The oceans of Minecraft are a true treasure trove of ore distribution and rare loot. Exploring them in a reliable way to survive in the best Minecraft survival servers. But, the game only never allows you to stay long enough to discover any of them. Let’s change that by learning how to breathe underwater in Minecraft with some easy methods. Hold your breath and dive in!
5 Ways to Breathe Underwater in Minecraft (2023)
There are a variety of ways to breathe underwater in Minecraft. Some even allow you to remain underwater indefinitely. So, make sure you explore all of them to find the method that fits your needs!
How Long Can You Breathe Underwater in Minecraft
Whenever you go underwater in Minecraft, the game adds an oxygen bar on the right side of your hot bar. It features 9 air bubbles, each slowly going down while you are below the water's surface. Once you run out of oxygen, the game inflicts 2 points of damage with every passing second.
Since each bubble goes down with one tick, the oxygen bar takes 15 seconds to fully deplete. After that, you only have 12 seconds before drowning kills you. So, without any help, you can survive for roughly 27 seconds underwater in Minecraft.
Can Mobs Drown in Minecraft
Just like the players, most mobs in Minecraft only have 15 seconds underwater before they start drowning. But, certain mobs are completely immune from drowning. These include:
- All aquatic mobs including Frogs
- Undead mobs like zombies, husks, and more
- Iron Golems
- Zombie variants of Nether mobs including Piglins, Piglin brutes and Hoglins
Interestingly, dolphins need access to both air and water for survival. If they are stuck in either of the two conditions, they slowly start to suffocate.
Potion of Water Breathing (Method 1)
- Maximum Time: 8 Minutes & 15 seconds (+ 12 seconds of drowning)
- Usage: One Time
You can make a Potion of Water Breathing to prevent your oxygen bar from depleting. It is the most convenient option for long mining sessions and exploring monuments. The effects of this potion generally last for 3 minutes.
Luckily, you can extend the duration of the potion to 8 minutes by adding Redstone dust to it. But, since you can only use a potion bottle once, it's best to save it for special occasions.
Turtle Shell Helmet (Method 2)
- Maximum Time: 25 Seconds (+ 12 seconds of drowning)
- Usage: Unlimited
While you are casually exploring your nearby lake or just diving into the ocean to retrieve one block, a few extra seconds can go a long way. This is where a turtle shell helmet shines. It extends your ability to breathe underwater by 10 seconds, which is more than enough for most tasks.
Plus, since this effect lasts as long as the helmet's durability, you can use it indefinitely. But, if you want to craft it, you first need to get turtle scutes in Minecraft. Baby turtles drop these scutes when they are growing up and they are different from armadillo scutes that form a wolf armor.
Conduit Power to Breathe Underwater in Minecraft (Method 3)
- Maximum Time: Unlimited
- Usage: Unlimited
When it comes to figuring out how to breathe underwater In Minecraft, nothing can be better than a Conduit. Similar to beacons, it is a beacon-like block that gives you "Beacon Power" that consists of special water-based abilities.
While you are in the range of a beacon, you not only get regenerating oxygen but also night vision and faster mining. But, you might have to build a few of them to cover a larger area as one conduit only has a spherical range of 32-96 blocks. As you can expect, this block is a must-have while for underwater builders.
How to Get a Conduit in Minecraft
Conduits don't spawn naturally in your world and instead, you have to craft them manually. To make one, you need the following items:
- 8 Nautilus Shells
- Heart of the Sea (present in Buried Treasure)
- Prismarine/Dark Prismarine/Prismarine Bricks/Sea Lantern
After collecting all the items, you need to make a conduit frame and place the block in its middle. The conduit's abilities and powers only become functional once it's activated.
Respiration to Breathe Underwater in Minecraft (Method 4)
- Maximum Time: 60/70 Seconds (+ 12 seconds of drowning)
- Usage: Unlimited
The Minecraft enchantments are a great way to deal with a variety of restrictions in the game and underwater breathing is no exception. You can add the Respiration enchantment to your helmets to extend the duration of your oxygen bar.
This enchantment has three levels, each adding 15 seconds to your default underwater time. Furthermore, if you apply Respiration to a turtle shell, you can get an extra 10 seconds.
Bubble Columns to Reset Oxygen (Method 5)
- Maximum Time: 15 Seconds (+ 12 seconds of drowning)
- Usage: Requires Reset
As you might know, the oxygen bar slowly refills when you get to the surface of the water. This also happens when you find a pocket of air within underground areas of the water body.
But, what if you could create your oxygen underwater? Follow these steps to learn how:
1. First, search for magma blocks in your world. They spawn on the ocean surface, as a part of ruined portals, and in the walls of ocean ruins.
2. Then, mine the magma blocks using any pickaxe in Minecraft. If you mine them without using a pickaxe, the magma blocks disappear without dropping anything.
3. Next, take the magma block underwater with you and place it down whenever you need air. The magma blocks form a pocket of bubbles above them which can replenish your oxygen.
4. Moreover, the oceans of Minecraft are often filled with these magma air pockets. But, you just need to be careful as the same blocks can also pull you down and cause damage.
Use Doors to Make a Pocket for Air
Alternatively, you can also place down a door inside the water and open it to create a pocket of air. It is a commonly known bug that has been in Java for ages. Moreover, it even works with the new copper doors in Minecraft 1.21.
Breathe Underwater in Minecraft with 5 Methods
With that, you no longer need to hold your breath while exploring the blue waters of Minecraft. But, unless you get Aqua Affinity in Minecraft, mining underwater will still be a hassle. While you are at it, you should also make a boat in Minecraft to escape whenever things go south. Unfortunately, it won’t be as reliable as a Penguin’s grace but it’s better than nothing. Having said that, it’s time for you to hop onto the best Minecraft beach seeds and start exploring!