Depth Strider in Minecraft: Walk Underwater at Land Speed
Each Depth Strider level removes a third of the water slowdown, so level III walks underwater at land speed. Its other effects, sources, and Frost Walker.
Depth Strider makes you move faster in water. Each level removes a third of the usual water slowdown, so Depth Strider III lets you walk underwater as fast as on land. It’s a boot enchantment with three levels, and it can’t share boots with Frost Walker.
| Level | Water slowdown removed |
|---|---|
| I | 1/3 |
| II | 2/3 |
| III | All of it: same speed as walking on land |
Levels past III do nothing extra. At III, Speed potions also affect your movement in water the way they do on land.
What else it does
- Flowing water pushes you around a third less per level, so rivers and water streams stop dragging you around.
- On Java, it stacks with Dolphin’s Grace. Swim next to dolphins with Depth Strider III and you’ll cross an ocean faster than a boat. The wiki lists this as a bug, so it could change, and Bedrock doesn’t stack the two.
- It only affects horizontal movement. Vertical swimming speed doesn’t change.
- It only works in the boots slot. Older Java versions let it work on horse armor; that was removed in 1.20.5.
Getting Depth Strider
Depth Strider has a low weight on the enchanting table (2, the same as Respiration), so a pair of boots will often roll Protection or Feather Falling instead. Keep rerolling or use a book. Books come from fishing, loot chests and librarians. Under the experimental Villager Trade Rebalance, only swamp librarians sell it, alongside Respiration and Mending, which makes a swamp trading hall worth the effort.
A Depth Strider III book from a default librarian costs 11 to 45 emeralds, the same range as any level III book.
Depth Strider or Frost Walker?
Pick Depth Strider for your main boots. It helps in ocean monuments, underwater building and any time you fall into a river. Frost Walker is a fun travel tool for crossing water on the surface, and it protects you from magma blocks, but it doesn’t help once you’re actually in the water.
If you want both, keep a second pair of Frost Walker boots in an ender chest and swap them in for long surface trips.
Where it pays off
- Ocean monuments. Guardians are easier to dodge at land speed, and you can walk the corridors instead of fighting the current.
- Underwater building and digging. Walking along the seabed keeps you on solid ground, which matters for mining speed. Pair it with a helmet that has Respiration and Aqua Affinity.
- Rivers and flooded caves. Falling into fast water stops being a problem, because the current barely moves you at level III.
A full set of boots
A full set of boots looks like this: Feather Falling IV, Protection IV, Depth Strider III, Unbreaking III and Mending. If you want even faster underwater travel, a Riptide trident launches you through water at speed.
Common questions
Should I use Depth Strider or Frost Walker?
Depth Strider for most players. It makes you fast underwater and in water currents, while Frost Walker only helps you cross the surface. They conflict, so you can't have both on one pair of boots.
Does Depth Strider make you swim faster?
It speeds up horizontal movement in water, including swimming. It does nothing for sinking or rising.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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