Google Underwater Search
👇 Scroll down to start the experience!
Quick Facts
Turn Google homepage into a seascape: Google logo floats on the surface as fish glide past.
2012-04-01
Restored
(Discontinued by Google)
Try the Easter Egg
The Original Easter Egg
How It Started
For April Fools’ Day 2012, Google China opened a hidden path to Underwater Search. One click carried the familiar homepage below the surface, as if the whole search box had slipped into a clear blue pool.
What It Did
The logo, search field, and buttons floated at the waterline while fish and a shark moved below. Dragging through the water made soft ripples and nudged the floating pieces.
Clicking I’m Feeling Lucky dropped a coin from above, and sometimes a bottle, box, or crown followed it down.
Impact and Reach
April Fools roundups and screenshot posts kept the toy aquarium memorable because a familiar homepage drifting under water is instantly understandable. The gentle motion made it easy to show, even without sound.
It was the sort of joke that could be explained in one picture: Search, but under the sea.
Its Discontinuation
The Google China April Fools homepage experience only lasted for April 1, 2012. The standalone underwater page survived for a while afterward, then was removed by August 2015.
The Restored Experience
What’s Different Here
Our restoration brings back the sunken homepage, the buoyant search pieces, the fish and shark, and the responsive water surface that made the original feel so touchable.
It also steadies the scene on modern browsers and touchscreens, matches the site's dark theme, and adds one extra interaction: clicking the search button releases more fish into the water, sometimes with a shark mixed in. That extra fish trigger belongs to this restored version, not the original prank.
The Easter Egg Experience
Click the button above to dive in. Let the homepage float, drag across the water to make ripples, click search to add more fish, and keep playing in the calm sea.
How to Try It
- Click the button above to enter the restored underwater homepage.
- Watch the Google logo, search box, and buttons bob at the waterline.
- Drag through the water to make ripples and push the floating pieces around.
- Click the search button to send more fish or a shark into the scene.
- Keep searching, tapping, and drifting through the digital sea.
This version keeps the original’s soft physics and playful rhythm, then makes the scene steadier on modern browsers, phones, and touchscreens.
Final Thoughts
Underwater Search turned an everyday Google homepage into a calm April Fools toy under the waves. The official version is gone, but this restoration keeps that sea open.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What was Google Underwater Search?
Google Underwater Search was a Google China April Fools’ Day 2012 Easter egg. It turned the Google homepage into an underwater scene where the logo, search box, and buttons floated while fish and a shark passed below.
How do I play with the restored underwater page?
Click the button above to open the restored scene. The homepage pieces settle into the water, and fish begin moving through the blue background.
Drag or swipe across the water to make ripples. The floating logo, search box, and buttons react as if they are bobbing in a gentle pool.
Click the search button to add more fish or a shark. The Lucky button drops a coin, and sometimes another small treasure, from the top of the page.