Overview
Break a block while your head is underwater and it takes five times as long, whether or not your feet are on the ground — that penalty is separate from the one you get for mining while floating, and Aqua Affinity deletes it entirely. There is only one level, so the enchantment is a switch rather than a scale: either your helmet has it and underwater digging feels like dry-land digging, or it does not and every block costs you most of a breath. That makes it quietly essential for a category of build most players attempt eventually. Clearing an ocean monument, digging out a seabed for a glass dome, draining a lagoon by hand, hollowing a shipwreck — all of them are unbearable without it and routine with it. Pair it with Respiration on the same helmet, since the two solve different halves of the same problem: Respiration buys you time, Aqua Affinity makes the time useful. A turtle shell is the ideal carrier if you have five scutes, because it adds its own ten seconds of air on top. What Aqua Affinity does not fix is the slowdown from mining while swimming rather than standing, so find footing before you dig.
Any underwater excavation — clearing a monument, digging a seabed foundation, opening a shipwreck — where the fivefold mining penalty otherwise makes each block cost you a trip to the surface.
Removes the underwater mining-speed penalty. Without it, breaking blocks while submerged takes five times as long, so it is effectively mandatory for underwater building.
Aqua Affinity goes up to I and has a single level. It is a standard enchantment, so an enchanting table can roll it directly.
It carries a weight of 2, which is roughly 6% of everything a table can roll for gear that takes it — so that is about how often you should expect to see it.
How to get it
Enchant a helmet at a table with 15 bookshelves, or apply a book. There is only 1 level, so a single book finishes it forever, and librarians will sell it as a common trade rather than a treasure one.
Tips
- Put it on a Turtle Helmet if you have 5 scutes; the shell's 10 extra seconds of air stack with it.
- It fixes the head-underwater penalty only — stand on the floor rather than swimming, or you are still slowed.
- Pair with Respiration III on the same helmet; the two together make monument work practical.
- A conduit does the same job for a whole area and does not need enchanting at all.
What each level does
Aqua Affinity has a single level. Once it is on the item, more books of it change nothing.
Aqua Affinity I restores full mining speed underwater.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | underwater mining runs at full speed instead of one fifth |
Properties
An enchanting table can offer it directly, and a librarian villager will sell it as a book — rerolling a librarian's trade by breaking and replacing their lectern is the cheapest route to it.
- Maximum level
- I
- Type
- Standard
- From enchanting table
- Yes
- Villager trading
- Yes
- Weight
- 2 (6%)
What it can be applied to
Aqua Affinity can be applied to Helmet.
- Helmet
Gear it goes on
How to get it
Enchanting table or an enchanted book.
The level-30 slot at a fifteen-bookshelf table is where to look; a smaller ring means lower levels and a thinner offer pool.
Command
With cheats on, the first command applies Aqua Affinity I to whatever you are holding; the second hands you an item that already has it. Since 1.20.5 the item form uses the "enchantments" component rather than the old NBT tag.
Apply it
/enchant @s minecraft:aqua_affinity 1Give an enchanted item
/give @s turtle_helmet[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:aqua_affinity":1}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Aqua Affinity?
Aqua Affinity I restores full mining speed underwater.
How do you get Aqua Affinity in Minecraft?
Enchanting table or an enchanted book.
What does Aqua Affinity I do?
Aqua Affinity I underwater mining runs at full speed instead of one fifth.
