Start to First Searchlight: A lot goes on at this point. When you first enter, five little twirly bugs pop out of the water before the set of two rocks. Just past the right, many many seabirds will fly past. There are approx. 8 that come from the right, in a nice, neat, jagged line, and about 4 move will come from the left, where the first island is. At the same time, 3 will come from behind on the righ side, and 2 TriFish will jump up and spew a lot white plasma at you. These things can take some punishment; about 3 charged blasts to kill them, or one bomb. They each give you a hit+5 and a bomb for your trouble. As soon as you reach the second island, expect a few twirly bugs, and you'll see a box on a crane. Shoot this before it drops into the ocean to get a gold ring; same thing holds for all other boxes on cranes. Just after the next island, about 4 twirly bugs jump up, and a big water strider comes from the left; blast his head with a charged blast to get a... hit+2 or hit+3...I forget, and a bomb. Congrats. You are at the first searchlight, and you've barely gone anywhere in the stage. I told you a lot happens.

Destroying All Searchlights

First Searchlight to Katt's Appearance: Destroy the first searchlight; it will give you a +2 (If you've triggered any searchlight, no searchlights give you a bonus.). The next searchlight is just a little to the left of the first, past the next island. The third is further to the right of the 2nd. After three more islands, the 4th light is in the center. Up ahead, you will see some platforms. There is a searchlight to the left of the first one, and a strider will appear there. Blast the strider if you wish, and then destroy the searchlight. It is in front of the left platform. Head under the right one to destroy the next searchlight A strider will cross here, too. I think there is another searchlight on the left, I can't tell from my pencil map; it could be a rock :). Slippy gets in trouble here as three birds chase him. There is one chasing you, too. Lotsa little shrimpies jump out of the water, low to the surface here. These won't harm you unless you decide to boost into them. After the shrimpies is a line of three items. Get the bomb on the bottom, and move straight up to collect the silver ring too; there are enough gold rings in this stage that you can miss the one here. Just afterwards, Katt will come into the fray.

Katt to End or Rock Maze: Katt will take out the searchlights that are on the left, so you only need to concentrate on the ones on the right. Your first one is at the far right, just right of the first set of rocks. The next one is more towards the center. You'll head right again to take out a third, and then back to the center. The Blue Bomb bird is here; you can shoot it to make it drop its bomb. The next light is to the right of the nested pile of three rocks, and there is one just behind that pile. Take out the light on the left, since Katt has gone, and head right to take out two more. You'll see Slippy swoop down in the center, where the final light is.

Rocks to Checkpoint: A sea serpent will arise from the water several times. Stay low to head under the arches it makes, and shoot shrimpies. After it crosses your path 3 times, there will be some lights on the left. There will be one on the right, too. Katt gets into some trouble; shoot the seabird that is following her. She will shoot down some of the next lights. The serpent will cross a few times more, and after the light that Katt doesn't shoot is the checkpoint.

Checkpoint to End of Barges: Just past the checkpoint, the sea serpent will cross, coming from the left. To the left will be a light by a rock and up ahead is a gate. Peppy will raise the gate; if he is not there, stay low to the sea and shoot one of the wheels to lower the gate. Get the laser upgrade and stay low; fly under the serpent to shoot the next light. There will be a light to the left, then two gates. Stay low and lower the right gate to shoot the searchlight behind it. A sea serpent will cross from the left; shoot the light that is there, too. ROB64 will hail you right before the next gate; behind is a silver ring. After you shoot the crane's box, get what is in the supply container. Beyond is the first barge. You can destroy the boxes for hits and items like bombs and silver rings. Just past it, three scouties will come from the right. After passing the barge, a persistant enemy will come from behind; somersault to shake it off. The next barge has two cranes with boxes (these won't give gold rings), and three more scouties will come from the left. After the 3rd and 4th barge, two seabirds will fly towards the left, coming from the right. The last barge has a gold ring in the rear box.

Barges to KattJust left will be a rock; 3 seabirds will come there, and Slippy will fly ahead; follow him through all arches to make a laser upgrade appear in the last arch. Lock onto the enemies right of the third arch, and bomb the platform to the right of it to clear those off. After the last arch, a platform on the left will have boxes and a raised platform on the right has many more. A group of 5 scouties is on the left; Katt will come in here too.

Tripping the First Light

Differences from Islands to Checkpoint: 4 attack scouts will come from both sides on the islands. You'll see the Sarumarine's periscope looking up from the water (it will reappear at various points). At the line of three items, two groups of 2 attack scouts come in, one on each side. Just past the first few lights are two watertanks, again, one on each side; five attack scouts will fly towards you here. Further ahead, near the end of the rock maze are 2 more watertanks. When you see the next searchlighs, 2 groups of 2 attack scouts come, the same thing happens just after the checkpoint.

Differences from Barges to Katt's Last Appearance:

The End is the Same