I still remember the first time I tried to loot an ocean monument, two hours into a new survival world. I’d spent 20 minutes swimming out to the structure, had full iron armor and a sharpness II sword, and made it all of 10 feet inside before I ran out of air. I panicked, couldn’t find my way back to the surface fast enough, and lost all my gear before I even saw a single guardian. It wasn’t until a friend walked me through how to make water breathing potion in Minecraft that I realized I’d been making underwater exploration way harder than it needed to be. This simple utility potion removes the biggest stress of underwater travel, and it’s far easier to brew than most new players assume.
What You’ll Need to Brew a Water Breathing Potion
Before you start brewing, you’ll need to gather a few core items, some of which require a trip to the Nether first. Don’t stress if you haven’t visited the Nether yet; the trip is worth it for this potion alone, plus you’ll unlock access to dozens of other useful potions once you have the core brewing supplies. You’ll need a Brewing Stand first, which you can craft with 1 blaze rod and 3 cobblestone. You’ll also need Blaze Powder to power the stand, which you get by placing a blaze rod in any crafting grid slot.
Next, gather the ingredients for the potion itself: Nether Wart, which grows on soul sand in Nether fortresses, Pufferfish, which you can catch while fishing in any ocean biome (or rarely get as a drop from guardians), 3 Glass Bottles, and access to a water source. You can make glass bottles by smelting sand in a furnace to get glass, then arranging 3 glass blocks in a “v” shape in a crafting grid. If you’re playing with friends, you can split a single batch of 3 potions between the group, so you don’t have to brew separate batches for everyone.
A quick tip for new players: if you’re struggling to catch pufferfish, use a fishing rod with the Lure enchantment. It cuts down on fishing wait time significantly, and you’ll have a higher chance of catching rare items like pufferfish instead of junk like leather boots or sticks. I usually keep an enchanted fishing rod in my storage chest specifically for gathering potion ingredients.
Step-by-Step Process to Make Water Breathing Potion in Minecraft
Brewing this potion is straightforward once you have all your supplies, but there are a couple of common mistakes that can waste your hard-earned ingredients. Start by filling all 3 of your glass bottles with water by right-clicking any water source with the empty bottles in your hand. Place the 3 water bottles in the bottom 3 slots of your brewing stand interface.
Add your Blaze Powder to the top left slot of the brewing stand to power it. Next, place your Nether Wart in the top center slot of the stand. You’ll see the progress bar start to move, and after a few seconds, your water bottles will turn into Awkward Potions. This is the base for almost every useful potion in Minecraft, so don’t skip this step. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to add pufferfish directly to water bottles because I was in a hurry, and it never works.
Once you have your Awkward Potions, leave them in the bottom slots, and place your Pufferfish in the top center slot. Wait for the progress bar to finish, and you’ll have 3 standard Water Breathing Potions that last 3 minutes each. Don’t use regular raw fish or tropical fish instead of pufferfish – that’s the most common mistake new brewers make, and it will just waste your Awkward Potions. Pufferfish have a distinct spiky icon in your inventory, so you’ll know you have the right item when you see it.
Practical Upgrades for Your Water Breathing Potion
The standard 3-minute potion works fine for quick trips to shallow underwater ruins or buried treasure spots, but if you’re planning longer adventures, you’ll want to upgrade it. There are 3 main upgrades you can apply, depending on your playstyle and what resources you have access to:
Each upgrade has its own pros and cons, so pick what works for your current goal. For example, I only use lingering potions when I’m working on a big underwater build, and stick to extended 8-minute potions for most regular exploration. Splash potions are great for groups, but if you’re playing solo, you probably won’t need them very often.
Smart Ways to Use Your Water Breathing Potion
Now that you have your potion, you might be wondering what the best use cases are beyond just not drowning. There are a ton of hidden perks to using this potion that a lot of new players never notice, and it can make some of the most annoying survival tasks way easier.
First, it’s non-negotiable for ocean monument raids. Elder Guardians inflict mining fatigue III on anyone within range, which makes it almost impossible to break blocks to create air pockets. Without water breathing, you’ll be stuck rushing to the surface every 30 seconds, and you’ll probably die before you can take out all the elders. Pair your water breathing potion with a potion of night vision and you’ll be able to see every corner of the monument, so you can find the gold blocks and sponge rooms faster.
It’s also a game changer for underwater base building. I used to spend more time placing doors and temporary torches to create air pockets than I did actually building my base, before I started using these potions. With an 8-minute extended potion, you can build for a full in-game day without having to stop for air. If you’re building in a deep ocean biome, you can even use it to explore the underwater cave systems below your base for rare ores like diamond and lapis.
One small hack I picked up a few years ago: if you’re fighting a Drowned that has a trident, drink a water breathing potion before engaging. Drowned are way faster and stronger underwater than they are on the surface, but with water breathing, you don’t have to lure them to the surface to fight them. You can stay underwater and dodge their attacks easier, and you won’t have to worry about running out of air mid-fight. Just make sure you don’t drink the potion too early – wait until you’re just about to submerge, so you don’t waste the first 30 seconds of duration while you’re still on your boat.
At the end of the day, this is one of the most underrated utility potions in Minecraft, especially for players who love exploring new biomes. A lot of new players avoid brewing because it seems complicated, but once you memorize the simple steps, you’ll wonder how you ever played without it. Knowing how to make water breathing potion in minecraft opens up the entire ocean biome, which is full of rare loot, unique building spots, and fun challenges you won’t find anywhere else in the game. Next time you spot an ocean monument on the horizon, grab a few of these potions before you head out – you won’t regret it.