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up vote 18 down vote favorite

I just fell into a deep lake underground and miserably died because I was not able to jump out. Are there any techniques to survive in this case, or is this one of the dangerous aspects of being a miner?

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4 Answers

up vote 19 down vote accepted

If you're lucky enough to end up in a lake with rock or dirt sides (not sand) you can dig 3 sideways into the bank and 2-3 up to create an air pocket to jump up into:

DDDDDD---
DDD##D---
DDD##D---
DDD--D---
DDD------
DDD------
DDD------
DDDDDDDDD

D = Dirt/rock
- = Water
# = Precious lifegiving air

From there you can dig your way out. I've done this so often I can now do it in pitch black darkness. Maybe I should learn to look before I leap...

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I tried this trick yesterday, and it worked very well. The only difficulty was related to the fact that lake was dark so I had to fast switch between pickaxe and torch. I mark this as answer because it is valid also early-game. – Drake May 26 '11 at 9:57
1  
@Drake: Thanks. :) Perhaps a mining helmet from the merchant would help your predicament? – Stuart Pegg May 26 '11 at 10:23
Definitively my next buy, as soon as I have the gold. – Drake May 26 '11 at 10:30
@Drake: You can dig out a tile in the dirt two tiles below the bottom of the water, so it creates a single tile of space with no water in it, and put a torch there. – Ren the Unclean Jun 2 '11 at 23:27
up vote 12 down vote

Get yourself some flippers so you can swim out, or a grappling hook to climb. I believe rocket boots would also work underwater, though they're rare.

A breathing reed would give you a little better chance of not drowning, and a balloon would improve your jump height.

If none of these options are available, you can try digging an air pocket, as explained in this answer.

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3  
You forgot to mention the Magic Mirror, that can teleport you back to the spawn. – astryad May 23 '11 at 20:29
2  
Wooden platforms are probably your best early game – Wipqozn May 23 '11 at 21:42
@Wipqozn - Agreed. The major advantage of platforms over blocks is that you can jump up "through" them and land on top (whereas with blocks, you'll just bump your head jumping straight up into them). – sjohnston May 23 '11 at 21:57
@sjohnston You can also dig to a side and then up into rock to create an air pocket. I will often do this when there are things of interest under the water so I have some where to go 'catch my breath' as it were. – James May 24 '11 at 3:27
@James: I just answered the same and then saw your comment. Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder. – Stuart Pegg May 24 '11 at 17:43
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up vote 7 down vote

Build a solid area around yourself with mud or dirt, make the ceiling 2-3 blocks high, then mine out an air pocket.

This is sort of like Stuart Pegg's answer above, but doesn't require a solid wall next to you.

 NNNN
 NXXN
 N  N
 N  N
DDDDDDD
DDTDDDD 

D - dirt
N - new dirt you add
X - spots where you add dirt, then mine it away
T - mine this spot out and put a torch there, so you can see
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+1 I've been digging breathing holes as per the accepted answer for forever, but it never occurred to me to build my own hole where I land – Kevin Dec 3 '12 at 10:24
up vote 5 down vote

sjohnston has listed some great items, but if you lack those you can drop sand below you to try and get up.

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