TL;DR
- Anotto Bay has 3 total collectibles: 2 treasure chests and 1 secret.
- There is no viewpoint here, so nothing gets auto-marked on your map.
- The entrance is completely underwater — look for the diving bell and swim down to find the mine shaft.
- First chest is behind a shark hiding in a boarded-up side tunnel — reward is 1,200 Reales.
- Second chest is just past the ladder junction in the same tunnel system — rewards are jewelry items worth 1,120 Reales total.
- The secret is a locked smuggler’s chest that requires a key dropped by enemies in the cavern — contains a Weathered Map piece and over 5,000 Reales.
- The buried treasure (Crimson Cloak + 2,400 Reales) requires the Havana Warehouse treasure map first.
AC Black Flag Resynced Anotto Bay Chests are some of the trickiest collectibles in the game to find. There is no viewpoint on the island, so nothing gets marked on your map automatically. On top of that, the only way in is through an underwater mine shaft hidden beneath the surface. If you have been circling the island wondering how to get inside, you are not alone. This guide covers all 3 collectibles in Anotto Bay — 2 treasure chests, 1 secret — plus the buried treasure chest, with step-by-step directions through every tunnel.
If you are also working through other underwater areas in the game, the full underwater shipwrecks guide covers all sunken sites and their loot across the map.
Anotto Bay Overview
Anotto Bay sits at coordinates (590, 245) in the Charlotte region, located just north of the City of Kingston. If the island is not appearing on your map yet, you may need to capture Fort Charlotte first — but you do not need to capture it to visit the island itself.
Here is what you are looking for inside Anotto Bay:
- Chest 1 — 1,200 Reales (underwater tunnel, shark ambush side path)
- Chest 2 — Sapphire Earrings, Silver Bracelet, Gold Cross (jewelry worth ~1,120 Reales combined)
- Secret — Smuggler’s Chest (Weathered Map piece + 5,046 Reales)
- Buried Treasure — Crimson Cloak outfit + 2,400 Reales (requires Havana Warehouse treasure map)
How to Enter Anotto Bay
Getting into Anotto Bay is the first challenge. The entrance is not on land — it is underwater.
Sail the Jackdaw to the coordinates (590, 245) and look for a shipwreck and a diving bell floating in the water near the island. Once you spot the diving bell, jump off the ship and dive directly underneath it. Keep swimming downward and you will come across the entrance to the underwater mine shaft. This is your way into the island’s cavern system.
What to Expect Inside
- The tunnels are dark and branching — pay attention to turn directions.
- Sea urchins line parts of the walls. Brushing against them deals damage.
- At least one shark ambush is waiting inside a boarded-up side passage.
- Make sure Edward’s health is full before you dive. Use healing items if needed before entering.
Chest 1 Location — Shark Ambush Side Tunnel
Once you are inside the mine shaft and swimming forward, stay alert for a left-turn pathway with sea urchins covering the walls. Take this left turn and follow the tunnel around to the right, carefully avoiding the urchins as you go.
You will come across another left pathway that is boarded up. Swim towards it. As you get close, a shark will burst through the wooden boards and charge at Edward. Be ready to dodge the moment it appears — if you time the dodge well, the shark will pass without dealing damage.
Once the shark is out of the way, swim through into the now-open passage. The first Anotto Bay chest is right there waiting for you. Opening it gives you 1,200 Reales.
Chest 2 Location — Ladder Junction
After grabbing the first chest, swim back out of that side tunnel and turn left toward the ladder going up the mine shaft. As soon as you start swimming upward, look to the left side of the shaft. The second Anotto Bay chest is tucked right there at the junction.
Opening the second chest gives you three jewelry items:
- Sapphire Earrings — 420 Reales
- Silver Bracelet — 380 Reales
- Gold Cross — 320 Reales
That is 1,120 Reales worth of loot across the three items, just for not missing this easy-to-pass-by chest on the way up.
