Respiration Minecraft: How To Breathe Underwater
Last updated: Mar 31, 2025 • 5 min readWho wouldn’t want to explore the oceans of this game without limitations? Sadly, the breathing time underwater is not the greatest - if you stay underwater for a few seconds, you might end up drowning.
Luckily, there’s a powerful enchantment that helps players breathe underwater. We are talking about Respiration Minecraft, an enchantment that will surely make your adventure more enjoyable.
It’s time to dive deep into the mysteries of the underwater Minecraft world! In this blog post, we’ll provide you unique information about:
- What is respiration in Minecraft, and why do you need it;
- How to increase underwater breathing time with this enchantment;
- How to find Respiration Enchantments in Minecraft.
What’s the Respiration Enchantment?
Respiration is one of the many enchantments that players find in this game. Specifically, Respiration is considered a helmet enchantment, which means you can only enchant a helmet with it.
Understanding Enchantments in Minecraft
So, what does Respiration do in Minecraft? First, we need to understand how enchantments work.
Minecraft is full of secret places and locations that can’t be easily explored without enchantments. Obviously, Respiration is not the only enchantment available in this world, but it’s one of the best that you can get.
Enchantments are just tools to improve your adventure in Minecraft. Some players decide to enchant armor, some others do it with weapons, but the truth is that most players can’t just enjoy Minecraft without using one or two enchantments in the process.
This is interesting because, at first, the Respiration Enchantment had a fairly insignificant history, but that has changed over the years.
What Does Respiration Do in Minecraft?
As you might know, the default time for staying underwater is just 15 seconds - if you spend more seconds underwater, you’ll be drowning in no time.
Fortunately, that changes with the Respiration Enchantment: you will have extended underwater breathing time!
But, how much extra time will you get to breathe underwater? We are about to find out.
Increase Underwater Breathing Time with Minecraft Respiration!
One of the best things about the Respiration Enchantment is that it not only increases the duration that you can remain underwater, but it also grants the players with improved vision to see better underwater.
Be careful, though - once the effect of the Respiration Enchantment finishes, you will still take drowning damage.
Levels of the Respiration Enchantment
Depending on the Enchantment Level of Respiration, you’ll get additional seconds underwater. There are three tiers of this enchantment: Respiration I, Respiration II and Respiration III.
It basically works like this:
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Respiration Minecraft vs. Other Underwater Breathing Methods
At this point, it’s pretty clear that Respiration increases underwater breathing.
Nevertheless, there are other methods that also work for this matter, aren’t there? So, what makes the Respiration Enchantment so special? It’s time to find out.
Pro-tip
If you want to explore the most exciting water locations in Minecraft, you better get the Frost Walker enchantment. Put it on your boots and just walk on water at your will!
Comparison Table
In this table, we’ll compare three of the main methods to achieve underwater breathing in Minecraft.
/table/
Read Also
Besides the potions of enchantments mentioned above, there’s also another way to extend the time you spend underwater: Conduit in Minecraft.
How to get Respiration in Minecraft
It’s impossible to craft Respiration in Minecraft. The only way to find this enchantment is naturally in the world.
Find it in the World or on an Enchantment Table
There are three main ways to find Respiration:
/table/
How to Enchant a Helmet with Respiration Minecraft
As we mentioned earlier, you can only apply Respiration to a helmet. This is an easy process that won’t take you more than just a few minutes.
Pro-Tip
To maximize the already powerful effects of Respiration, we highly recommend using this enchantment with a Turtle Shell Helmet. A turtle shell helmet will add an additional 10 seconds to the extra time you already have to swim under the ocean!
Go to an Anvil or an Enchanting Table to Obtain an Enchanted Helmet
There are two ways to enchant helmets with Respiration:
- Enchantment Table: Just put the helmet there and select the Respiration option when it appears. Remember that using Lapis Lazuli is crucial in this process.
- Anvil: The Anvil in Minecraft can also be used to enchant helmets. Put the helmet and the Enchantment Book right next to it to do the trick.
There you go - recently enchanted helmet with Respiration to use whenever you want!
Breathing Underwater has Never Been this Easy!
In Minecraft, what seems to be the simplest things are still full of memorable and fun stories to be told.
Respiration is more than just a common enchantment: it is a game-changer tool that will allow you to see more than you imagined!
FAQ
How Good is Respiratory 3?
It’s really good. With Respiration III, you will receive almost an extra minute to explore the sea at your will!
Is Respiration Rare in Minecraft?
Even though finding Respiration depends mainly on luck, it’s still not that rare to find it. You just need to be a little patient - eventually, you’ll get the enchantment.
Can You Put Respiration on Boots?
No. You can only put Respiration on helmets - nothing more.