Feel free to ask more questions, they'll be added here.

Is this a ranked jam?

Not at all. There are no rankings nor prizes, though it is encouraged to play each other's entries.

Can I start working on my entry before the jam begins?

Of course. Since older works are also allowed, you can not only start working on the outline but also actual development, final assets and such. Technically you could make the whole thing before the jam even starts and submit it during the first day but it's encouraged to work on your entry during the jam's timeframe.

Does my story have to take place in the sea/ocean/etc?

Not at all. Even a puddle or a bowl of soup count. The scale of your body of water doesn't really matter as long as a significant part of the story happens there.

What if I don't want to write about underwater places but prefer to use sea monsters and such instead?

Well, that's a hard question. Ideally, the story should take place in some kind of body of water but! if underwater creatures are important to the whole project, that's also allowed even if the characters spend time mostly on land. Or in space. Or anywhere else, really.

Some examples include but are not limited to: a scientist taking care of and researching a fish colony. Kraken sightings where the narrative focuses on the kraken itself. Flying whales as a pivotal part of the narrative. A war between sirens and mermaids. And so on. Basically, the link to the jam's theme should be obvious.

Are late entries allowed?

I know accidents can happen, maybe you lost internet at the very last moment or anything else. That's why the jam is a bit longer than two months. But - just in case you really were barely a few seconds late, you can notify me of that and I'll add the entry manually. Just note that I won't add anything you notify me about after 24 hours since the jam ended have passed.

Can I make something other than a game?

Sure. While I expect mostly to see visual novels, any kind of story focused work, be it a game guide, ttrpg, novel, comic, picture book etc is still allowed.

Does my work have to be in English?

Not at all. While it would be nice, it's not a requirement.

Don't know which engine to use?

Whichever you want, honestly. Though considering most of the submissions would [I hope] have some kind of story to tell, here are some recommendations:

Ren'Py -   basically the go to program for English language visual novel creators. Moderately simple and very easy to learn if you want a basic game. Just a bit complicated if you want something good looking or fancy and if you know what you're doing, you could honestly even make an RPG there since it's based on python; point&click games are easier, though. 

Light.vn - a mostly visual novel engine with a more graphic interface than ren'py. The english community is significantly smaller than the japanese one but it's worth checking out due to its various non-vn supports, like side scrollers or various gameplay elements.

Unity - very versatile, has a big community and if you're stuck, looking for help shouldn't be hard. Can be used for both visual novels, text adventures [there are also way simpler and lighter programs for that, though] and something complicated.

Twine - want to write some interactive fiction instead? Twine is a very intuitive option that also allows its users to insert pictures or music to their stories [that requires easy to find plugins]. No GUI customisation needed, just write your story.

 Quest - prefer text adventures? Look no more. Another very simple program, also offers to make your game online and post it on the site. You can also try Squiffy from the same creators [interactive fiction only].

 Ink - another simple way to create interactive fiction. The end result is very light-weight since if you want, you honestly can pack the whole story into a single html file.

LÖVE - a bit more complicated  since it requires some programming knowledge. Uses Lua and is a framework for 2D games. Quick to learn. The only downside is that you have no basic art assets and need to prepare everything yourself. And if you want to create using both code and a graphic interface, you can always try Defold.

Godot - scripting using C++ or GDScript, Godot supports many platforms and allows for the creation of both 2D and 3D games. Open source with a pretty big community around it and many tutorials to use.

Narrat - want to create narrative rpgs with an inventory, skill checks and maps that still heavily relies on text? That's the one. It's open source and has some handy interface that doesn't require a lot of complicated programming to make your game.

Bitsy - for short, pixel games with a limited palette. Very easy to use, supports HTML5 [the game can be played without downloading], let's you go as simple or detailed as you want. Worth checking out.

RenJS - doesn't require programming, supports HTML5 and different plugins if you felt like adding some more features. Beginner friendly.