iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted Minecraft Java servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
To find buried treasure from a Minecraft shipwreck, locate a ruined boat in an Overworld ocean or along a coast, enter the lower stern, and open its map chest. The chest has a guaranteed buried-treasure-map roll in both Java and Bedrock. Follow the red X to a nearby beach, snowy beach, stony shore, or shallow coastal area, then dig through the covering blocks. The buried chest always contains one Heart of the Sea; its other rewards are randomized.
This guide explains how to find and enter wrecks safely, identify each chest, read the map, target the correct blocks in each edition, and recover the loot when the X is underwater or difficult to search.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What shipwrecks are and where they generate
Shipwrecks are ruined wooden vessels generated in the Overworld. Search ocean biomes first, then inspect coastlines where a wreck may be partly beached. A generated wreck can be fully submerged, tilted on its side, or split so that only part of the hull is visible. Look for exposed planks, a bow or stern shape, masts, fences, trapdoors, and other wooden blocks that do not match the surrounding seabed.
Mojang’s 2024 description says that, depending on which parts of the boat remain intact, a shipwreck can contain up to three chests: a supply chest, a treasure chest, and a map chest. The wreck itself also provides logs and other wood, which can be useful if you are starting far from a forest.
#1 Best Overall
Coastal locations to check
- Open ocean floors, where the entire hull may be below the surface.
- Shallow water beside a beach, where the bow or stern may protrude above the waves.
- Snowy beaches and stony shores, where the structure can be partly buried or surrounded by uneven terrain.
- Edges of ocean and coastal biomes where only masts or a few planks are visible.
Because rotation and damage vary, do not assume that every visible section is the bow. Walk around the structure before breaking blocks so you can identify the stern and plan an exit route.
Prepare before diving
A short preparation makes the difference between collecting the map and losing your position to drowning or hostile mobs. Bring the following before entering an unfamiliar wreck.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
| Item or preparation | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Food | Restores hunger while you travel and helps recover after a fight with drowned. |
| Boat | Lets you search large ocean areas quickly and gives you a mobile return route. |
| Building blocks | Mark the wreck, seal awkward openings, or create a temporary path through the hull. |
| Underwater-breathing option | A Respiration helmet, Water Breathing effect, or another available breathing aid gives you more time to search. |
| Weapon and shield | Useful when drowned occupy a shallow wreck or its entrance. |
| Empty inventory slots | Prevents valuable map and chest items from being left behind. |
Place a visible marker on the surface or nearby shore before you dive. A column of blocks, a torch on land, or a boat parked in a consistent direction can help you relocate the wreck after surfacing. If your oxygen bar becomes critical, leave immediately; the map is the priority and the remaining chests can wait.
How to enter a shipwreck safely
1. Circle the structure first
Swim or walk around the outside and identify the highest, driest opening. Check whether the wreck is resting on the seabed, embedded in sand, or blocked by gravel. Entering through a roof or side gap can trap you in a narrow corridor, especially when the boat is rotated vertically.
2. Find the lower stern section
The map chest is generally in the lower part of the stern. Ship interiors are cramped, so follow the hull rather than mining randomly. If a passage is blocked, remove only enough blocks to create a route back to open water.
3. Open the map chest first
Take the marked map before spending time clearing every room. If the wreck contains fewer than three chests because of its generated condition, the map chest may be the only reliable way to obtain the buried-treasure objective. Store the map safely, surface, and orient yourself before beginning a longer search.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →4. Return for the remaining rooms
After securing the map, revisit the wreck for supply and treasure chests. Drowned can enter through the same openings you use, so keep an unobstructed route to the surface and avoid fighting in a one-block-wide corridor whenever possible.
Shipwreck chest types and their loot
Each chest uses its own loot table. Items are possibilities, not a guarantee that every listed item will appear. Exact pools and probabilities can change with the Minecraft edition and release, so treat the following as the documented categories rather than a promise of a specific stack.
| Chest | Typical position | Documented contents and purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Map chest | Usually the lower stern | A guaranteed buried-treasure-map roll in Java and Bedrock, plus additional rolls that can include a compass, another map, a clock, paper, a feather, or a book. |
| Supply chest | Often in the central or upper hull | Food and early-survival materials such as paper, potatoes, carrots, moss blocks, poisonous potatoes, nuggets, and lapis lazuli; occasional higher-value rolls can include diamonds or bottles o’ enchanting. |
| Treasure chest | Another enclosed section of the hull | Valuable-material pools centered on iron, gold, emeralds, lapis lazuli, and related resources. |
Recognizing the correct map
The map chest can contain several paper-like items. Select the map showing a red X and a coastal outline, not ordinary paper or a blank map. In the Java loot table, the secondary item is described as an empty map; Bedrock documentation labels the corresponding entry as map. The guaranteed exploration-map destination is buriedtreasure in both editions.
Follow the buried-treasure map
Once you have the map, leave the wreck and use the map at the surface. Maps are easiest to read when held in your main hand, with the player marker visible against the explored background.
Rank #3
- Open the map chest and choose the marked map. Confirm that a red X appears on the map. A normal map without an X is not the treasure map.
- Establish the map’s orientation. The top edge is north and the right edge is east. Your white player marker shows your position relative to the mapped region.
- Travel in the direction that moves the marker toward the X. Use a boat across open water and land on the nearest coastline when the map begins to show detail.
- Slow down as the marker enlarges. A larger marker means you are approaching the map’s mapped area. Stop making long boat trips and compare the marker with the red X after each short move.
- Identify the target shore. Buried treasure is normally associated with a beach, snowy beach, or stony shore. The X can overlap shallow water or a narrow strip of land.
- Search the X before widening the excavation. Start at the visual center of the X and remove sand, gravel, or a thin covering of stone in a controlled pattern.
