How to swim in GTA 5

A lot of young gamers would not know this, but back in the days of GTA III and GTA:Vice City, in the first 3D Grand Theft Auto games to feature seas and other water bodies in the open world, diving into the water meant certain death. However, swimming is now a well polished game mechanic in GTA 5.

Swimming in Grand Theft Auto did not become a staple until GTA: San Andreas revolutionized 3rd Person Open World-Games by allowing the character to swim in a video game.

Drowning as a result of getting in the water in GTA: Vice City

Rather than slowly losing health and eventually drowning, players could now swim their way to safety to a nearby shore or steal a boat from an unsuspecting NPC.

Swimming in GTA 5

While GTA San Andreas allowed for players to swim as mostly a fail-safe, meaning the swimming mechanic was there to prevent you from dying instantly as an accident by falling into the water.

Swimming Underwater in GTA 5

In GTA 5, swimming is more than just a fail-safe, it is a full-fledged game-play mechanic that can be used for both game-play sections and for entertainment.

Detailed steps to swim in GTA 5

• Start by running and diving towards the water.
• Once in the water, press the Sprint Key (usually LShifit) to swim faster.
• Use directional keys (Up, Down, Left Right or W,A,S,D) to navigate the direction you want your character to swim in.
• Press the Crouch Key (usually LCtrl or C) to dive underwater.
• Note that there is a blue "breath" meter that keeps track of the amount of breath you have before you start drowning and losing health under water.
• Also keep in mind, that your Stamina Meter will also run out if you keep the Sprint button pressed, meaning you cannot swim faster for long durations.

Why You Should Swim Often in GTA 5

Triathlons in GTA 5

More than just a cool mechanic that prevents you from dying, there are plenty of reasons why you should swim more often in GTA 5, such as:

1. It will increase your character stats such as Stamina, Breath Capacity and Strength.
2. Once those stats are high enough, you can participate in Triathlons in GTA 5, which are one of the best activities you can participate in Los Santos.
3. Triathlons are races that require you to swim, ride a bike and then run to the finish.