Even if you are familiar with an environment there’s always risk of conditions changing or a medical event happening. We want to help New Zealanders to make smart decisions and not do water activities alone.

When we head out together, we have a helping hand if the unexpected happens. From seasoned divers to weekend swimmers, we all make smarter decisions when we have someone to share the moment with.

We’re inviting New Zealanders to embrace a new tradition: always having a buddy in, on, and around the water.

Is it simply a 'birthright' to enjoy swimming, kayaking, fishing, and all the other wonderful ways to enjoy New Zealand’s waters by yourself? Or is it something we can change to prevent drowning?

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The Facts

In 2025, 55 per cent of New Zealand’s drownings happened when there was no one else around.
The number of “alone” drowning deaths has been consistently high in recent years. In the past 10 years there have been 410 'alone' drowning fatalities – 312 of them male and 98 female.
In 2024, a total of 28 people drowned alone – 20 male and 8 female.

When things go wrong in the water, international evidence shows a person needs to know how to stay calm and float for at least three minutes. This time-period is the minimum before help can reach them.

When you are in, on, or around water alone in the water there is no one around who can call for help.

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Great safety

Many New Zealanders respect the power of water. Safe decisions, checking equipment and using a “buddy system” are non-negotiable for many people swimming, diving, surfing, fishing, and freediving.

But, many New Zealanders do not know their limits or do not stay within their limits. These people – a majority of them men over 45, consistently overestimate their abilities and choose to go out alone.

Water Safety NZ with the wider water safety community wants to change this.