Uploaded January 2014 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This was bound to happen at some point, and now it finally happened. The key to exploring DK Isles in skew mode is the gun dive.
With your gun out, swim to the beaver near the Fungi Forest cannon. You will want to stay away from the island just far enough so you're not past the edge where the shore begins. (If you're too close, you will automatically surface and put away the gun once you press C-up. This part may be easier with Diddy or Tiny.) Now hold up or down and roughly face the beaver so you will swim straight to him later on. When you're facing up/down completely, press C-up. The game will realize that you're underwater even though you're in aiming mode, so it will go back to third person mode and trigger the Swim Through Shores animation. Start mashing B for a while (you can release the joystick now) and hope the beaver will notice you so you'll get damage boosted out of the water. Don't start mashing too soon or you may end up shooting the beaver. Also, if you decide to skew down (hold up), you should stop mashing when you're under the beaver, otherwise you may not get hit.
As if we didn't already have at least three methods for Aztec Early and Caves Early, this trick provides yet another method for both of them.
A neat thing I noticed (not sure if it's already known) is that you can jump out of a roll without resetting your angle. That way skewed moonkicks are possible.
An alternate way to get the gun underwater: Take out your gun and hold Z to slide off a ledge that drops into water. Continue holding Z and just before you land in the water press C-up. You will end up underwater with the gun out. Note that Lanky and Tiny can also just walk off the ledge without Z-sliding, provided the fall distance is short enough.
This was bound to happen at some point, and now it finally happened. The key to exploring DK Isles in skew mode is the gun dive.
With your gun out, swim to the beaver near the Fungi Forest cannon. You will want to stay away from the island just far enough so you're not past the edge where the shore begins. (If you're too close, you will automatically surface and put away the gun once you press C-up. This part may be easier with Diddy or Tiny.) Now hold up or down and roughly face the beaver so you will swim straight to him later on. When you're facing up/down completely, press C-up. The game will realize that you're underwater even though you're in aiming mode, so it will go back to third person mode and trigger the Swim Through Shores animation. Start mashing B for a while (you can release the joystick now) and hope the beaver will notice you so you'll get damage boosted out of the water. Don't start mashing too soon or you may end up shooting the beaver. Also, if you decide to skew down (hold up), you should stop mashing when you're under the beaver, otherwise you may not get hit.
As if we didn't already have at least three methods for Aztec Early and Caves Early, this trick provides yet another method for both of them.
A neat thing I noticed (not sure if it's already known) is that you can jump out of a roll without resetting your angle. That way skewed moonkicks are possible.
An alternate way to get the gun underwater: Take out your gun and hold Z to slide off a ledge that drops into water. Continue holding Z and just before you land in the water press C-up. You will end up underwater with the gun out. Note that Lanky and Tiny can also just walk off the ledge without Z-sliding, provided the fall distance is short enough.
