Minecraft – Can spiders swim against current

Place redstone torches on north walls. Redstone is quite easy to find deep underground and not required for much else.

Punch the ground directly beneath you. The break pattern is always the same relative to north.

Cheaper than torches, inlay the right-hand side of the floor with a dirt block every three squares. Build wide main corridors which you can follow back when you find one.

Grow a tree farm. Use the wood to make plenty of signs.

Design each area with its own character, so you can recognise them. Identical corridors are a good way to get lost. Place occasional markers, such as sand or wood.

Dig arrows into the wall pointing toward the nearest familiar spot. You can fill the arrow with dirt for extra visibility.

Create staircases upward occasionally. At the top, use excess stone to build a hut with a door and an observation tower. Use this to travel back to your shelter by aboveground when completely lost. Style your observation towers differently to use them as landmarks and build cobblestone roads between them.

Put the torches on the ground next to the saplings. You may also have a bit of trouble from the two on the left being so close to the wall.