Finspan: Sharks & Reefs is a 2026 expansion for the Finspan base game. It adds a coral reef overlay to each player’s ocean, new fish and shark abilities, new achievements and solo replacement components. The core game is required; the expansion is not a standalone version of Finspan.
What comes in the expansion?
Stonemaier’s detailed component list names five reef overlays, 75 fish cards and five starter fish cards, 90 coral tokens, an achievement board and three achievement tiles, player aids, a scorepad and replacement Nautoma components for solo play. This is 80 fish cards when starter fish are included. The publisher’s short description and component list show different coral counts, so use the detailed list and the copy in your box to inventory pieces.
What changes on your ocean mat?
The reef overlay gives each of the three dive sites a coral-building track. New card abilities and the overlay make the health of a reef matter to which fish can be played and which powers can be unlocked. Coral can also contribute to end-game bonuses. This adds a second planning question to the base game’s dive-column engine: which site should receive a dive now, and which site needs coral to support later fish?
Existing Finspan actions remain the foundation: on a turn you play a fish or dive, build eggs and young, and try to form schools. The expansion adds options and requirements; check its player aid and rules for the precise coral costs and placement timing before using an individual card.
What do the new sharks do?
The added cards include sharks and reef-dwelling fish with new abilities. The publisher describes sharks that scatter schools of young and leave behind food scraps that other fish can consume. Because cards differ, plan around the fish you actually draw rather than treating every shark as one fixed action. A consumed fish and a visible fish have different base-game scoring treatment; the scoring guide explains that distinction.
How does scoring change?
Continue recording achievements and scoring the base game after four weeks. The new achievement board, tiles, reef bonuses and card effects add conditions to check. The expansion includes a replacement scorepad. Count coral and reef completion using that pad and the expansion rules; do not substitute the base scorepad’s categories for a game using the overlay.
Is Sharks & Reefs suitable for a first game?
The base game is easier to teach because it has no reef track. Play it first if your group is learning dive-site bonuses, fish placement and population conversion. If those decisions already feel familiar, Sharks & Reefs gives each dive more context without changing Finspan into a different game. It retains the publisher’s 1–5 player and 45–60 minute product guidance.
First expansion game: a decision checklist
- Read the new overlay and player aid at setup, including how coral is added and what a completed reef earns.
- When choosing a fish, check zone, dive-site and any reef requirement before paying its cost.
- Before a dive, compare its fish activations with the coral progress it could create.
- At game end, use the expansion scorepad so coral and new achievements are counted.
Continue learning
Sources and scope
Checked September 2026 against Stonemaier Games’ expansion product and component list and its expansion resource page. Individual fish-card text and the expansion rulebook govern exact play; this article explains the changes and compatibility without card spoilers.