Water is an object present on every level usually as decoration, but serves as an obstacle. It can extinguish fire. Specific materials(wood, foliage, plastic) have the ability to float.
As an asset[]
In Part 2, robots can be killed by throwing them into the water.
As an obstacle[]
Water slows down most Vehicles and the player the deeper it is. If the vehicle is too submerged, it automatically kicks the player out. If the s#player spends too much time underwater, they can die from drowning.
In most Part 2 missions(those excluding Isla Estocastica), the player can die from hypothermia if they stay in the water for too long. In The droid abduction, robots killed by water cannot be sent to the boat.
In missions[]
5 missions(Making space, The car wash, A wet affair, Elena's revenge, Droid dismount) require objectives to be dumped into the water. In addition, in "a wet affair", water can trigger the alarm.