The Sims 3 Island Paradise Guide
Unlocking Uncharted Islands with Maps and Hints
by Carl and Ricalynn
| Scuba Diving | Resorts | Mermaids | Discovering Islands | Map Fragments & Bottles | Lifeguard |
The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Pack features a new town, Isla Paradiso, surrounded by eight uncharted islands that can be discovered. Each has a requirement to unlock it based on a gameplay feature that comes with the Expansion Pack. You'll have to do a lot of work to unlock them all on a single save file. Of course there is cheat to discover all islands, but this guide is directed at people who would like to unlock one or all of the hidden islands themselves.
About Uncharted Islands
These are seen in the ocean around Isla Paradiso. They're covered in a fog that will bump your camera away if you attempt to zoom in. On all but one island, sailing up to it is useless and a tooltip simply informs, "I wonder what's down there". With this guide, you'll know all you need in order to find out and see for yourself. Most of these Islands are good for private homes or Resorts, while others have treasure as a reward for revealing them.
When you fill the requirements, you discover one of Isla Paradiso's Uncharted Islands, and it is instantly owned by your Sim's Household. All discovered islands automatically become private lots. You can click the Island's icon in map mode to move to your new island to start a home, or convert it to a Resort lot. It's all up to you. Many Sims 3 players will unlock them and choose a favorite to start a new home or build a massive luxurious resort with an amazing ocean view.
Selling Uncharted Islands
You can sell an Uncharted Island for profit if you know that you will not be using it. After selling them, they become private lots unowned by you and you can do nothing with them. These are worth tens of thousands, so selling some of the Islands is definitely worth considering. In order to sell a discovered Island, use your Sim's Cell Phone, select Real Estate and Travel Services then Check Real Estate. Go to the Private Lots tab, select an Island, and choose Sell at the bottom. If a lot has been converted to a Resort from Private Lot, its sell value will plummet so only convert if you'll build a good resort there as you cannot change it back to a Private Lot.
Isla Paradiso Uncharted Island Map
Here is a map showing where you find all of the Uncharted Islands in The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Pack. Each picture on this page is clickable, allowing you to see the Isla Paradiso Island Map in full size. Descriptions on how to unlock each, the rewards you get when finding an island are below the map. At the bottom of the page, you can Comment and share your tips for revealing the hidden islands faster!
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| 1: Beryl Shoals | 2: Diver's Den | 3: No Trouble Atoll | 4: Cay to the City |
| 5: Refuge Island | 6: Mermaid's Secret | 7: Plunder Cove | 8: Plumbob Island |
Discovery Requirements & Island Finder Rewards
Size is the size of the lot in edit town but not exactly the build area you get to work with when building a home or resort. Build Area is the estimated size of the area that is able to be used when you first receive your island. We judged the islands and categorized them into Small, Medium or Large just based on this initial look. With some extensive editing, some of the small islands could be customized to hold a larger home or resort if that is your wish.
For instance, the island of Plunder Cove rests on a 64 x 64 lot with a large hill taking up much of that space. With the creative use of certain terrain tools, you could flatten out the top to create a Pirate Lookout tower. There's the option to flatten the whole lot and then use the soften terrain tool to reform the coast line to set up your very own hidden mermaid inlet. Or maybe you'd enjoy raising the terrain on the edges to create cliffs surrounding your very own waterworld home. With any of these tools and others available in Build mode plus some planned imagination, these little islands could be any of your big dreams.
