THE right to rip off our shirts and dive headlong into the nearest waterway is as ingrained in our national character as having a beer on the couch for the Boxing Day test.
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Go to any get-together near water and the delighted squeals of kids in a pool or at the beach is a familiar soundtrack.
But what lurks beneath the surface is a threat too often overlooked by swimmers.
Last financial year, 266 lives were lost to drowning nationwide, with inland waterways the leading location for drowning deaths.
Just as tragic is that so many of those deaths could have been avoided.
The Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2014 chronicles in numbers how simple precautions can save lives.
An astonishing 80 of the 105 drownings in inland waterways were in rivers, creeks and streams with moving, brown-tinged water.
This meant when a victim fell in or lost control, the chances of a potential lifesaver getting to them diminished rapidly.
Not surprisingly, alcohol and 15 to 24-year-olds proved a deadly mix too, according to the stats.
Meanwhile, 20 children under five years of age drowned in the same period, 14 of them in backyard pools.
That’s 20 sets of parents who will bear a scar of burden for the rest of their lives.
The figures come as Tamworth Regional Council revealed close to 95 per cent of local backyard swimming pools failed to meet safety guidelines.
Many of the breaches might seem minor – poorly maintained gate latches, inadequate signage and items located too close to safety barriers.
Pool owners often complain about the regulatory hoops they must jump through to comply.
But they need only speak to a parent that has lost a child to backyard drowning to get a dose of perspective.
The message to parents and pool owners is clear.
Secure your pool, teach your child to swim and always exercise commonsense around water.