Water Breathing in Minecraft

This Minecraft tutorial explains the Water Breathing effect with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

Supported Platforms

The Water Breathing effect is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

PlatformSupported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac) Java Edition (PC/Mac)Yes (1.7.2)
Pocket Edition (PE) Pocket Edition (PE)Yes
Xbox 360 Xbox 360Yes
Xbox One Xbox OneYes
PS3 PS3Yes
PS4 PS4Yes
Wii U Wii UYes
Nintendo Switch Nintendo SwitchYes
Windows 10 Edition Windows 10 EditionYes
Education Edition Education EditionYes

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Background

The Water Breathing effect is a status effect that lets you breathe underwater without using up the oxygen bar.

There are levels of Water Breathing such as Water Breathing II, Water Breathing III, Water Breathing IV and so on. Currently, there are no advantages to using higher levels of Water Breathing.

Status Effect Water Breathing
Type Helpful Effect
Description Allows you to breathe underwater without using up the oxygen bar
Effect Icon water breathing
Particles Blue particle effects appear floating around you
Items that give Effect turtle shell Turtle Shell
arrow of water breathing Arrow of Water Breathing (0:22)
arrow of water breathing Arrow of Water Breathing (1:00)
potion of water breathing Potion of Water Breathing (3:00)
potion of water breathing Potion of Water Breathing (8:00)
splash potion of water breathing Splash Potion (3:00/2:15)
splash potion of water breathing Splash Potion (8:00/6:00)
lingering potion of water breathing Lingering Potion (0:45)
lingering potion of water breathing Lingering Potion (2:00)
Game Command /effect command

Icon and Particle Effects

When you have the Water Breathing effect, the following icon will appear in the top right corner of your screen (in older versions of Minecraft, the effect icons only appears when you are viewing the inventory menu):

water breathing icon

You will also see particle effects floating around you. In the latest version of Minecraft, these particle effects will be blue.

water breathing particles

When the Water Breathing effect wears off, the icon and particle effects will disappear. You will be back to your normal status.

Duration

Depending on how you get the effect, the duration of the Water Breathing effect will be different. To see how much time is remaining for the effect, go to your inventory menu.

water breathing icon

In this example, it says 2:40 under Water Breathing so this means that there is 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining of the Water Breathing effect.

Items that give the Water Breathing Effect

The following are items that give the Water Breathing effect in Minecraft:

Effect ID and Name

See a complete list of Minecraft Effects that is interactive and searchable.

Effect Command for Water Breathing