How to Dive and Swim Underwater in GTA V

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

When Grand Theft Auto hit the shelves, it quickly became one of the most popular games of the year, and for good reason. Aside from the thrill of stealing cars and going on crazy heists, the player is given the freedom to explore the open world in a variety of ways. You can play golf, go to a bar, or simply drive around the beachside. You can even go for a swim, whether it’s in Michael’s in-ground sometimes

Things You Should Know

Walk into water to automatically begin treading, then use the left stick or WASD keys to swim left, right, forward, and back.
Press the R1 button (PS3), RB button (Xbox 360), or Spacebar (PC) to dive. Your controls are inverted while you’re underwater.
Surface before your health meter runs out or you will die.

Steps

1
Find a body of water. Because GTA V takes place in an area based off in California, finding a body of water isn’t exactly challenging. If you’re playing like Michael, you can practice swimming in your own backyard. If you’d like to try swimming in a more open area, there are a few open lakes that feed into the rivers.
- The Tataviam mountain range has a large body of water in its center and is located just outside of Los Santos, in the Northeast.
- To the north of Los Santos, located in the middle of Vinewood, is another large lake.
- Aside from the ocean, the largest body of water is the Alamo Sea, which feeds into several small rivers. The Alamo Sea is located to the west of Sandy Shores.
Tip: The world of GTA V is surrounded on all sides by water, so if you continue in one direction for long enough, you’re sure to find the ocean eventually.
2
Enter the water. You can enter the water simply by walking into it. Once the depth passes over your character’s head, they’ll immediately begin treading water.

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3
Start swimming. While on the surface, use the left stick (PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One) or WASD keys on the PC to swim forwards, backward, left, or right.
- WASD movement keys on PC are as follows: W moves forwards, S moves back, A moves left, and D moves right.
4
Accelerate while swimming. To accelerate your character’s speed, repeatedly tap the X Button (PS3/PS4), A button (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the Shift key (PC).
5
Dive underwater. To dive underwater, press the R1 button (PS3), RB button (Xbox 360), or Spacebar (PC), and your character will dive below the surface.
6
Swim while underwater. To go forward while underwater press X (PS3/PS4), A (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or Left Shift (PC) to swim forward. Your controls are inverted while underwater (similar to plane controls). To swim up and surface, hold down on the left stick and X (PS3/PS4), or A (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or hold S and Left Shift (PC). To dive down, hold up on the left stick and press X (PS3/PS4), A (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or W and Left Shift (PC). Navigate left and right by pressing the left stick left or right, or by pressing the A and D keys on the PC.
7
Attack while swimming. While in the water, the only weapon you can use is a knife. In case you need to defend yourself from sharks, you can equip the knife by pressing the L1 button (PS3/PS4), LB button (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or Tab key (PC). With the knife equipped, attack by pressing the Circle button (PS3/PS4), B button (Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the R key (PC).
- You can attack while submerged or while treading water on the surface.
8
Check your health. You can’t stay submerged forever. There is a light blue meter in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, next to your character’s health. This indicates how long they can stay underwater. Once the light blue meter runs out, your character will begin to lose health very quickly. If you do not surface before their health runs out, you will die.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I swim in GTA for PS4?

Community Answer

Use the left joystick to go farther down right joystick to go up.
Question

How do I swim up in GTA 5 for Xbox One?

Community Answer

Assuming you have the default controls, you drag the left joystick down while repeatedly pressing or holding down the A button.
Question

How can I dive underwater with an oxygen tank?

Community Answer

Buy scuba gear outfit in clothes store. Wear the outfit when going into water; it will auto-equip the oxygen tank and the rest of the gear.