How Long Can Hibernating Turtles Go Without Oxygen. As reptiles, they need to breathe oxygen from the surface, but these turtles can dive for up to 20 minutes without taking a breath. Sea turtles cannot breathe underwater and need to come to the surface for air.
How long can snapping turtles go without air? How long can turtles go without air? Thankfully, the research has shown that turtles that switch to zero metabolisms can go for over 100 days without oxygen.