Super Mario Sunshine Blooper Surfing Guide

Included as part of the Nintendo Switch’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, Super Mario Sunshine brings a classic adventure to modern audiences but with it come some old frustrations. That’s particularly evident in Sunshine’s second stage, Ricco Harbor. Unique to this location is Blooper Surfing, something that can really be a pain.

In this guide, we’ll give you tips on how to best tackle this challenge, as well as which Bloopers are the best and how to change Bloopers. 

How to start “Blooper Surfing Safari”

“Blooper Surfing Safari” appears in Episode Two. The game immediately points out a cave that has its entrance covered in Gooper oil, a result of your previous boss fight with Gooper Blooper. 

As you begin, a wooden pier appears to your right. On it are three different colored Blooper Racers: Green, Yellow, and Pink. It’s important to choose your Blooper carefully as each has different attributes.

Which Blooper is the best Blooper? 

• The Green Blooper has the best handling but the lowest default speed
• The Pink Blooper has the worst handling but the highest speed
• The Yellow Blooper offers an easy middle ground

All three Bloopers can reach the same top speed, which you can adjust by simply pushing the joystick forward.

Navigating the race course

The racecourse itself contains numerous obstacles including spikes, spinning walls, stationary blocks, moving blocks, and more, so be careful.

Colliding with any objects will cause Mario to lose a life and corners are rather tight. As such, we recommend the Green Blooper here but keeping that top speed high where possible.

Get a Shine for completing the race (and a secret one later)

Completing the course in under 45 seconds will reward you with a Shine Sprite. If you beat it but take longer, the Pianta won’t be impressed and throws you out of Ricco Harbor instead.

After completing Episode Two, a secret Shine Sprite can be obtained by replaying “Blooper Surfing Safari” and beating it in under 40 seconds.

For better odds of success, make use of shortcuts by jumping over the two walls near the end, rather than cornering them.

Blooper Surfing in Episode 6

Blooper Surfing reappears in Episode 6, “Red Coins In The Water.” As you may have guessed, this involves collecting eight red coins in a race across Ricco Harbor.

To start this race, ground pound the big red switch. You’ll only have two minutes to collect them all, so be quick!

Like before, there are numerous obstacles to avoid but your best course of action is to follow the trail of yellow coins, as these lead to each red coin. Here are the exact locations of each of the red coins: 

• Three are located between the floating buoys.
• One is spotted by the platforms near the helipad
• One next to the submarine, you’ll have to jump to obtain it.
• One is wedged between two boats
• One is found underneath the helipad.
• One is located under a platform.

After collecting all of the red coins, return to the pier to collect the Shrine Sprite. Be careful, though: you can crash if you’re not careful. 

How to get off a Blooper

To avoid crashing into the pier or the ring-wearing Pinata when going for the Sprite, it’s best to get off your Blooper. To do so, jump into the red Rocket Nozzle box, located in the southeastern section of the map. You’ll see a red steel platform within the major construction zone, and the Nozzle box is on top of it.

You’ll need to go out of your way to do either of these, but the alternative is just riding into the Shine Sprite, which risks running yourself into the pier and undoing all your hard work.

That’s all you need to know about the Blooper Surfing Safari and how to get off a Blooper. For more on Super Mario Sunshine and the other games in the 3D All-Stars collection, be sure to check out our other 3D All-Stars tips articles, including how to get Yoshi in Sunshine and how to get the wing cap in Mario 64.