1: Beryl Shoals
 | |
| Size | 64x64 |
| Build Area | Small |
| Unlock Requirements | To unlock this Island, simply take a boat nearby and it will be automatically discovered. It is the only island you can unlock through naval exploration. |
| Reward | You'll own an Island that could be your new home. Unfortunately, the only spawner is a Common Sea Shell spawner. |
2: Diver's Den
 | |
| Size | 50x60 |
| Build Area | Medium |
| Unlock Requirements | Reach level 10 in the Scuba Diving. Go to that Guide to learn more about this and the cave you need to enter in order to find the island. |
| Reward | Treasure Chest with $1200, gold, iron, palladium, and silver. Aside from that, there are a couple spawners. |
3: No Trouble Atoll
 | |
| Size | 60x60 |
| Build Area | Large |
| Unlock Requirements | Create a Five-Star Resort to unlock this island. |
| Reward | A huge build area to make a Mega-Resort and upgrade your business. |
4: Cay to the City
 | |
| Size | 30x40 |
| Build Area | Medium |
| Unlock Requirements | Rescue 35 Sims as a Lifeguard. This will take a long time, as CPR does not count - only pulling Sims out of the water, and the job can be slow-paced to begin with. |
| Reward | A decent Resort area. I saw no good Spawners. Shame, since this one takes one of the longer time investments. |
5: Refuge Island
 | |
| Size | 25x30 |
| Build Area | Small |
| Unlock Requirements | Talk to a clerk at the sparkling sands resort and check in to the cheapest room available for two days. Talk to the clerk and ask for adventure. You'll be sent on an opporunity chain to talk to an old Sim, the Science Faciity, collect 3 Kelp (grows underwater), and Firewalk. I suggested this Resort because it has a Firewalking pit. Afterward, you'll need to fight a Shark. Carry lots of fish and Watch Shark until they finally attack you. The more raw meat on you, the more likely the attack. Save just in case your Sim dies to the Shark. Finally, return to the Science Facility to unlock the Island. |
| Reward | There's nothing major here, just another accomplishment for completionists. The Resort building area is tiny and the only thing I saw was a lone Fishing spot that looked decent. There could be more. |
6: Mermaid's Secret
 | |
| Size | 30x30 |
| Build Area | Medium |
| Unlock Requirements | Befriend a Mermaid. Once your Sim knows one, you can Click your Sim to do an interaction to call a Mermaid to you if they're available. Get relationship over 70% and hang out with the Mermaid - scuba diving worked for me. Do nothing, but wait for the Mermaid to decide to show you the secret entrance. |
| Reward | Mermaid's Secret Island has a couple of great Sea Shell spawners and a decent area for you to build a beautiful Resort or make your Sim a Fantasy home on the shore. |
7: Plunder Cove
 | |
| Size | 64x64 |
| Build Area | Small |
| Unlock Requirements | In order to gain access to Plunder Cove, you must assemble the four map pieces. Two can be found using the Scuba Diving skill, and I've got pictures to help you find those map parts in treasure chests. Trouble is, that is only two of the four you need. Afterward, you must get them from Sea Shell spawners. Given the annoyance of finding them, I created a page with information on getting the last two map pieces to unlock the island. |
| Reward | Plunder Cove contains a Treasure Chest that holds $1,200 Simoleons and a variety of colorful gems. Look for it hidden in the bushes on the Island. |
8: Plumbob Island
 | |
| Size | 64x64 |
| Build Area | Small |
| Unlock Requirements | Find a special Message in a Bottle that contains a riddle which leads to the Island. This can take a while, so I suggest you follow the link to a guide which will help you find that bottle. |
| Reward | Treasure Chest with $3,333 in it, an Evolution of the Plumbob painting worth $12k Simoleons, and a Plumbob Cut Rainbow Gem |
Isla Paradiso Map
Here is the same map from before, only with all islands revealed so you can see a full view of Island Paradise's World. Simmers who find all the Islands in IP will get many treasures, skill, and job experience along the way and unlock many spawner locations to find great collectibles.
Share Tips and FAQs (126)
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Fiona says...
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If you have supernatural expansion, can you make your sim a mermaid in create a sim?
ReplyFlag0015th August 2013 3:10am
lily says...
If you live in a different town, can you still scubadive/find islands/have a houseboat etc or do you have to live in the town that comes with island paradise for this? I bought aurora skies from the sims 3 shop and I dont want to not be able to use it : /
18th July 2014 3:37am
explorer says...
1. Dive lots in worlds other than IP: Check out this simple modthesims guide: http://modthesims.info/t/506445
Yes you can scuba dive, but it's hard to create a cave network and an island discovery system.
2. Scuba diving skill: you can train it to 10 anywhere by just snorkeling.
3. Houseboats in worlds other than IP:
Ctrl+Shift+C -> buydebug on, testingcheatsenabled true. Edit town, place a lot on a beach, change the main type to community and the lot type to Port (which is not available without testingcheatsenabled). Edit the lot and, while in build mode, create a large foundation from the shore into the sea. Then, go to buy mode, choose the new "?" category (which wouldn't be available without buydebug), go to misc tab, filter to island paradise items and place a "Gangway Style" platform adjacent to your foundation, facing the ocean. Go back to edit town, choose the lot and set a houseboat in it. Decorate at will. Fast-paced guide here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGKXGDd44A0
Yes you can scuba dive, but it's hard to create a cave network and an island discovery system.
