dolphins and manta rays. Be careful, though! You may spot gigantic Maw-Ray in a certain area in the tracks!"

Sea Depths
''"On this track we used a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar to give it a gentle feel. We then added the samba rhythms, which I think fit that tone perfectly. The musical arrangement for the depths of the ocean adds a touch of mystery to proceedings.

On Dry Land
"We made the background music for this course completely change to try to get across the dynamic shifts in the landscape, with that liberating feeling of emerging from the water onto dry land. Kazuki Katsuta's sax is a perfect fit for the seaside vibes, and makes for great driving music."