Just before Christmas last year, Karen Skellett lost her only child, Jack.
"The police called and I knew then; I just knew they’d found him, and he’d not survived," Karen said.
The 23-year-old had gone kayaking from Petone Beach and around Matiu-Somes Island on December 20 last year.
"Something went wrong, and we don’t know what. He washed up on the shore at Eastbourne," she said.
Taking care of the environment mattered to Jack, so friends and family gathered in Petone this morning to do a beach clean-up in his honour.
"Today is his birthday. I wanted to be here for that," she said.
"I don't want other young people to be losing their lives, their potential, their future. I just think of everything that he's missed."
Karen told 1News she hopes sharing her story will raise more awareness about water safety.
It comes as 90 people drowned in New Zealand waters last year – the most in a decade. Of that number, 76 were male – 13 of whom were aged 15 to 24.
For 2022, that number is currently sitting at 81.
Sergeant Richard Kennedy from Wellington’s maritime police unit said this time of year is tough.
"We deal with, unfortunately, fatalities every year," Kennedy said.
"We do our best for the families to bring their loved ones back. Unfortunately, it's not always a good outcome."
Police say checking the weather forecast, taking multiple communication devices, and taking other safety precautions can make all the difference out on the water.
"Every summer, we pull people out of the water that have had their lives saved because they were wearing life jackets. People don't realise how hard it is to stay afloat without one," Kennedy said.
Around 30,000 water-related injury claims are made each year, almost half of those happen between December and March.
ACC’s injury prevention lead, James Whitaker, says it’s important to assess the conditions before going in the water.
"Way too many New Zealand men are going out there and never coming back so we're out there, we're surfing, we're swimming, we're boating, we're diving but we're not assessing things before we get in there," Whitaker said.
Karen says she just wants young people to play it safe this summer.
"Jack has lost so much. He'll never know what it's like to be a dad, and I have lost my only child," she said.
There have been four deaths involving kayaks so far this year, according to Water Safety NZ.
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