Depth Levels
Depth is one of the main HUD indicators and is central to navigating the Seamoth, Cyclops, and Prawn Suit in Subnautica.
Depth also has an impact on Seabases: Hull Integrity is affected by adding a multiplier to base modules with a negative integrity, and Solar Panels become less effective in deeper waters.
Depth is only measured underwater - if the player's position is above sea level, the indicator will still show as 0 meters.
Around 3040 meters the world cuts off and gives way to the Crater Edge. The maximum possible depth is 8,000 meters: passing this will immediately warp the player and any vehicle they are in to Lifepod 5.
Player Depth
There is no strict depth limit for the player character outside of a vehicle: they are never damaged by depth alone no matter how deep they go. However, by default their oxygen depletes faster as they go deeper. From 0m-99m they will lose 1 oxygen every second. At the depth of 100m-199m this increases to 2 oxygen every second, and below 200m oxygen loss maxes out at 3 every second. The Rebreather item completely removes this effect while equipped and gives a uniform 1 oxygen loss per second regardless of depth.
Crush Depth Stages
There are three stages of depth for vehicles. The indicator will change color when a vehicle passes to another stage. Each stage affects vehicles in different ways.
When the vehicle is in the safe zone, the depth will be displayed in white text. The Cyclops and Prawn Suit will not take impact damage, and the Seamoth's impact damage will be minimal.
When a Seamoth or Prawn Suit goes past the safety depth, the computer system will warn the player that they are leaving the safe zone, and the text will be in yellow. Bumping into solid objects causes increased damage to the Seamoth, and damage from all other sources is increased. The Cyclops does not have a safety depth.
When a vehicle goes past the crush depth, the computer system will warn the player that hull damage is imminent. The player then has a few seconds to turn back to avoid damage. After this a creaking sound like buckling metal will be heard at regular intervals. In the Seamoth and Prawn Suit, the vehicle will take constant damage until it is destroyed or returns to its safe depth. In the Cyclops, external hull breaches will start to appear, with the Cyclops' health decreasing as they do. The Repair Tool can generally fix a vehicle faster than the damage-over-time from being below crush depth damages it (though in the case of the Cyclops this is trickier due to the need to find the breaches), though this is only a temporary solution.
It is possible to increase a vehicle's maximum depth using Upgrades.
Seamoth Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Upgrade 3 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-179 meters | 0-249 meters | 0-449 meters | 0-849 meters | White | The Seamoth only suffers collision damage at high speeds, and the damage is minimal |
| 180-199 meters | 250-299 meters | 450-499 meters | 850-899 meters | Yellow | Past safe zone; Seamoth will take increased damage on impact and from creature attacks |
| 200+ meters | 300+ meters | 500+ meters | 900+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Seamoth will take damage as long as it is below crush depth |
Cyclops Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Upgrade 3 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-499 meters | 0-899 meters | 0-1299 meters | 0-1699 meters | White | None; the Cyclops will not take any impact damage (can be damaged by creature attacks) |
| 500+ meters | 900+ meters | 1300+ meters | 1700+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Cyclops will develop external hull cracks as long as it is below crush depth |
Prawn Suit Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-849 meters | 0-1249 meters | 0-1649 meters | White | None; the Prawn Suit will not take any damage |
| 850-899 meters | 1250-1299 meters | 1650-1699 meters | Yellow | Past safe zone; Prawn Suit will take increased damage from creature attacks |
| 900+ meters | 1300+ meters | 1700+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Prawn Suit will take damage as long as it is below crush depth |
Gallery
Depth HUD indicator at the surface shows zero meters
The HUD Indicator at 94m
The HUD Indicator at 158m
The HUD Indicator at 1378m
Trivia
- If the player swims past 500m in depth, they will start breathing faster, to reflect the pressure making it harder for them to breathe properly at this depth. This occurs even with the Rebreather equipped, and is purely cosmetic, having no effect on oxygen consumption.
- In older versions, the player's depth HUD would display as yellow at 100m in depth, and turn red at 200m. This occurred even with a rebreather equipped.