The Waikato Regional Council is in full support of Maritime NZ's Safer Boating Awareness Week which starts tomorrow.

Running until October 24, the main aim is to educate people about safer boating practices in order to prevent drowning – the third highest cause of unintentional deaths in New Zealand.

The Bowentown bar. Photo: File.

WRC maritime services manager Nicole Botherway says her team, council and its partner agencies is determined to help prevent these tragedies and injuries.

They urge all boaties and other water users to follow relevant safety rules.

'Wearing appropriate lifejackets is one of the best ways people can keep themselves, and their families and friends safe.

'The risks of drowning or injury are too great to be complacent about doing the right thing.”

In August her team won a national award for its boat safety work for the region and New Zealand.

It recognised council's role in last year's launch of the free smartphone app ‘Marine Mate' which gives users easy access to a variety of information they need when heading out on to the water.

Nicole has led development of the app which was funded by Maritime NZ, ACC, Land Information NZ, other regional councils, and supported by Water Safety New Zealand.

To date the app is close to 20,000 downloads.

The award also recognised the production of five films with information for boaties on how to safely make bar crossings at Tairua, Bowentown, Kaituna and Raglan.

Relesed recently, the WRC worked with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Coastguard, ACC, Maritime NZ, Water Safety NZ and Coastguard Boating Education to produce the films.

So far the bar crossing films have been viewed 13,424 time on YouTube.

'The app and bar crossing films are really great tools for Waikato boaties. We strongly encourage people to use these freely available resources.

'Skippers have a responsibility to keep everyone safe on their boat and there's no excuse for not being able to access the wide range of relevant safety information to help them.”

Nicole says there is a myth that drowning is a 'gentle” way to die, but the truth was far more horrible.

Both physically and mentally drowning was the last thing you would want to happen to your children, partner, friends and yourself, says Nicole.

'Research shows people hold their breath for about 87 seconds until a ‘breaking point' is reached and start to inhale water.

'Death by drowning occurs as the body shuts down after that. So there's nothing quick, easy or gentle about it.”

For more information about Maritime NZ's Safer Boating Awareness Week visit www.maritimenz.govt.nz

The free Marine Mate app is available to download for Android and iPhone devices.

To view the Waikato Regional Council's information on water navigation safety click here.