A South Sudanese man who tragically lost his son earlier this year has teamed up with Surf Life Saving Western Australia to improve migrant safety in the Australian surf.
Jenon Biwot died in March at a beach in Perth’s northern suburbs after getting caught in a rip.
Father Materno Biwot said his 14-year-old son was with two friends who tried to help.
"He just caught him by his fingertips, but they couldn't get hold of his wrist and it was hard for them. And all that happened in [a] very quick [amount of] time. Nearly some seconds and he was gone," he said.
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Now, Mr Biwot is doing all he can to ensure other families are not subjected to a similar tragedy.
A report from Surf Life Saving WA shows that of the 17 people who drowned off the state's coast in the past two years, 53 per cent were born overseas.
Mr Biwot said this figure is easy to understand.
"There is a lot of naivety because people don't know how this water behaves. Because we came from landlocked countries we have never seen huge bodies of water like this," he said.