Secret Location — Smuggler’s Chest (Weathered Map Piece)
The secret in Anotto Bay is the most valuable collectible in the area, but it takes a bit more work to unlock. After collecting both regular chests, continue through the underwater mine shaft until you break into a larger open cavern room filled with smugglers.
You cannot skip or sneak past them. You need to defeat all the smugglers in the room to get the key to the smuggler’s chest. Once they are all down, one of them will drop the key.
Pick up the key and use it to open the smuggler’s chest (the secret) in the room. Your reward is:
- A Weathered Map piece (used to restore the Preserved Map at the Treasure Dealer in Great Inagua)
- 5,046 Reales
The Weathered Map pieces are important if you are working toward the Dilettante trophy, which requires fully decorating the Great Inagua manor. Collecting them from locations like this one is how you progress.
Tips for the Smuggler Fight
- Use pistols to thin out the group from range before closing in.
- Counter-attack when enemies swing — the combat system rewards patient defense.
- Do not let enemies flank you from multiple sides at once; reposition to a corner.
Buried Treasure — Crimson Cloak Outfit (Requires Treasure Map)
The smuggler’s cavern is also where the Anotto Bay buried treasure is located. However, you cannot dig it up unless you already have the Anotto Bay treasure map. If you arrived here first without it, the dig site will not appear.
To get the treasure map, you need to raid the Havana Warehouse at coordinates (205, 600). The key is carried by a guard patrolling the manor in the northeast of the warehouse area. Once you loot the warehouse, you receive the Anotto Bay treasure map along with some materials and a painting.
With the map in your inventory, come back to this same cavern in Anotto Bay, clear out the smugglers, and look for the dig site marker near the smuggler’s chest. Dig it up to receive:
- The Crimson Cloak outfit — a rare red outfit for Edward Kenway
- 2,400 Reales
For a full walkthrough of how to get the treasure map and everything involved in that process, the Crimson Cloak outfit guide covers every step in detail.
How to Exit Anotto Bay
You do not have to swim back through the shark tunnel to leave. Once you have cleared everything in the cavern, there is a mine shaft directly in front of the dig site. Climb up through it and you will exit above the water near the surface, saving you from another dangerous underwater swim.
Anotto Bay Collectibles Summary
Here is a quick reference for all Anotto Bay collectibles in one place:
- Chest 1 — Underwater side tunnel, take the first left, follow the path, dodge the shark, open the chest — 1,200 Reales
- Chest 2 — At the ladder junction after Chest 1, look left as you swim up — Sapphire Earrings, Silver Bracelet, Gold Cross
- Secret — Defeat all smugglers in the main cavern room, use the dropped key on the smuggler’s chest — Weathered Map piece + 5,046 Reales
- Buried Treasure — Requires Havana Warehouse treasure map, dig site in the smuggler’s cavern — Crimson Cloak outfit + 2,400 Reales
Other Nearby Content Worth Doing
While you are in the Charlotte region exploring around Kingston and Anotto Bay, there are a few other activities nearby worth completing:
- The Animus Rifts guide will help you find and complete all Animus Rifts on the map, including those in this region.
- If you are collecting Mayan Stones, check the Mayan Stelae locations guide to make sure you do not miss any nearby.
- Working on naval contracts? The naval contracts guide lists all locations and how to complete each one.
Where to Get Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
If you haven’t grabbed the game yet or want it on another platform, here are all the official store links:
Wrap Up
Anotto Bay is one of those locations in AC Black Flag Resynced that catches a lot of players off guard simply because there is no obvious way in. Once you find the diving bell and the underwater mine entrance, the rest is straightforward — just know your turns, be ready for the shark, and clear all the smugglers before looking for the secret chest key. Three collectibles and a buried treasure chest are all sitting there waiting, and none of them require story progression to access.
If you are going for full completion across the map, make sure you also check out the character portraits locations guide and the Animus Keys guide — both are essential for hitting 100% in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.
