Buzz
When Grand Theft Auto was released, it quickly became one of the most popular video games of the year, and it's easy to understand why. In addition to the thrilling experience of car theft and daring heists, players can explore the open world in various ways. You can play golf, visit a bar, or simply take a scenic drive along the beach. You can even swim at Michael's private indoor pool or dive into the vast ocean waters.
Steps
Find a Body of Water. Since the GTA V setting is based on California, finding water sources isn’t too challenging. If you're playing as Michael, you can practice swimming in his backyard. If you want to try swimming in a larger area, there are several lakes that flow into rivers.
- The Tataviam Mountains have a large body of water in the center, just northeast of Los Santos.
- Another large lake lies to the north of Los Santos, in the heart of Vinewood.
- Beyond the ocean, the largest body of water is the Alamo Sea, which feeds into several smaller rivers. This sea is located to the west of Sandy Shores (a beach with lots of sand).
Tip: The world of GTA V is surrounded by water everywhere, so if you keep heading in one direction long enough, you're bound to eventually find the ocean.
To enter the water, simply walk into it. Once your character's head is submerged, they will immediately start floating on the surface.
To start swimming, use the left thumbstick (on PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One) or the WASD keys on a PC to move in any direction—forward, backward, left, or right.
To swim faster, repeatedly press the X button (on PS3/PS4), the A button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the Shift key (on PC).
To dive underwater, press the R1 button (on PS3), the RB button (on Xbox 360), or the Spacebar (on PC) to make your character submerge.
While underwater, to swim forward, press the X button (on PS3/PS4), the A button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the left Shift key (on PC). The controls are reversed underwater, similar to flying an aircraft. To swim back to the surface, keep the left thumbstick tilted downward and press the X button (on PS3/PS4), A button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the S key and left Shift on PC. To dive deeper, tilt the left thumbstick upward and press the X button (on PS3/PS4), A button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the W key and left Shift on PC. Swim left or right by tilting the left thumbstick or pressing A or D keys on PC.
Using a knife while swimming. When you're submerged in water, the only weapon at your disposal is the knife. If you need to defend yourself from a shark attack, you can wield the knife by pressing the L1 button (on PS3/PS4), the LB button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the Tab key (on PC). Once you have the knife in hand, you can stab by pressing the Circle button (on PS3/PS4), the B button (on Xbox 360/Xbox One), or the R key (on PC).
- You can stab the knife while underwater or while floating on the surface.
Check the air supply bar. You can't stay underwater forever. There's a light blue bar at the bottom left corner of the screen, right next to the character's health bar. This bar indicates how much longer the character can remain underwater. Once the light blue bar is depleted, the character will begin to lose health very rapidly. If they don't surface before the health bar runs out, the character will die.
