On Dec 27, a 49-year-old man went swimming with his teenage son in the beautiful waters off Desaru Beach. Both were swept away by strong currents. The son was saved – not by a lifeguard, but by members of the public. The father drowned.

Reading the report of the Desaru drowning took me back to the day, more than five years ago, when I got a call that my 37-year-old daughter – a strong swimmer – had drowned off a beach in Bali as she was caught in rip tides. The latest report, and many others like it, have made me realise how common such tragedies are. We need to do more to avert them, including having better safety standards on beaches worldwide.