At first, if you find this suggestion ridiculous or simply humoristic, it's not the mine but one from someone I know who don't to go on this forum.
He sais me: "we really need a Wetsuit because swimming is very boring, especially when water fight against you" (of course, he meant when there are streams)
So, why not add some special pieces of armor like Submersion Helmet, Flipper, oxygen bottle or others wich could help you in order to mine under water (ok, it's rare to need it ^^), to have a better vision or a higher speed while swimming.
I know that's maybe a lot of code for a very few things, but I want some advice.