As part of your Minecraft adventures , you’ve finally decided that the time has come to explore the seabed. In fact, you have heard that these places can hide many treasures to discover. Unfortunately, however, this undertaking does not seem easy to you, given that every time you dive you have a very limited time before you run out of oxygen.
So a significant doubt has arisen in your mind: how to breathe underwater in Minecraft ? Don’t worry, this is something many players have wondered about over the years, and I’m here to help you learn more about this mechanic.
In fact, you should know that Mojang has set up a large number of tools to allow players to properly explore the seabed, so you simply need to know where to look. You can find all the details, relating to both the Java and Bedrock versions of the game, in the following chapters: having said this, there is nothing left for me to do, other than wish you happy reading and (above all) have fun!
Preliminary indications
Since you are wondering how to breathe underwater in Minecraft , I would say that it is best to first provide you with some preliminary information regarding this game mechanic. In fact, you should know that underwater exploration is an activity that can be very profitable, as it allows you to find many hidden treasures and obtain very useful objects , for example by finding ruins or wrecks , which hide chests .
This operation, however, is limited , since the character only has a few seconds available , about twenty, before he starts losing health points , which forces the player to go back to the surface to recover oxygen.
Although this may seem like sufficient time to carry out various operations, you must also consider that, as you go deeper and deeper, you have less visibility and are forced to take more time to orient yourself and get an idea of the surrounding environment. In short, it is practically impossible to seriously carry out an exploration of this type without taking the necessary precautions . For this reason, what you might be interested in doing is following the instructions that I will provide you in the next chapters, in order to be able to extend your stay underwater without any risk.
How to breathe underwater in Minecraft Java
The version of the Mojang title that has been available on the market the longest is the Java PC edition of Minecraft . I therefore think it is right to start with the indications relating to the latter: below you can find different methods for breathing underwater in this context.
Potion for breathing underwater
The first solution that I recommend you consider in this area is linked to the creation of the Aquatic Breathing Potion . Yes, you understood correctly: exactly as with other potions related to Minecraft , there is the possibility of using a consumable of this type to make your character breathe for 3 minutes or 8 minutes underwater without any problem.
What you need, as is also the case in other contexts, is first and foremost an Alembic , which is the tool that allows you to create potions in Minecraft. How can it be created? You need to place 1 unit of Blaze Rod and 3 units of Cobblestone on a workbench . For the Cobblestone you might be interested in consulting my guide on how to make a Cobblestone Generator , while for the Blaze Rod you might be interested in going to the Nether to defeat the Blaze .
In any case, you will also need some Ampoules , since you need a container for the aforementioned potion. You can create 3 Ampoules by placing 3 Glass units (two on the sides and one on the bottom) into a workbench . You might also be interested in learning more about my tutorial on how to make glass in Minecraft .
At this point, you must fill the ampoules with water : you can do this simply by interacting with them on the surface of a block of water or by using a Cauldron , previously filled with this liquid with the help of a Bucket .
Now that you have obtained the Ampoule of Water , you must place it inside the Alembic , in one of the three slots at the bottom reserved for this object. To activate the reaction, however, you need a reagent and a fuel . As for the latter, you need to get some Blaze Dust , which you can easily get by dismantling, at a workbench , a Blaze Rod . As a reagent, however, you must use the Nether Wart . As you can imagine, it is an object that you find in the Nether: to be precise, it is a plant that you can easily spot in this place. In any case, the first thing you can do is place the Nether Wart at the top center of the Alembic, placing the Blaze Powder at the top left instead , so as to obtain it after a while, also taking advantage of the Vial of water , the Strange Potion .
This potion is the basis for achieving your goal. Therefore, leaving the Strange Potion inside the Alembic , use the top slot of the Alembic to add a Puffer Fish as a reagent. You can find these cute little fish in the ocean . It might take a while, but you’ll eventually get the much-needed 3-Minute Water Breathing Potion .
If you want advice, though, your explorations may need more time . For this reason, you might be interested in, leaving the Potion where it is, inserting some Redstone Powder at the top as a reagent, so as to expand the duration of the Potion’s effect to 8 minutes .
Perfect, now you are aware of the main method , which you can also use in Survival mode , to allow your character to move “undisturbed” underwater . In any case, you might be interested in using the Aquatic Breathing Potion just before diving, simply by holding down the right mouse button, while your character is holding the Potion. In this way, the appearance of a special box at the top right will confirm that the effect is active and you will therefore be able, for example, to proceed more calmly in search of the treasure map .
Breathing Enchantment
Another useful tip I can give you to help you achieve your goal is to enchant a helmet with the Breathing bonus . This particular effect in fact allows you to extend your stay underwater for 15 seconds longer than normal, at level 1 of the enchantment, up to a maximum of 45 seconds , for what concerns level 3 .
All you need is any Helmet , an Anvil , the tool related to the application of this bonus, and the appropriate Enchanted Book . As for the Anvil , you can create one with 3 units of Iron Block and 4 units of Iron Ingot . If in doubt, you can consult my specific guide on how to create an anvil in Minecraft for more details.
