How to Get a Heart of the Sea in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: The heart of the sea is found only in buried treasure chests. Get a treasure map from a shipwreck or ocean ruin chest, follow the red X, and dig - every buried treasure holds exactly one heart of the sea.

What you need

Buried treasure map (from shipwrecks or ocean ruins)
Shovel
Boat

Step by step

Find a shipwreck or ocean ruin: their chests can contain a buried treasure map.
Shipwrecks are the reliable source - look for the map chest, usually in the hull section.
Open the map: it shows the area with a big red X marking the treasure.
Travel to the X and stand on it - the map marker fills in as you approach.
Dig down at the X (usually sand or gravel on a beach, sometimes deeper inland) until you hit the chest.
Every buried treasure chest contains exactly one heart of the sea, plus iron, gold, diamonds and potions.
Use it: 1 heart of the sea + 8 nautilus shells crafts a conduit.
Tip: the X chunk is precise - dig a spiral staircase around the exact spot instead of a straight shaft.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical in Java and Bedrock: hearts of the sea come only from buried treasure chests (one per chest, guaranteed), and treasure maps come from shipwreck and ocean ruin chests in both editions.

Versions: The heart of the sea was added in 1.13 (18w15a, the Update Aquatic) together with buried treasure itself. It has exactly one use - the conduit - and has never gained another, keeping it the purest treasure hunt item in the game.

Frequently asked questions

Is the heart of the sea in every buried treasure?

Yes - every buried treasure chest is guaranteed to contain exactly one heart of the sea. If the chest has none, you dug up the wrong chest (or a player got there first on a server).

Where do treasure maps come from?

Chests in shipwrecks and underwater ruins. Shipwrecks are the dependable route: each wreck has up to three chests and one of them holds the map. Cartographer villagers sell ocean explorer maps too, but those lead to monuments, not treasure.

Can I farm hearts of the sea?

Not from one spot - each buried treasure chest is unique to its map, and maps always point to un-looted treasure near their wreck. For multiple hearts you need multiple wrecks, which makes ocean exploration the real farm.