2. Scuba diving skill: you can train it to 10 anywhere by just snorkeling.
3. Houseboats in worlds other than IP:
Ctrl+Shift+C -> buydebug on, testingcheatsenabled true. Edit town, place a lot on a beach, change the main type to community and the lot type to Port (which is not available without testingcheatsenabled). Edit the lot and, while in build mode, create a large foundation from the shore into the sea. Then, go to buy mode, choose the new "?" category (which wouldn't be available without buydebug), go to misc tab, filter to island paradise items and place a "Gangway Style" platform adjacent to your foundation, facing the ocean. Go back to edit town, choose the lot and set a houseboat in it. Decorate at will. Fast-paced guide here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGKXGDd44A0
9th August 2014 1:24am
explorer says...
You don't have to talk to the Sparkling Sands resort front desk NPC specifically. Any front desk NPC will do to get the adventure for the island. I did it with Hobart's Hideaway resort. Just clicked on the NPC and asked for adventure.
9th August 2014 12:43am
Anonymous says...
I'm a mermaid and all my people are and my daughters dating a mermaid but I've never ever found the mermaid island I don't know what to do please someone answer this
16th August 2014 9:45pm
Anna says...
My sim is a mermaid and i want to unlock the mermaid's island. Do i do the same thing as if i wouldnt be a mermaid already?
8th August 2013 6:30am
Tommy says...
While the basic land mass is the same my hidden island setup is nothing like what is pictured. Where Beryl Island is, I have a dive spot and my large hidden island is at 7. Plunder Cove's spot... randomised?
15th August 2013 5:04pm
TheSimsGirl says...
I'm new to this game, is there a cheat to get your resort five star. Also where do I find mermaids? Also can I get eatten by a shark if I'm a normal sim? Thanks
12th October 2013 10:27pm
Ash says...
So I added a new plot in edit world that is in the middle of the ocean and it's all sand and acts like a private lot but when I tried to build a house on it I couldn't. The only thing I was able to do was put a foundation on it. It wouldn't even let me pick up the mail box and trash can to move it even though I own the lot. Any idea's on how to fix this issue?
26th August 2013 4:38am
Aliceelite says...
I JUST got the Cay to the City - after I completed a CPR that was (unless I'm blind and dumb) unrelated to a water rescue. Might be worth checking.
11th November 2013 8:15pm
kat says...
I have found almost 20 bottles with messages in it, all of them saying something related to an island but I still have not unlocked plumbob island. when I find the right messaged bottle will it automatically unlock the island or do I have to do something when I find one?
2nd September 2013 10:55pm
kat says...
Im sorry but I am starting to think that you are wrong about how to find plumbob island I have now found probably 50 rare messages in bottles and now I am finding map fragments again (keep in mind I have already unlocked plunder cove) so I have assembled 2 maps and found 2 map fragments, about 50 rare message in bottles and no plumbob island.
Admin:
Trust me, I eventually got it. I was in the same situation and although I had heard it did not want to publish misinformation. I remember that day well enough, because all I did was search for map fragments to confirm that information for myself, while taking some notes here and there :)
5th September 2013 5:13pm
Izzy says...
For Refuge Island, I clicked on the clerk after checking in for two nights and pressed "Ask For Adventure" and nothing popped up on my screen. No oppurtunities or anything.How do I find the oppurtunity?
Admin:
Do you already have opportunities in the available slots?
2nd July 2013 9:31pm
Minakie says...
I got a question about the Refuge Island:
"Afterward, you'll need to fight a Shark. Carry lots of fish and Watch Shark until they finally attack you. The more raw meat on you, the more likely the attack."
"Mermaids are perfectly safe in the sea and cannot be attacked by the Kraken, cave monster and sharks."
So, does this mean that mermaid sims can't unlock this island? .-.
