Swimming
Swimming is a game mechanic that allows a player to move in any direction (horizontally or vertically) while underwater in a Minecraft world. A player may also swim across the Water's surface.
This mechanic functions the same way when swimming in lava, but if playing in survival mode, a player will not be able to stay in the lava for long before they burn to death unless they have Fire Resistance.
Overview
In Java Edition, swimming is achieved by pressing (or holding down) space while on the PS3 edition this is achieved by pressing and/or holding . In the Xbox editions, swimming is achieved by pressing and/or holding A. Swimming is necessary to survive in nearly every environment containing water since only two blocks-deep of water are needed for a player to drown.
Players move slower when swimming than on land.
Modifying factors
- The speed penalty on a swimming player is reduced if they are wearing boots that are enchanted with the Depth Strider enchantment (1/3 reduction per level).
- The Respiration enchantment slows the rate of air loss for a player (100%) which allows for longer periods of time underwater without drowning. It will also reduce the damage taken by a player after they run out of air.
- The Water Breathing status effect, obtained from a Potion of Water Breathing, Arrow of Water Breathing, or turtle helmet will prevent a player's air level from going down.
- The Fire Resistance status effect, obtained from a Potion of Fire Resistance or Arrow of Fire Resistance, will allow a player to swim safely in lava in survival mode as long as the effect lasts.