The map marks an area, not a single exposed block. Coastlines can curve, and terrain can cover the exact center, so use the X as a search zone rather than expecting the chest at the first block you break.
Pinpoint the chest with chunk coordinates
After you reach the X, chunk-relative coordinates provide a precise starting point. Minecraft divides the world into 16-by-16-block chunks. The buried chest’s most-precise horizontal placement is documented at different chunk coordinates for each edition:
| Edition | Chest position within its chunk | How to use the value |
|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | X 9, Z 9 | Find the chunk containing the X, then target the block at local coordinates 9 and 9. The vertical coordinate is terrain-dependent. |
| Bedrock Edition | X 8, Z 8 | Find the chunk containing the X, then target the block at local coordinates 8 and 8. The vertical coordinate is terrain-dependent. |
The question mark often shown in coordinate references represents the unknown Y level. Do not dig straight down from the surface without checking for a cave, magma, or a drop. Use the horizontal coordinate as a targeting aid after reading the map, not as a replacement for the map or a reason to search a different coastline.
Dig up the buried chest without losing it
Start with a small excavation
Clear a 2×2 or 2×3 area around the target rather than stripping an entire beach. Remove sand and gravel in layers, checking each newly exposed block. If you reach solid stone, expand one block at a time around the center; the chest is commonly covered by only a few blocks in the normal case, but local terrain can make the search less obvious.
Stabilize falling blocks
Sand and gravel can fall as soon as the block below is removed. Break them from the side, place temporary support blocks, or widen the opening before standing underneath a column. Keep the chest intact until you have a safe floor and a route back to the surface.
Rank #4
Handle an underwater X
If the red X lies in shallow water, place temporary blocks to create a dry working pocket, or use a door where your edition allows it to form an air space. A Respiration helmet or Water Breathing effect gives you more time to remove covering blocks. Keep the excavation compact so you do not flood a large cavity or lose track of the center.
What to do when the first hole is empty
- Recheck that you selected the map with the red X rather than a blank or ordinary map.
- Confirm that your marker is actually centered on the X; a marker near the edge can still be far from the chest.
- Use the correct edition coordinate: local 9,9 in Java or 8,8 in Bedrock.
- Widen the search by a few blocks in each direction, following the shoreline instead of moving inland at random.
- Check beneath gravel, sand, and shallow stone layers and inspect nearby water blocks if the X overlaps the coast.
Do not abandon the map after exposing one empty square. Generated shorelines can shift the visible center, and a chest may be concealed under a neighboring block column.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteBuried-treasure rewards
Every buried-treasure chest contains exactly one Heart of the Sea. This item is the required central component of a conduit when combined with eight nautilus shells. The remainder of the chest is randomized and depends on the active edition and game version.
Possible additional rewards include iron and gold ingots, diamonds, emeralds, prismarine-related items, food, potions, and TNT. The presence of one Heart of the Sea does not guarantee any particular combination of those secondary items. Empty the chest only after checking for hostile mobs, falling gravel, and an open route to the surface.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Java and Bedrock differences that affect the hunt
Shared behavior
Both editions document a guaranteed buried-treasure-map roll in a shipwreck’s map chest. Both use the same basic map-reading method: move the player marker toward the red X, then excavate the associated shore. The Heart of the Sea guarantee applies to the buried chest in either edition.
Edition-specific details
- Map item naming: Java’s secondary map-table entry is called an empty map, while Bedrock’s corresponding entry is called map. This distinction concerns the extra loot roll; the guaranteed buried-treasure map remains the objective in both editions.
- Chunk-center coordinate: Target local chunk coordinates 9,9 in Java and 8,8 in Bedrock when you are already at the marked location.
- Loot-table wording: Secondary item names and pools can differ by edition and release. Quote a probability or exact item list only when it is tied to a specific version.
- Structure condition: Wrecks can generate with different portions intact in either edition, so the number and accessibility of chests varies from one structure to another.
When asking for help, include your edition and game version. A Java coordinate instruction applied to Bedrock can put you one block off the most precise target, and an older loot-table list may not match a current release.
Recommended Free Tools
Common mistakes and quick fixes
Diving too long
Players often start by emptying every room and reach the wreck’s map chest only after their oxygen is nearly gone. Take the map first, surface, and return for secondary loot with a breathing plan.
Mining the wrong boat section
A visible mast does not identify the stern. Circle the hull, find the lower rear section, and follow interior passages instead of digging a straight tunnel through the center.
Treating the red X as one exact pixel
The X represents a target area. Center your marker, apply the edition-specific chunk coordinate, and excavate a compact grid before expanding along the shore.
Ignoring drowned
Drowned can occupy shallow wrecks and attack while you are reading the map or breaking blocks. Keep food and a weapon ready, avoid fighting in confined water, and retreat to the surface when visibility or oxygen becomes poor.
Leaving without marking the wreck
Ocean structures are difficult to relocate from a boat. Place a surface marker before you depart, especially if you intend to return for supply and treasure chests after following the map.
Quick Recap
Complete shipwreck-to-treasure checklist
- Search Overworld oceans and coastal shores for hull, mast, or exposed wood.
- Bring food, a boat, blocks, empty inventory space, and an underwater-breathing option.
- Mark the wreck’s surface position.
- Circle the structure and identify the lower stern.
- Open the map chest before clearing the rest of the wreck.
- Select the map with the red X and travel so your marker moves toward it.
- Slow down when the marker enlarges and locate the associated beach, snowy beach, or stony shore.
- At the X, use Java local coordinates 9,9 or Bedrock local coordinates 8,8 as your starting point.
- Dig a small, supported area through sand, gravel, and shallow covering blocks.
- Secure the Heart of the Sea and randomized rewards, then return to the wreck only if you still need its other chests.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