"Afterward, you'll need to fight a Shark. Carry lots of fish and Watch Shark until they finally attack you. The more raw meat on you, the more likely the attack."
"Mermaids are perfectly safe in the sea and cannot be attacked by the Kraken, cave monster and sharks."
So, does this mean that mermaid sims can't unlock this island? .-.
Admin:
Seems to be the case. Someone else in the household might have to do the opportunity for them, or you'd need to avoid swimming in the ocean to make the Mermaid Sim revert to normal from not being in the sea water for a long time. I'm not sure it's possible to trigger a fight with a shark as a mermaid.
1st September 2013 2:09pm
Kameryn says...
So im trying to unlock the mermaid island. I already know what to do to unlock it, but what if I live with a mermaid? Can she tell me if I befriend her or do I need another mermaid friend?
21st January 2014 7:02pm
jade says...
Ive unlocked an uncharted island and its completely covered in fog and I cannot do anything on it because I cant see is there anyway to get rid of it ive tried the debug cheat to get rid of those round balls that make it foggy but I cant see any? also I have 7 sims 3 games installed and its sooo slow any idea?
6th October 2013 3:41pm
KC says...
Can u own a resort even if you live in a different neighborhood? hehe noob question sorry
4th August 2013 1:09am
kanzaki says...
Regarding lifeguard island, I'm pretty sure CPR counts for the island but not for the lifetime achievement. My island unlocked while my achievement counter was at 29; I believe CPR may have been performed 6 times which would have put the number to the 35 unlock. I'll jeep track of CPR on my next lifeguard sim put I'm having problems with no jobs spawning now.
1st August 2013 6:06pm
KimSim says...
In Edit mode, one of the caves in Mermaid Grotto dive spot says that its destination location is "Scarlet's Dream." Is that the Mermaid's Secret location or something else? Whenever my (mermaid) Sim explores this cave it provides her with some kind of shell or other trinket, but it never takes her to a different location.
Admin:
No. Â Scarlet's Dreame is the name of the other underwater Cave in Mermaid Grotto.
4th July 2013 3:40pm
Mysticalmaid says...
Great Guide as usual. I have some new information for you..
Treasure chests have some kind of timer on them to allow you to open them again. I'm not sure how long it takes exactly but it's definitely longer than 24 Sim hours.
This way you can get all the treasure maps from the chests if you have trouble finding the bottles. I just successfully used 4 maps all found from chests to unlock Plunder Cove.
Admin:
Carl had the same game going for over 10 Sim weeks and his chests never reset whereas mine did at least once over the course of 10 Sim weeks. We could not tell what the difference was between our game files.
4th July 2013 2:15pm
Izzy says...
About the refuge island question I asked where the oppurtunity wasn't popping up, what slot would that be?
Admin:
It fills the special opportunity slot. After you've received the opportunity you'll have to talk to someone but you have to be at least friends with them before they will tell you anything.
4th July 2013 2:04pm
Jennifer says...
How do I become friends with the clerk at the resort? So I can ask about adventure, it keeps telling me no interactions are available when I click on her and its says I need to get to know her better first.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Admin:
I never had to become friends with a clerk to get the ask for adventure. Try a different resort maybe and don't forget to check in. Otherwise I would suggest friendship elixirs, phone calls, cheating.
9th July 2013 11:17pm
Bonnie says...
I am on the refuge island one and my sim has to firewalk. He is a mermaid as well. keep keeps firewalking on scorch, hot and nothing happens. I even got one for his house. Do you think it is a glitch? Also can the non-mermaid of the household finish his quest? Thanks
Admin:
You would have to start over with the non mermaid member anyway. The part after the firewalking is fighting a shark which is impossible for a mermaid.
4th July 2013 12:26pm
Boo says...
I just got my game and started playing it like an hour ago, I just noticed that there isn't any fog covering the uncharted islands in my game. I haven't discovered any uncharted islands yet so then why can I see them? I want them to be covered in fog, being able to see them takes away all the fun and mystery. Please help!
Admin:
That sounds like a weird glitch. Does this happen in more than one game? Would you be willing to take a picture and show it to me on our Sims 3 forum? You can sign up and PM me as Ricalynn or you can start a thread to get help from multiple people.
4th July 2013 10:11am
knazzer says...
