
If you’re wondering how to tame a nautilus in Minecraft, the process is simple: feed the nautilus pufferfish until heart particles appear. Once the hearts show up, the nautilus is tamed and can be equipped with a saddle to ride underwater.
The Nautilus is an aquatic mob in Minecraft that players can tame and ride in both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. When mounted, it grants the Breath of the Nautilus effect, which prevents your oxygen bar from decreasing while underwater. This makes it extremely useful for exploring oceans, shipwrecks, and underwater monuments. With the right setup, players can even equip their Minecraft nautilus with nautilus armor, adding extra protection while riding.
This guide explains how to find, tame, and ride a nautilus in Minecraft step-by-step, including tips for spotting rare variants like baby nautilus or zombie nautilus mobs.
Where to Find a Nautilus in Minecraft
Before you can tame one, you first need to find a nautilus. Nautiluses spawn naturally in ocean biomes. They usually appear underwater and may spawn alone or in small groups. You can commonly find them in:
- Ocean biomes
- Deep ocean biomes
- Warm or lukewarm oceans
- Cold oceans
Because they spawn underwater, spotting them from the surface can sometimes be difficult. Minecraft nautilus mobs often blend into the ocean floor, so keeping an eye out for their large spiral shells can make spotting them easier.

Tips to Find a Nautilus Faster
If you’re struggling to find one, these tips can help:
- Use a boat to travel across large ocean areas quickly
- Drink a Night Vision potion to see clearly underwater
- Look for the large spiral shell moving through the water
- Search areas that are not covered by ice
Once you find a nautilus, approach it carefully while swimming so it doesn’t move too far away. Using a water-breathing potion or a turtle shell helmet can help extend the time you can spend underwater during the search.
Items Needed to Tame a Nautilus

To tame a nautilus, you only need one specific item:
- Pufferfish
Pufferfish can be obtained by fishing, killing pufferfish mobs, or trading with villagers. While it’s possible to tame a nautilus with only a few fish, bringing around 5–10 pufferfish is recommended to make the process easier. Using a bucket can also allow you to carry pufferfish easily for multiple attempts at nautilus taming.
How to Tame a Nautilus in Minecraft (Step-by-Step)
Follow these simple steps to tame a nautilus:
- Hold a Pufferfish
Place the pufferfish in your hotbar and hold it in your hand. The nautilus will recognize the item as taming food. - Swim Close to the Nautilus
Swim toward the nautilus underwater. Approach slowly to make interaction easier. - Feed the Nautilus
Use the interact button while holding the pufferfish. Each time you feed the nautilus, there is a chance that the taming process progresses. - Wait for Heart Particles
Continue feeding the nautilus until heart particles appear above it. The hearts indicate the mob has been successfully tamed. Once this happens, the nautilus becomes your mount.
How to Ride a Tamed Nautilus

After learning how to tame a nautilus in Minecraft, the next step is riding it. To ride a nautilus, you must first equip it with a saddle. You can do this in two ways:
- Right-click the nautilus while holding a saddle
- Open its inventory and place the saddle inside
Once the saddle is equipped, you can mount the nautilus and control its movement underwater. While riding, the nautilus grants a special underwater ability that prevents your oxygen bar from decreasing, allowing you to explore the ocean much longer.
This makes the nautilus extremely useful when exploring things like:
- Shipwrecks
- Ocean monuments
- Underwater caves
- Deep ocean biomes
Riding a tamed nautilus equipped with nautilus armor or near a conduit can make ocean exploration safer and more efficient, especially if you encounter hostile mobs or underwater zombie nautilus variants.
Tips for Taming a Nautilus
Here are a few helpful tips to make taming easier:
- Bring extra pufferfish in case the taming takes longer
- Clear nearby hostile mobs before taming
- Tame the nautilus in open water so it’s easier to interact with
- Use Night Vision or water-breathing items to improve visibility underwater
These small steps make the taming process much smoother. Remember that players can also breed certain aquatic mobs nearby to increase the chances of finding a nautilus spawn quickly.
Quick Summary
Here’s a quick recap of how to tame a nautilus in Minecraft:
- Find a nautilus in an ocean biome
- Bring pufferfish
- Feed the nautilus repeatedly
- Wait for heart particles to appear
- Equip a saddle to ride it underwater
Once tamed, the nautilus becomes a powerful underwater mount that makes exploring oceans in Minecraft easier and safer. With the right items, armor, and preparation, riding a nautilus can transform your underwater adventures in both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition.


