Flash flooding of young rice plants is a common problem for rice farmers in south and south-east Asia. It severely reduces grain yield and increases the unpredictability of cropping. The inheritance and expression of traits associated with submergence stress tolerance at the seedling stage are physiologically and genetically complex. We exploited naturally occurring differences between certain rice lines in their tolerance to submergence and used quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping to improve understanding of the genetic and physiological basis of submergence tolerance. Three rice populations, each derived from a single cross between two cultivars differing in their response to submergence, were used to identify QTL associated with plant survival and various linked traits. These included total shoot elongation under water, the extent of stimulation of shoot elongation caused by submergence, a visual submergence tolerance score, and leaf senescence under different field conditions, locations and years. Several major QTL determining plant survival, plant height, stimulation of shoot elongation, visual tolerance score and leaf senescence each mapped to the same locus on chromosome 9. These QTL were detected consistently in experiments across all years and in the genetic backgrounds of all three mapping populations. Secondary QTL influencing tolerance were also identified and located on chromosomes 1, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 11. These QTL were specific to particular traits, environments, or genetic backgrounds. All identified QTL contributed to increased submergence tolerance through their effects on decreased underwater shoot elongation or increased maintenance of chlorophyll levels, or on both. These findings establish the foundations of a marker-assisted scheme for introducing submergence tolerance into agriculturally desirable cultivars of rice.