Captain levels

Everything you do as a captain earns Captain XP, and Captain XP raises your captain level. Your level shows as a badge with a progress bar beside your coins in the captain’s log and on your boat’s display.

Captain XP is separate from Captain’s Pass XP and from your pets’ experience.

Earning Captain XP

Landing a catch. Every catch earns XP. Catches from farther regions, rarer fish and a better catch grade earn more.
Your first catch of a species, which earns several times the usual amount.
A new personal record, when you land a longer fish of a species than you’ve ever caught.
Discovering waters and islands for the first time (see below).
Your first catch at each pond.
Boss fights, for every captain who takes part.
Opening treasure chests, with more for higher tiers.
Commissions.

Feeding pets doesn’t give Captain XP. Exploring and catching new things levels you up fastest; fishing one spot over and over is the slowest way.

What levels give

Milestone rewards. Every few levels you get coins and a key. The keys get better as your level rises.
Pet slots. Your second and third pet slots open for free at higher captain levels. You can also open them early at the Egg House.
Your name tag. Other captains see your level next to your name. As you climb, the tag’s frame changes colour, from bronze, silver and gold up to a shifting prism for the highest-level captains.
A level-up moment. When you level up, your new level flashes up with a burst and a chime, and captains nearby see it over your head.

Levels don’t lock away boats, rods or waters: those come from your boat and rod upgrades.

Discovering waters

The sea is made of named waters, each with islands of its own. At first, only the harbor and the nearest waters are known. Everywhere else shows on your chart as unknown waters or an uncharted isle.

You discover a place by actually going there, on your boat or swimming:

the first time you sail into a water, or near an island’s ring, its name is revealed with a banner, a flash and a fanfare;
you get a one-time bonus of Captain XP, bigger for farther regions and bigger for a whole water than for a single island;
from then on, the place is named on your chart, and coming back shows “Entering” and its name.