A snorkeller has died in a water incident at Otara Bay in the Coromandel.
File photo. Photo: 123rf.com
Emergency services were called to the scene around 2.30pm, where a man was pulled from the water.
Police said medical attention was administered, but the victim died at the scene.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
Swimming New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns and Drowning Prevention Auckland chief executive Nicola Keen-Biggelaar want to see water safety made compulsory in the New Zealand Curriculum.
Seventy-four New Zealanders drowned last year, with the highest December death toll recorded since 1996.
More than a dozen preventable drownings this holiday period have been described as an "absolute national tragedy" that puts the spotlight on education.
Fun in the sun is how most people picture their summer, but New Zealanders are being urged to see sense when it comes to water.
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