Give the Swimsuit guy on Island 3 an endangered creature such as a Seahorse or Needlefish, take the Carrot he hands over, use it as bait to hook the Pufferfish, then return the Pufferfish Fin to him for the Island 4 coordinates.
Island 3 in How to Fish drops you next to a nervous swimmer sitting on the beach who’s too afraid to step into the water. He’ll trade a rare bait for an endangered creature, and that bait is the only way to reel in the island’s Pufferfish boss. Clear this chain and you walk away with the coordinates that open Island 4.
What the Swimsuit guy wants and what you unlock
| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Endangered creature (Seahorse or Needlefish) | Give it to the Swimsuit guy to receive the Carrot |
| Carrot | Cast it as bait to hook the Pufferfish boss |
| Pufferfish Fin | Return it to the Swimsuit guy for the Island 4 coordinates |
The whole quest runs on three items, each one feeding the next. The Swimsuit guy cares about only one thing to get started — an endangered catch — and everything after that is about turning his reward into forward progress. Here’s how the pieces connect.
How to get the Carrot and reach Island 4 in How to Fish
Work through the quest in order — catch the bait, beat the boss, and hand back its drop to open the next island.
STEP 1/8
Talk to the Swimsuit guy on Island 3
Find the swimmer on the beach who says there’s a scary fish in the ocean he’s too afraid to step near, and that he wants an endangered creature.
STEP 2/8
Buy the Standard Lure
Stop at the island’s shop shack and grab the Standard Lure for $15, the setup best suited to landing the endangered catch.
STEP 3/8
Catch an endangered creature
Fish nearby with the Standard Lure until you hook a Seahorse or Needlefish.
STEP 4/8
Kill the creature before you hand it over
The Swimsuit guy only takes the catch itself, so put the Seahorse down first.
STEP 5/8
Take the Carrot from the Swimsuit guy
Feed him the endangered creature and pick up the Carrot he drops in return with E.
STEP 6/8
Cast the Carrot as bait for the Pufferfish
Head to the water by the boat and cast with the Carrot equipped — the Pufferfish boss spawns with its own health bar.
STEP 7/8
Defeat the Pufferfish
Gun it down and keep your distance, because its explosive spikes can kill you in one hit if you crowd it.
STEP 8/8
Collect the Pufferfish Fin and hand it in
Grab the Pufferfish Fin the boss drops with E, carry it back to the Swimsuit guy, and take the Flash Drive with the Island 4 coordinates.
Video help
Which endangered creatures the Swimsuit guy accepts
The Seahorse is the catch shown clearing this quest, but it isn’t the only one that works. A Needlefish is just as valid, and the real thing the game checks is whether a creature carries the endangered status — that’s the tag to watch for when you inspect whatever you pull out of the water. Players have floated other species as well, so treat the Seahorse and Needlefish as your dependable picks rather than the complete list of everything that could qualify.
Key Once the Carrot is in your bag, stop hunting. The quest is finished at that point, and the Pufferfish becomes the only thing standing between you and Island 4.
Don’t sell, cook, or eat your endangered catch — Island 3 tempts you to cash in almost everything you reel in, but this creature has to go straight to the Swimsuit guy.
The Pufferfish Fin hand-in that trips players up
Beating the Pufferfish isn’t the finish line, and this is exactly where runs stall. Surviving the fight doesn’t earn you anything on its own — you have to pick up the Pufferfish Fin it drops and carry that specific trophy back to the Swimsuit guy. Don’t confuse it with the boss’s meat chunks or a generic “tail”; only the Fin counts toward the quest, and skipping that return trip is what leaves people stuck on Island 3 with nowhere left to sail.
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