Beach

Beaches are the sandy strips between land and ocean. They are flat, easy to walk on and home to turtles. This beach biome finder checks your seed and shows the nearest beaches on the map above. Use it to find turtle eggs, buried treasure spots or a calm seaside base.

Where beaches generate

Beaches form along coasts where land meets a non-deep ocean. They border most flatland biomes. Rarely, a beach generates inland with no ocean nearby.

Their shape changes with the terrain. Some are wide and hilly, some short and flat, and some jagged with tall cliffs. Since 1.18, beaches no longer form between a desert and an ocean.

In low-erosion areas you get stony shores instead. In frozen areas, snowy beaches take over. Beaches are one of the most common biomes.

What you find on a beach

The surface is sand with sandstone underneath. You often see sugar cane where the water meets the sand.

• Turtles: they spawn on beaches and return to their home beach to lay eggs.
• Buried treasure: treasure maps from shipwrecks and ocean ruins lead to chests buried in beach sand.
• Shipwrecks: some wrecks wash up onto the shore.
• Night mobs: zombies, skeletons, spiders and creepers spawn as usual.

How to use the beach biome finder

Enter your seed and choose your edition. The map heads to the nearest beach and marks the strip of sand with a biome icon. Because beaches are long, the list on the left shows many spots. Click one to centre the map and grab coordinates.

The in-game command is /locate biome minecraft:beach. Teleport with /tp @s X ~ Z. In survival, any river usually leads you to the coast.

Looking for turtles in particular? Pick a wide, warm beach from the list. Turtles spawn on regular beaches, so skip any snowy or stony coast you see nearby.

Beach tips for turtles and treasure

Turtle eggs hatch faster at night. Baby turtles drop turtle scutes when they grow up. Five scutes craft a turtle shell, which gives you extra time underwater.

Protect turtle eggs from zombies and other mobs. They trample eggs on purpose. A fence or walls around the nest help a lot.

Buried treasure chests always contain a heart of the sea. Use it to build a conduit for underwater bases.

Beach shapes and neighbours

Not all beaches look alike. Some are wide and gently hilly. Others are thin, flat strips, and a few end in jagged cliffs.

The biome next to a beach also matters. Beaches border most flat biomes, from plains to forests to jungles. In low-erosion areas, a stony shore replaces the sand. In frozen areas, a snowy beach takes over.

Underground, cave biomes are rare beneath beaches. In humid areas, lush caves can still appear.

On the map, beaches show up as long, thin outlines along the coast. Use the list to pick a section close to your base or near a shipwreck.

Beaches are also a good spot to start a fishing setup or a dock. The water is usually shallow near the shore, so you can build piers easily. Sand from the beach smelts into glass, which helps with windows and greenhouses. Sugar cane along the edge gives you paper for maps.

Beach version history

Beaches returned as a real biome in Java 1.1. Turtles arrived with the 1.13 aquatic update, along with shipwrecks and buried treasure. The 1.18 terrain update made beaches wider.

Beach FAQ