Water is dangerous in Minecraft: you run out of air, mining underwater is painfully slow, and walking along the sea floor feels like moving through mud. Three enchantments fix these problems: Respiration, Aqua Affinity and Depth Strider. Together they turn ocean monuments, shipwrecks and underwater builds from frustrating to easy. This guide explains what Respiration does, what Aqua Affinity does, what Depth Strider does in Minecraft, their levels and limits, how to get them, and which other water enchantments are worth having, for Java and Bedrock Edition.
Quick comparison
| Enchantment | Goes on | Max level | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respiration | Helmet | III | Lets you stay underwater longer |
| Aqua Affinity | Helmet | I | Removes the underwater mining speed penalty |
| Depth Strider | Boots | III | Lets you walk faster underwater |
Respiration and Aqua Affinity can both go on the same helmet, and Depth Strider goes on boots, so one set of armor can carry all three.
What does Respiration do in Minecraft?
Respiration extends how long you can breathe underwater. Normally your air bar lasts about 15 seconds before you start drowning. Each level of Respiration adds roughly 15 seconds of breathing time, and it also gives a chance each second that you do not lose air at all, so in practice the effect is even stronger. With Respiration III you can stay underwater for around a minute before you start taking damage, and much longer if you keep surfacing briefly.
- Applies to: helmets, including turtle shells.
- Levels: I to III.
- Best for: ocean monuments, shipwrecks, underwater building and exploring ocean ruins.
Combine it with a turtle shell helmet, which gives 10 seconds of Water Breathing whenever you enter water from the air, and you can explore oceans with very little worry about drowning.
What does Aqua Affinity do in Minecraft?
When you are underwater, you mine blocks five times slower than normal. Aqua Affinity removes that penalty, so you mine at your normal speed while submerged. It has only one level and goes on helmets.
Aqua Affinity matters most when you drain or mine an ocean monument, dig out prismarine, collect sand and gravel from sea beds, or build underwater bases. Note that you are still slowed when you are floating rather than standing on a block: mining while not on the ground is five times slower, and Aqua Affinity does not fix that part, so stand on the sea floor or a block when you mine.
What does Depth Strider do in Minecraft?
Depth Strider increases your movement speed underwater while you walk along the bottom or swim. Water normally slows you heavily. Each level removes about one third of that slowdown, so Depth Strider III lets you move underwater at roughly the same speed as walking on land. It also reduces how much water currents push you around.
- Applies to: boots.
- Levels: I to III.
- Conflicts with: Frost Walker. You cannot have both on the same boots.
- Best for: ocean monuments, building in water, escaping drowned, and moving through flooded caves.
Depth Strider also helps when crossing rivers and swamps on foot, and it speeds up some water-based farms where you need to move around inside water.
How to get these enchantments
- Enchanting table: all three can appear on helmets and boots at an enchanting table. For the best chance at high levels, use 15 bookshelves; see how to make a book.
- Enchanted books: from librarian villagers, fishing, and chests, then apply them with an anvil.
- Loot: drowned and other mobs sometimes drop enchanted armor, and structure chests can contain enchanted gear.
Other water enchantments
| Enchantment | Item | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Frost Walker | Boots | Freezes water into frosted ice as you walk; conflicts with Depth Strider |
| Riptide | Trident | Launches you forward when thrown in water or rain |
| Loyalty | Trident | Thrown trident returns to you |
| Channeling | Trident | Summons lightning on the target during thunderstorms |
| Impaling | Trident | Extra damage to aquatic mobs (Java), or to mobs in water or rain (Bedrock) |
| Luck of the Sea | Fishing rod | Better chance of treasure |
| Lure | Fishing rod | Fish bite sooner |
Best underwater gear setup
- Helmet: Respiration III + Aqua Affinity + Protection IV + Unbreaking III + Mending. A turtle shell can carry the same enchantments.
- Boots: Depth Strider III + Feather Falling IV + Protection IV + Unbreaking III + Mending.
- Weapon: a trident with Loyalty or Riptide, or a sword with Sharpness.
- Potions: Water Breathing and Night Vision make long dives easy; see the potions guide.
- Conduit: once you have a heart of the sea and nautilus shells, a conduit gives Conduit Power in a large area: water breathing, night vision underwater and faster mining.
Tips
- Place doors or signs underwater to create air pockets for a quick breath.
- Bring buckets of axolotls to help fight drowned and guardians; see axolotls.
- Use dolphins: swimming near them gives Dolphin’s Grace for much faster swimming.
- Do not combine Frost Walker and Depth Strider plans on one pair of boots; keep two pairs if you want both.
Water enchantments FAQ
What does Respiration do in Minecraft?
It extends underwater breathing by about 15 seconds per level and lowers the chance of losing air.
What does Aqua Affinity do in Minecraft?
It removes the five times slower mining speed underwater.
What does Depth Strider do in Minecraft?
It makes you move faster underwater, up to land speed at level III.
Can you have Depth Strider and Frost Walker together?
No. They are mutually exclusive.
Raiding an ocean monument with water enchantments
Ocean monuments are where these three enchantments matter most. Guardians shoot lasers, and the three elder guardians give Mining Fatigue III, which makes breaking blocks almost impossible. Respiration III lets you swim between air pockets and explore rooms without rushing. Depth Strider III lets you outrun guardian lasers along the floor and reach the elder guardians quickly. Aqua Affinity keeps your mining speed normal when you dig into the monument, collect sponges or break prismarine walls, once the Mining Fatigue is cured. Pair them with Night Vision and milk buckets to remove Mining Fatigue, and the monument becomes a manageable mid-game project instead of a death trap.
Which to get first?
If you can only get one, choose Respiration, because drowning is the biggest danger underwater and it helps in every water activity. Next, Depth Strider makes moving around underwater far less tiring and is useful for crossing rivers too. Aqua Affinity comes last unless you plan a big underwater build or want to clear a monument, but since it is a single level and cheap to add with an anvil, most players put it on their main helmet eventually.
Do these enchantments work in lava?
No. Respiration and Aqua Affinity only affect water, and Depth Strider does not speed you up in lava. For lava, use Fire Resistance potions, Fire Protection armor, or a strider with a saddle in the Nether.
Do they work for swimming fast?
Depth Strider mainly helps when walking or swimming normally. When you sprint-swim, the effect is smaller, so for fast long-distance travel underwater the best boost is Dolphin’s Grace from swimming near dolphins, or a trident with Riptide when it is raining.
Should you put these on every set of armor?
No. Most players keep one main armor set with Protection, Unbreaking and Mending, and add Respiration, Aqua Affinity and Depth Strider to it because they never hurt on land. If you use Frost Walker for crossing oceans on foot, keep a second pair of boots with Depth Strider for diving. Swapping boots takes a second, and both pairs stay useful for years in a survival world.