Dire, Dire Docks

Dire, Dire Docks is the ninth course in Super Mario 64 and its DS remake. The entrance to the course is through the Big Star Door to the left of the Mushroom Castle's main basement room. 30 Power Stars are needed to unlock the door. The entrance to Dire, Dire Docks is a large water-like painting, and walking or jumping through it will bring the player to the course. Before the player collects the course's first Power Star, the course's entrance painting covers the hole that leads to Bowser in the Fire Sea, but once the player collects the Power Star, the entrance to Dire, Dire Docks moves back to the end of the hall, opening Bowser in the Fire Sea. Additionally, Bowser's sub in Dire, Dire Docks will not move until Bowser in the Fire Sea is completed.

This course shares the same music as Jolly Roger Bay. Similar to it, while Mario is swimming underwater, there is additional calm music; when he is on land in the second area, there is a beat to it.

Layout
A majority of the course is underwater. The player will immediately start falling into a body of water, and in the DS version of the game, there are some Black Bricks and Skeeters on the surface. Below the surface are Bubs, a Manta Ray, a whirlpool that will make the player lose a life if they get trapped in it, and several treasure chests along the bottom. A large tunnel connects the two areas of the course, and there is a place to come up for air halfway through the tunnel.

The next area of the course has several clams along the floor, a cage containing a Power Star to the left, and a grate spouting bubble rings. If Bowser in the Fire Sea has yet to be completed, there will be a large submarine on the water's surface. Otherwise, the submarine will be missing and a large exit into the Castle Grounds will be open to the south. Above the surface is a boardwalk with ! Blocks that contain Metal Caps and Vanish Caps, as well as a Purple Switch that creates blocks to the platforms above when stood on. Several poles slide across the ceiling of this course, but they will not appear if Bowser's sub is present.

Statistics from Super Mario 64

 * Total Number of Coins: 106
 * Caps Found: Vanish Cap (1), Metal Cap (1)
 * Spinning Heart: (none)
 * Cannons: (none)
 * 1-Up Mushrooms (1):
 * Triggered Mushrooms : #1 Triggered by swimming into the clam by the chests in the starting area.
 * Warps: (none)