To obtain the Enchanted Book with Breathing bonus , however, I recommend that you consult what I explained to you in my tutorial on how to make a book on Minecraft . When you have everything you need, open the Anvil interface and insert the Helmet and the Enchanted Book with the Breathing bonus into the appropriate slots .
Conducted Energy Enhancement
Although I believe that the most suitable official solutions for this purpose are the already in-depth Aquatic Breathing Potion and Breathing Enchantment , it is also worth quickly focusing on another possibility: the Conducted Energy bonus , which you can obtain by creating a specific structure in the seabed marine . In short, you may already have understood why I am a little reluctant to recommend this procedure to you.
However, you may still be interested to know that in the world of Minecraft there is an element called Conduit . Long story short, this item allows nearby characters to breathe and see better underwater . In simple terms, it is more of a solution designed to let you build buildings underwater, rather than for exploration, but since it also allows you to dig faster , you might find this possibility interesting.
Well, to take advantage of the Conducted Energy bonus , you must first have between 16 and 42 blocks of Prismarine , a material that you find near the oceanic ruins , just as you obviously must have a Conduit . The latter is obtained at a workbench by combining 1 unit of Heart of the Sea (to be placed in the center) and 8 units of Nautilus Shells . As for the Heart of the Sea , this can rarely be found in chests buried in the ocean , while Nautilus Shells are obtained from fishing, from zombies in the water or by exchanging them for emeralds at a wandering merchant.
Once you have the Conduit , you must build the structure to activate the Conducted Energy bonus . As I mentioned, you need a variable number of Prismarine Blocks , as this bonus can be applied 16 blocks away for every 7 blocks used in the structure . You can, therefore, get a bonus that covers up to 96 blocks away .
First, place 9 block units on the backdrop to create a cross . Once this is done, at the ends place 1 block unit on each. Once you get to this point, place a square structure on the next upper level, made up of 16 blocks .
After having carried out this operation, you must build the next two levels in a mirror image, adding the 4 blocks on the sides of the square and the 9 blocks to make the cross. You will therefore find yourself in front of a structure, inside which, exactly in the centre, you must place the Conduit . Therefore, use any block just to carry out this procedure.
If you have followed what I explained to you to the letter, you will have built the structure for the Conduit , which will activate immediately and apply the Conducted Energy bonus within its radius of action, guaranteeing you all the effects I previously referred to.
Enable Creative mode
I know: compared to the possibilities illustrated previously , playing in Creative mode is probably the most obvious advice. In fact, in this specific game mode the character is immortal and will not suffer any negative effects when he is underwater, being able to remain free-diving without risking anything. Sure, there’s no sense of challenge, but it might still interest you.
In any case, you can start a new game in Creative mode directly from the world creation menu. However, if you already have a world started in Survival mode , you can change mode via the command console : to do this, press the Esc key during a game and, in the menu that appears on the screen, click on the Open in LAN button . At this point, press the Commands button , so that the word Yes appears , and confirm the operation by pressing the Start the world on LAN button .
At this point, press the T key to open the chat and type the command , followed by pressing the Enter/gamemode creative key . By doing so, Creative mode will be activated and you can safely swim underwater, without worrying about the oxygen level . In any case, you can return to Survival mode at any time using the command . For more details, you might be interested in reading my guide on how to change modes in Minecraft ./gamemode survival
Workarounds for Breathing Underwater in Minecraft Java
In addition to the possibilities I referred to in previous chapters , you may be interested to know that there are also other methods for making your character breathe underwater, even if they may be “less interesting” than what has already been explained.
To be clear, one possibility is to use a simple door , to be placed on the seabed, so that an air pocket is created between the blocks of water , capable of allowing your character to catch his breath. To build a door, you simply place 6 units of Wooden Planks on a workbench.
In reality, however, you can use any object that doesn’t take up the entire space of a block , so that an air pocket can form between the water and the object itself. For example , banners can be useful for this purpose if you place them on top of each other. However, you understand well that these methods discovered by the community over the years are a bit “artisanal”, so you may have some problems in implementing them (but I wanted to explain to you what some users usually do).
How to breathe underwater in Minecraft Bedrock
An edition of the Mojang game that is particularly spreading over the years is Bedrock , available for Windows 10 / Windows 11 PCs , mobile devices and consoles. You may therefore be looking for more information on mechanics relating to this context as well.
Well, in reality in the chapter relating to Minecraft Java there are already many indications that may be right for you, given that over time the differences between the versions have narrowed a bit. Also in this case, therefore, it is absolutely recommended to use an apnea potion (yes, the name is different here), preferably extended to 8 minutes . The creation procedure is the same.
What you may encounter, however, are differences in terms of element names . To be clear, the ampoule in this case is called Glass Ampoule , but above all the crushed stone is called Pebbles . Redstone dust is then Redstone Dust . In short, pay a little attention to these differences, but otherwise you shouldn’t have any problems reaching your goal (remembering to always use Blaze Powder as fuel at the top left of the Alembic).
For the rest, since you are becoming passionate about the Mojang title , I would like to let you know that there is a page on my site dedicated to Minecraft . In this you can find multiple other tutorials related to the game, which is why you might be interested in taking a look at the whole thing.
