We need to have a proper conversation about the New Zealand Death.

A tragic start to summer in and around the water, the worst in 40 years, has led to calls for the government to subsidise swimming lessons for school kids. I agree with this, but I also feel it doesn't go far enough - many of the drownings this summer are not solely because of an inability to swim.

Poor decision-making, lack of experience with boats; inadequate supervision; limited preparation; and failure to respect the power of water are all factors New Zealand must address for us to be safer around the water.

I say this from a position of experience. 

While a student, I spent five years working as a lifeguard at Upper Hutt's H2O Xtream. I also spent three years as a swim teacher, working with children and adults. Our pool included a wave machine and a river ride, which created unusual currents that caught people off guard. One wrong step, and suddenly you were out of your depth. I lost count of how many people I had to help, but most of our rescues tended to happen in the parts of the pool where moving water was at its strongest/most unpredictable. 

It wasn't just the water we had to contend with either - we also had to deal with people. Commonly, parents would leave their kids unattended in the water, despite explicit rules about supervision. These were manageable, though; worse, the parents treated us like a child care facility - leaving children at the pool while running errands. One incident stands out: a 7-year-old was left with her 3-year-old brother while the parents 'went shopping'. The most incredible piece of this story was the (unrelated) customer who thought we over-reacted by calling the police.

As well as time spent working around water, I've also spent the majority of the last 25 years involved in a variety of water sports - Dragon Boating, Sailing, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, and fishing. I've seen more than my share of near misses. The closest was retrieving a crewmate who went overboard while racing in Wellington Harbour (everyone was safe, but I learned a lot that day - including how fast a police launch can move).

Another encounter a few years back was memorable enough to write about it. While I didn't talk to the skipper involved, I suspect he had not had that boat for long. It's not a surprise - while there are courses the coast guard offers courses in boat handling, they aren't necessary to own the boat. Unlike many things in New Zealand, boat ownership is very lax. 

Through these experiences, I have learned one thing - people don't get in trouble because they can't swim. They get in trouble because something goes wrong. Sadly, the outcome can be fatal, even if the people involved are experienced swimmers.

Drowning in New Zealand is not a new phenomenon either. Drownings are so common in New Zealand that historians once referred to it as "the New Zealand Death". It's not surprising given our proximity to water.

So how do we prevent this?

Compulsory swimming lessons is an answer; it is not the only one.  

As a society, we need to address all the abovementioned factors.

Supervision: Children should always be supervised in the water by responsible adults: the younger the child, the more hands-on the care.

Decision making: All it takes is one wrong step for things to get out of control. Constantly assess the options before making a call and remember - if in doubt, don't go out. 

Preparation: When heading out on a boat, talk about what you will do when things go wrong. Have an action plan and, if possible, practice it. It's not easy to practice a capsize, but you can replicate a crewmate overboard with a bucket. 

Experience: We don't need to know how to pilot a cruise ship to take out the tinny, but we should have an idea of what we are doing—especially when taking boats out over unpredictable pieces of water.

Respect: Not all water is created equal; we must learn to interpret different signs. Slow-moving is not the same as safe 

All of this is basic water safety and should be compulsory in a country where you are never more than an hour's drive from a piece of water that can be used for recreation. As a society, we should be focusing on helping everyone understand how to be safe in and on the water, not just how to swim.

Until this is compulsory, we will continually report the New Zealand Death.