How to Breathe Underwater in Minecraft

When you have the water breathing status in Minecraft, you can easily traverse the deeper parts of any water body. You can use different things to gain water breathing ability in the game, such as a potion and a Conduit.

So, check out the guide below on how to breathe underwater in Minecraft if you are going on an adventure to the deep, dark, and unknown waters.

Using the Potion of Water Breathing

Potions always give you the upper hand in the game when you use them properly. Potion of Water Breathing is useful when you need to be underwater for a long time.

How to Brew a Potion of Water Breathing?

Before we get on to the potion making, you will need to collect the following ingredients to brew the potion. 

Once you have all the materials, follow us with these steps below to prepare the potion you need.

1. Open the Brewing Stand’s GUI and place the Blaze powder on the left.
2. Place the Water Bottles at the bottom of the Stand.
3. Add the Nether Wart on the top of the GUI and wait for the brewing to finish.
4. Once the brewing is complete, your water bottles change into Awkward potions.
   
5. With the Awkward potions in the same place, add the Puffer Fish in the input section at the top and let the potion brew.
6. You can grab the Potion of Water Breathing once it’s brewed and place them in your inventory.
   

It is also helpful to make a Lingering potion of Water breathing and use them on arrows, creating arrows of water breathing. You can then hit yourself/other players to help them have the same effect.

How to make the Potion of Water Breathing (Extended)?

The potion of water breathing will give you the ability to breathe underwater for up to three minutes. If you wish to increase the duration of the effect, consider following the steps below:

1. Take your Potion of Water Breathing and place it at the bottom of the Brewing Stand.
2. Place a Redstone at the top of the Stand.
3. With adequate fuel from the Blaze powder, the potion will start to brew.
4. It is best to wait until your potions are fully cooked and place them in your inventory.
   

After using the Redstone to brew the potion further, you extend the duration for the potion’s effect for up to eight minutes.

It is best to remember that the potion of water breathing comes in only one level. So you cannot use Glowstone dust to increase the potion level.

Set Up a Conduit to Breathe Underwater

Conduits are blocks that look like beacons and are a powerful item to use underwater in Minecraft. It not only lets you breathe underwater but also gives you a night vision and haste status boost if you set it up properly.

Unfortunately, a Conduit requires you to put in a good deal of legwork as the materials needed for conduits are not easy to gather. For instance, you can only find the Heart of the Sea, a key material in the process, in buried treasures.

Likewise, the Natilus Shell is also a rare item you can find while fishing or trading with a Wandering Trader. You will need eight shells, so grab the rod and start fishing.

Crafting the Conduit

Once you find the Heart of the Sea and all the Natilus Shell, follow the steps to craft a conduit.

1. Place the Heart of the Sea in the middle of the Crafting Table GUI.
2. Surround it with Natilus Shell in each of the empty spaces.
3. Grab the Conduit from the product section of the GUI and place it in your inventory.
   

Building the Conduit Frame

You cannot breathe underwater right after making the Conduit, as you need to build a frame for it as well. You have to build it underwater and with Prismarine blocks or Sea Lanterns. Try the following steps below for a working Conduit frame.

1. Choose the place underwater where you want your Conduit. It has quite a long-range, so you do not have to worry about it much.
2. Place a temporary block where you want the Conduit to be.
3. Right below the temporary block, place a Prismarine block. 
4. Then place two more on each side of the previously placed Prismarine. You should end up with two 5×1 block lines in a cross. You can also check the picture below for an easier illustration. It will act as the base of the frame.
   
5. Build five-block pillars on each end of the base. 
6. On the upper side of the pillars, copy the design of the base and build two 5×1 Prismarine blocks across each other.
7. Now, count from the top of the pillar to the bottom up to three blocks. Place two blocks going sideways of the frame. Do the same until you have a square in the middle. Your build should look like the picture below.
   
8. Lastly, place the Conduit on the temporary block and break it. Make sure the Conduit does not have any block touching it.

Your frame should be complete, and the Conduit will activate. You can see it open when it activates and hear a ‘whizz’ sound. You will immediately have night vision and be able to breathe underwater.

Additionally, the Conduit also defends you from the drowned or other hostile mobs underwater. However, the Conduit’s defense range is not too high, so it is best to be careful while venturing away from it. 

Other Ways to Breathe Underwater

The potion of Water Breathing and the Conduit are the main things that let you breathe underwater. Technically, there are certain items in the game to help you breathe underwater. But these items only allow you to breathe for a longer period. 

Turtle Shell

When you equip it, Turtle Shell lets you breathe for a total of ten seconds underwater. You can craft it using Scutes that you collect after turtles mate. The recipe for a turtle shell is the same as a helmet.

Respiration Enchantment

Minecraft gives you respiration enchantments that you can use to breathe for a longer duration. You can use the enchantment table to find the respiration enchant you want. However, unlike the potion of Water breathing and the Conduit, it does not let you breathe underwater for an infinite amount of time. You will need to come back for air once in a while with such enchants.