Drowning Prevention Auckland says there are a number of safety measures those fishing off the rocks can take such as going with a friend and knowing how to float. Photo: Supplied / Drowning Prevention Auckland
A water safety body says more education on the potential risks of coastal fishing activities is needed.
The body of one of two men who went missing on Wednesday while fishing from the rocks at Taiharuru, north of Whangārei Heads was found on Friday.
The two men had recently migrated from India.
Drowning Prevention Auckland chief executive Nicola Keen-Biggelaar said the loss of life was devastating.
"Rock-based fishing is often in areas that are remote, very difficult to get to, not understood that conditions can change really, really quickly.
"So if you're not wearing a life jacket, if you're not wearing the right footwear, if people don't know where you are, you really are putting yourself at risk."
Keen-Biggelaar said locals should also be empowered to intervene to check those heading out were properly prepared.
"As a culture, we don't really want to upset someone, we don't want to encroach, we may not think that they could understand us, but I would really love to see us all take responsibility for our local spaces and places that we really understand."
She said new arrivals to New Zealand often experienced an overload of information and many did not prioritise water safety.
After the drowning of two Indian men at Piha last year, Drowning Prevention Auckland has launched a series of initiatives to try to improve water safety in the Indian community.
"We've had a life jacket campaign running recently, we advertise on Radio Tarana to try and reach the Indian community more effectively, we've utilised their social media," she said.
No one wanted to see loss of life and their programmes were ongoing, said Keen-Biggelaar.
Drowning Prevention Auckland said there were four key points when undertaking rock based fishing:
- Be prepared and know how to float - people should only fish off the rocks if they new how to float well. Rock fishers should wear a lifejacket and shoes with good grip and have a flotation device available.
- Go fishing with a friend so they can help you if something happens. If you fall in stay calm, float on your back and ask them to help you by throwing you a flotation device.
- Check the tide and consider how it could affect your fishing.
- Know your limits and if you doubt your ability or the conditions, don't go out.