Goldie Seeking

Goldie Seeking is a Known Occurrence in Salmon Run and Salmon Run Next Wave.

Salmonid Field Guide
''The following text is quoted from the Salmonid Field Guide. Some sections of the Guide differ between Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3, which will be noted when applicable.''
 * What Happens
 * Large numbers of Gushers will appear in the area.
 * A Goldie will be hiding in one of the Gushers.
 * Other Salmonids will attack in their masses from the shores. (Splatoon 3 only)
 * You can shoot the Gusher to make it erupt, but chances are a regular Salmonid will pop out instead of a Goldie. (Splatoon 2 only)
 * Shooting open a gusher without a Goldie in it will cause it to erupt. Thankfully, there won't be anything hiding inside. (Splatoon 3 only)
 * How to Get Golden Eggs
 * The Goldie lurking in one of the Gushers will drop loads of Golden Eggs when hit with ink. (Splatoon 2 only)
 * Reveal the Goldie by causing the gusher it's hiding in to erupt. (Splatoon 3 only)
 * The Goldie will drop Golden Eggs if hit with enough ink. (Splatoon 3 only)
 * Advice from Mr. Grizz
 * Spread out, and find that Goldie FAST.
 * When you find the Goldie, call your buddies over and let loose with all your firepower!
 * The Gushers emit light when you hit them--the brighter the light, the closer you are to that glorious Goldie.
 * Supplementary Information
 * Salmonids obtained the technology to create Gushers through trade with Octarians.
 * The Goldie loses scales when hit, so it's able to move faster the more you damage it! (Splatoon 2 only)
 * The more you hit the Goldie, the faster it will move! (Splatoon 3 only)

General

 * When the Goldie is discovered, rolling into it with the Dynamo Roller can cause it to drop a large quantity of Golden Eggs at once.
 * Other Rollers work too, but have lower damage per second.
 * Brushes do not have this ability.
 * It is possible to splat the Goldie by depleting its HP. If this happens, any opened Gushers will close and reset, and another Goldie will hide in a different Gusher.
 * The Goldie has 6500 HP. Taking off 2500 HP will shrink it down to medium size. Taking off 2000 more HP will shrink it down to the smallest size. Finally, depleting 2000 more HP from it while it is in that state will finish it off.
 * From 6500 to 4000 HP, the Goldie drops a golden egg for every 500 HP damage sustained.
 * From 4000 to 2000 HP, the Goldie drops a golden egg for every 400 HP damage sustained.
 * From 2000 to 0 HP, the Goldie drops a golden egg for every 333.33 HP damage sustained.
 * A full health Goldie will drop 18 eggs if splatted.
 * If the Goldie is splatted, the next Goldie will be large size. If not, the next Goldie will be the same size as the previous Goldie.
 * For example, if a large Goldie is damaged until it it small, the next Goldie will be small.
 * As the Goldie's size decreases to medium and small, its speed will increase.
 * The Gushers also spout higher if they have a connection to the Goldie's hiding place (see Graph Theory section).
 * Even though the next Goldie location is randomized, there is still a way to optimize it so players always know exactly where it is:
 * Every map has starting point(s) at high or mid tide. Players can determine where the Goldie is if the gusher(s) are low or high, then go different ways to find the exact location.
 * If players find a high Gusher, they can say "This way!" whereas if they find a low Gusher, they can say "Booyah!"
 * Furthermore, players can say "Booyah!" if the Goldie is going through the basket, allowing crewmates to reposition.
 * Try chasing the Goldie near the Egg Basket because if a Goldie is being chased away from the basket, Snatchers may steal the trail of Golden Eggs.
 * Goldie Seeking waves cannot occur during low tide, except during Big Run.

Splatoon 2

 * Opening as few Gushers as possible is recommended, as Lesser Salmonids continue to spawn from the incorrect ones until the Goldie is discovered.

Splatoon 3

 * Unlike Splatoon 2, Lesser Salmonids will spawn from the shore and the Goldie's Gusher, instead of only incorrect Gushers.
 * It is possible to make a Goldie stuck between a wall and a Wave Breaker near the corners where the Goldie is about to turn around, which can allow to collect Golden Eggs easily.

Gusher Graphs
Gusher height is actually not based on physical distance, but instead graph theory. The Gushers themselves are the nodes of this graph, with invisible programmed connections between them called edges. Gushers are neighbors if they are connected by one of these such edges. If a Gusher hides a Goldie, its neighbors will spout high when opened; all other Gushers spout low. Be wary of Gushers that are neighbors to all the others on the map. These universal neighbors, in this case universal Gushers, will never spout low, meaning if they don't hide the Goldie, they're not going to help you find it.