Drowning Prevention Auckland is reminding people, especially Asian communities, to stay vigilant around waters during the summer holidays.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Aquatic educator Leilani Fuemana said Asian people, particularly Chinese, Korean and Indian, have been a high-risk group, accounting for 17 percent of drownings in Auckland and is the second largest preventable drowning group, following Pasifika.
She said there's a lack of awareness in terms of identifying risks, and her organisation has been educating people on how to stay safe when crab fishing, long line fishing and boating.
The most recent workshop was on 12 December at Uretiti Beach in Waipu, north of Auckland. The date was picked to commemorate Ares Li, a Chinese crab fisher who drowned in 2015.
She said about 40 Koreans and Chinese attended the session and everyone returned home safely.
"From 2013 to 2017, 12 people have drowned while collecting crabs ... and a majority of these had been Asians, so Chinese and Filipino," she said.
Fuemana said the feedback on the organisation's programmes was positive.
"People really enjoy it. Most of the time, nearing the end of the programme, people would ask will you be doing this again... some people have groups that they want to do the course."
About 40 Koreans and Chinese attended Drowning Prevention Auckland's workshop at Uretiti Beach in December. Photo: Supplied / Drowning Prevention Auckland
The key messages from her group has for people are wearing a correctly fitted lifejacket, watching out for themselves and others, being aware of the dangers and knowing their limits..
"Checking the conditions, such as waves, swells, the tides ... low tide, high tide ... checking the marine weather," she said.
She said more programmes would be available in February and March and encouraged people to join.
