Swimmers need to take responsibility for their own safety and stay out of dangerous water, the NSW government has said following 18 drowning deaths in the state in 10 days.
Emergency Services Minister David Elliott made the plea on Tuesday, a day after NSW's most recent water death.
"I'm appalled, like everybody else, at the amount of deaths which have occurred over the course of this holiday period," Mr Elliott said.
"The appeal today is to take responsibility for your safety."
Former Family Court judge Richard Gee, 83, died after being pulled unconscious from his backyard pool on Monday in the Sydney suburb of Belrose.
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Mr Gee is the 18th person to die from drowning or suspected drowning in NSW since Christmas Day, while a two-year-old boy is in intensive care after being pulled from a fish pond at a Sydney home on Monday.
"If you don't know that your fence is childproof, fix it. If you don't know that a river is going to be running a current underneath it, don't go into it. If you don't know that a surf is safe, don't enter the surf," Mr Elliott said.
"The appeal today is to make sure that you take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of your friends."
Paramedics echoed Mr Elliott's plea, saying they have responded to 225 drownings or near-drownings in the past two months. "Nobody intends for these tragedies to happen, but paramedics sadly see time and again they do," NSW Ambulance Inspector John Brotherhood said on Tuesday.
"Kids will be kids, so it's about being vigilant; knowing where your child is and keeping an eye on them at all times; and maintaining safety around pools."
While Mr Elliott would not confirm whether the government would conduct an advertising campaign to raise awareness, he strongly urged people to learn first aid and how to swim.
He said he was horrified some people choose to live in NSW but still don't know how to swim.
"Government can't be at every creek. Government can't be on every river bank. Government can't be at every beach. Government can't be in every backyard pool. That's why we've got to work collaboratively with the community," he said.
