Editorial: We must be water safe

OPINION: We have seen some incidents of real heroism take place in New Zealand over the last week. Unfortunately they have found their way into the media and had national attention drawn to them because they resulted in tragic deaths.

Sadly, it seems to be a function of the time of year, because both deaths were by drowning.

Last week, a 55-year-old grandfather drowned while trying to save his grandchildren, who had been caught in a rip at Ninety Mile Beach in the Far North.

Then, at the weekend, a father made the ultimate sacrifice to rescue his children from possible drowning at a beach near Auckland, when he drowned himself after helping to ensure the children's safety.

Undoubtedly, both men are heroes, having laid down their own lives to save others. It's the ultimate act of love and devotion.

But, without in any way trying to take away from what the two men did and without knowing the full circumstances of the tragedies, it needs to be said that it's the kind of incident that we shouldn't be seeing as often as we do.

Every year New Zealand's Water Safety Council and ACC make various appeals around the issue of water safety, from encouraging boaties to wear lifejackets to asking swimmers to check for possible obstacles before they go diving into rivers.

They may not last for long compared with some other countries, but New Zealand's summers certainly can be hot and naturally we love to head for the water, be it at the beach, lake, river or a swimming pool. And why not? It's a great way to cool down and enjoy the summer and thousands of people have been doing just that all over South Canterbury this festive season.

But as with any other leisure activity, there's an element of vigilance required, especially when children are involved. In both the tragic incidents referred to above, it was children getting into trouble in the water that necessitated the rescue efforts which ultimately led to the men's deaths.

We don't know the circumstances which led to those children getting into difficulty, but it's certainly clear there were some dangerous conditions present. Should the kids have been swimming where they were? Could what happened to them have been anticipated? It's impossible to say, but the deaths are a wake-up call for us all at a time of year when the water is so inviting.

We need to be constantly vigilant and aware around water. Let's not have another such tragedy this holiday season.

- © Fairfax NZ News