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.