How to Drain an Ocean Monument or Large Water Body with Sponges

Prep Before You Start

Draining a large area is a logistics problem as much as a sponge problem. Before you begin:

• Craft several sponges of an appropriate tier (Diamond, Emerald, or Netherite for big jobs).
• Set up a furnace or drying station near the work site with plenty of fuel.
• Bring blocks to wall off sections so water doesn't flow back in.

Section-by-Section Draining

Divide the area into manageable chunks using sand, gravel, or any solid block as temporary walls. Work one section at a time: place your sponge, let it absorb the water in its radius, then retrieve the now-wet sponge. Immediately swap in a dry one and send the wet one to your furnace. Repeat until the section is dry, then remove the divider and move to the next.

Managing Wet Sponges

Wet metal sponges can't absorb more water until dried, so your bottleneck is furnace throughput. Run multiple furnaces in parallel if you have the fuel, or smelt in bulk between sections. Keep wet sponges in a dedicated chest so you don't mix them with dry ones mid-job.

Lava Variant

If the area also has lava (common in monuments and Nether builds), bring Lava Sponges too. They work the same way but produce Molten Lava Sponges when full, which you dry the same way.