You’re swimming through the dark, murky depths of the Blue Hole during a stormy night when a literal boxer in a crustacean suit decides to ruin your day. Honestly, the mantis shrimp Dave the Diver encounter is one of those gaming moments that catches you completely off guard. You expect fish. You expect maybe a shark. You don't necessarily expect a giant shrimp wearing literal boxing gloves that can shatter your oxygen tank in two hits. It’s absurd. It’s frustrating. It is also one of the best-designed boss fights in the game because it forces you to stop being a diver and start being a matador.
Most people approach the Great Mantis Shrimp like any other boss. They swim in, try to spam the harpoon or a basic rifle, and get absolutely leveled by a "Mega Punch." That is a fast track to a "Game Over" screen. To beat this thing, you have to understand the mechanics of the "Stomatopod," which is the real-world scientific group these creatures belong to. In real life, they have the fastest punch in the animal kingdom. In the game? They have a reach that defies logic and a temper that makes a Great White look like a goldfish.
Why the Mantis Shrimp Dave the Diver Boss is a Massive Skill Wall
The fight triggers during a specific sub-mission where you're investigating the shipwreck. This isn't just a random encounter. It’s a scripted duel. The arena is cramped. The lighting is terrible. You're underwater, which already makes movement feel sluggish, and now you’re facing an opponent that moves with jarring, explosive speed.
If you’ve played games like Dark Souls or Monster Hunter, the "tell" system will feel familiar, but for casual players, it’s a nightmare. The mantis shrimp Dave the Diver uses its massive gloves to cover its eyes. That’s your first hint. You can't just shoot it anywhere. If you hit the gloves, the damage is negligible. You're basically wasting ammo and precious seconds.
The shrimp has a few primary moves. There’s the quick jab, which is annoying but survivable. Then there’s the wind-up punch. You’ll see it pull back, the water around the glove starts to ripple, and then—boom. If you’re caught in that radius, you lose a massive chunk of oxygen. But the real killer? The "ground slam" that creates a shockwave. It knocks you back, disorients your movement, and usually sets you up for a follow-up strike that finishes the job. It feels unfair until you realize the environment is actually your biggest ally.
The Strategy Nobody Tells You: Use the Ceiling
Seriously. Stop trying to outswim it on the horizontal plane.
The key to surviving the mantis shrimp Dave the Diver fight is verticality. When the shrimp prepares for its massive straight punch, it targets your current depth. By the time the animation finishes, if you’ve boosted upward or downward, the punch whistles through empty water.
There is a chain hanging in the arena. Most players ignore it because they’re panicking. Look for the yellow handle. This is the "Gimmick" of the fight, but it’s poorly explained. You need to grab that handle and pull it down to drop a massive weighted anchor/pillar. This isn't just for flavor. You are trying to time the shrimp’s punch so it hits the heavy metal object instead of your squishy human face.
When the shrimp hits the pillar, it gets stunned. This is your window. Its eyes—the only vulnerable spot—are wide open. This is when you unload everything you have. Forget the harpoon unless you’ve upgraded it significantly. You want the Triple Axel or a high-level Sniper Rifle.
Real World vs. Game: Is it Accurate?
Interestingly, MINTROCKET (the developers) did their homework. In the wild, mantis shrimp—specifically the "smashers"—accelerate their limbs at the same velocity as a .22 caliber bullet. They strike so fast they create "cavitation bubbles." These are tiny pockets of vacuum that, when they collapse, generate heat and a secondary shockwave. In Dave the Diver, the visual effects around the shrimp’s gloves mimic this. It’s a cool touch of realism in a game about a guy who serves sushi to a character who looks suspiciously like a parody of a famous anime director.
✨ Don't miss: How to Use Face Codes for Berry Avenue Without Looking Like a Basic Bot
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Bringing the wrong gun: If you enter this fight with a Net Gun, God help you. You need raw damage. The Small Net Gun is useless here. The Tranquilizer Rifle is also a poor choice because you can't exactly "sleep" a boss of this magnitude mid-rampage.
- Ignoring the oxygen: There are oxygen canisters in the arena. Don't wait until you're blinking red to grab them. The mantis shrimp Dave the Diver fight is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Panic boosting: If you hold the shift key (or your controller's equivalent) the whole time, you’ll run out of stamina/O2 before the shrimp even enters its second phase. Move only when you see the punch winding up.
- Forgetting the eyes: I see streamers all the time shooting the tail or the back. It does almost nothing. It’s eyes or bust.
The second phase is where things get dicey. The shrimp gets faster. It starts doing a "frenzy" move where it jabs multiple times in succession. This is where most people die. They try to get a shot in between the jabs. Don't. Just stay away. Wait for the heavy overhead slam. That’s the move with the longest "recovery" time for the boss.
The Rewards: Was it Worth the Stress?
Once the mantis shrimp Dave the Diver encounter ends, you get the Mantis Shrimp Tail. This is a top-tier ingredient. If you take it back to Bancho, you can craft some of the highest-priced sushi in the early-to-mid game. It’s a massive boost to your restaurant's rating and your wallet.
But beyond the money, it’s about the weapon upgrades. The parts dropped here are essential for certain elemental weapon paths. If you want a weapon that can stun or deal massive burst damage to later bosses (like the giant squid or the various sharks in the glacial zone), you need to conquer this shrimp.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Attempt
If you're currently stuck, here is your checklist for the win.
👉 See also: PS Plus Games Explained: Why the January 2026 Shift Changes Everything
- Upgrade your Air Tank: Do not attempt this with the base tank. You need at least Level 4 or 5 to have enough margin for error.
- The Sniper Rifle Strategy: The basic underwater sniper rifle has a scope. It allows you to stay further back than the shotgun or the triple axel. It makes hitting the eyes much easier while staying out of the "jab" range.
- Watch the Gloves: When the gloves go up, stop shooting. When the gloves go back, start moving vertically.
- The Anchor Timing: Position yourself so the anchor handle is between you and the shrimp. When it prepares the "Mega Punch," pull. It takes about 1.5 seconds for the weight to drop, so you have to anticipate, not react.
- Check your Charms: Equipping the charm that reduces dash oxygen consumption or the one that increases damage at low health can be a literal lifesaver here.
The mantis shrimp is a bully. It’s designed to make you feel small and slow. But like every boss in this game, it has a rhythm. Once you stop fearing the punch and start looking for the eyes, Dave goes from being a victim to being the guy who’s going to turn that shrimp into a very expensive dinner. Next time you dive, keep your distance, watch the patterns, and remember: the ceiling is your friend.