Beryl Shoals also as the message in the bottle spawner too
Admin:
It does not have the ability to spawn the ones that might contain a map fragment or island riddle.
3rd July 2013 3:58pm
emmaoc says...
I'm currently on the 'fight a shark' part of the refuge island opportunities, but as a mermaid, will I be able to fight a shark?, since I read they don't get attacked by sharks
Admin:
Mermaids don't get attacked by sharks so you'll have to become a human or have a non mermaid household member do it instead.
3rd July 2013 3:52pm
Emma says...
I'm currently trying to unlock the Mermaid's Secret uncharted island. I have gone scuba diving with 3 different mermaids and they are all my sim's best friends (higher than 70%). And I have waited with each of them underwater for up to 7-8 hrs but nothing happens. Is there something that I'm missing?
Admin:
Try taking them to your house and chatting with them then letting them be the ones to handle the conversation.
3rd July 2013 1:59pm
bklienhart says...
My sim got sent to one of the undiscovered islands by a teleporter pad malfunction. It was still fog-covered and I couldn't zoom in to see what they were doing. All I could do was Teleport Home.
2nd July 2013 12:46pm
David says...
While I was looking for the four map pieces, I found three of the four in chests at the diving locations. I found the first one at the Davey Jones' Locker diving spot, the second at the Mermaid Grotto, or where ever the second one is found. After giving up in looking for the third and fourth map pieces (at the time I assumed they were all found in chests) I saved and quit. The next day, I went back to Davey Jones' Locker and opened up the chest to find the third map piece. I'm assuming this is a glitch as I have no custom content/mods installed. Maybe it's possible for others to get three map pieces like this...
Admin:
I got four map pieces that way but we were unable to reproduce the resetting of the chests in more than one file. I don't know if it's a glitch or the result of something else that was happening in game. Thanks for mentioning it though.
2nd July 2013 1:36am
MissionarySPE says...
I found 4 map pieces in dive spot chests (don't remember which ones, two possibly from the same chest) and was able to assemble the map. I don't know if I glitched it somehow, but I was able to assemble it without any pieces from bottles. I just assumed you only needed 4 pieces from anywhere.
19th December 2013 4:43pm
thats not important says...
is there a specific riddle for plumbob island?
Admin:
The riddle is in the bottle when you find it.
1st July 2013 9:48pm
Bobbi says...
I found 2 messages in a bottle with riddles, but i don't understand what i have to do, one bottle says "if you find this bottle DO NOT DRINK CONTENTS" and the other one says "three hour tour my eye" what do they mean, or are they just completly random?
please help
please help
4th March 2014 5:36pm
Anonymous says...
If one of your Sims has the Grand Explorer LTW, will it still be completed if another Sim in the household owns the 5 star resort or was the lifeguard who rescued enough Sims?
Admin:
I don't know. As far as I can tell an entire household owns the property, so no one Sim actually owns the resort, the whole family does.
1st July 2013 4:57pm
Krysee says...
Grand Explorer completes simply by unlocking all eight of the islands, and it doesn't matter how you do it or who in your family does it.Like Admin said, resort/property ownership is across the entire household, not any one individual member, and the same holds true for uncharted island lots.The wish is simply to be in possession of these properties, though the actions that work toward it (lifeguarding, running a resort, opening sunken chests, etc) are worth more lifetime happiness, and exist somewhat as clues that tell you what might unlock the next island.If you're having problems, or just want to cheat, the console code DiscoverAllUnchartedIslands will put you in possession of all the islands and complete the wish all in one shot.
19th September 2013 2:00pm
Nora says...
can you discover the mermaid's secret island like that if your sim is a mermaid?
Admin:
Yes
1st July 2013 12:37pm
Bubblegumsimmer says...
Can children become mermaids
Admin:
Children can be born mermaids but they cannot be turned into one until they are a teenager.
1st July 2013 9:52am
Evelinne says...
Make a sim and choose at lifetime wish "Living in the lap of Luxury" . Then put this sim a household with 100.000 funds and you earn 32.000 lifetime happines , with these 32.000 you can buy a mermaid kelp (or kelpt , sorry for my english )from lifetime happines rewards (it will cost you 25.000). Put your sim to eat it (when is wearing swimwear) and she or he will become a mermaid !
21st December 2013 7:31am
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