In June, July and August last year, the top injury claims around water were for surfing accidents (926), swimming (883), injuries at a pool (316), and boating (126).
Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Daniel Gerrard said there were a total of 90 preventable drownings in New Zealand in 2023 — 58% of which were men over 45 — and in the first six months of 2024, 38 preventable drownings have been provisionally recorded.
The 38 deaths were down from 53 at the same time last year, which included six drownings from Cyclone Gabrielle.
In total in 2023, there were eight preventable drownings in Otago and Southland, but so far this year, there has only been one — in Southland.
For the first six months of last year, there were four preventable drownings in Otago and one in Southland.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker said 18,351 water-related injury claims were accepted in 2023, which came at a cost of $64 million to help people recover.
Of those claims, 1227 were from the Otago region, and so far this year ACC has accepted 795 water related injury claims from Otago.
"This [1227] was the highest number in the past five years.
"The cost of these water-related injury claims in the Otago region in 2023 was $2.4 million."
It was a timely reminder to respect the water whatever the season.
"Drowning is abrupt, silent and shocking, with people often not realising it’s happening until it’s too late."
Mr Gerrard said ACC and Water Safety New Zealand were challenging people to stay safe during the winter months.
"We are still seeing an unacceptable number of preventable deaths, especially among older New Zealand males who continue to make risky choices around water.
"We know a lot of New Zealanders love to enjoy the water throughout the winter months, and we want to encourage that in a safe and responsible manner.
"The water is much colder during the winter period which means you have less margin for error if you get it wrong."
Winter water enthusiasts had to be aware of the dangers of "cold-water shock", which could lead to an immediate risk of drowning or cardiac arrest.
The average winter temperature of New Zealand’s sea water is 15°C, and inland waters like lakes, rivers and waterfalls could be much colder.
"When plunged into cold water, our first instinct is to gasp for air with an uncontrollable ‘gasp reflex’. Taking on one large breath of water is enough to prove fatal.
"Our natural response is to swim hard and fight against the shock. This causes people to lose control of their movements and rapidly increases their heart rate.
"This lowers the chances of survival. All this happens in under two minutes."
Rather than panic, Mr Gerrard encouraged people to lie back, relax and float.
The four key tips were "float, breathe, signal and survive".
