National Swim Safety Week, which begins on Monday, aims to raise awareness of the dangers lurking in inland waterways. 

YMCA Wodonga sports and leisure centre will run 197 classes to teach more than 1000 children how to swim safely in open water. 

Marketing director David Fox said, as the weather heated up, families needed to be aware of the hazards of inland waterways.

“The Murray has been highlighted in recent times as the number one black spot and it’s right outside the front door for most people,” he said. 

“Particularly with Noreuil Park being such a popular area during summer, it really highlights the need for kids to be safe around water.

“It’s one thing teaching kids their strokes and how to be strong swimmers but it’s another thing to teach them the safety aspect.”

Swimming lessons director Mandy Sawyer said instructors would cover hazards specific to open water environments during the week, simulating real-life dangers. 

“It’s hard to take programs outdoors so we do simulated activities,” she said.

“We’ll have different stations for kids to work through.

“They’ll do rescues, they’ll have simulated open water experiences with foreign objects in the water.

“We’ll put the blow up boats in so they’ll simulate falling out of the boat and trying to climb back into it.”

She said it was crucial swimmers test water depth, conditions and currents.

“The Murray’s terrible, it’s such a deceiving piece of water,” Ms Sawyer said.

“Especially around Noreuil, it’s nice and wide, it’s nice and deep, it looks very inviting and calm but under the surface it’s quite quick.”

The 2014 Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report found inland waterways continue to be the leading location for drownings, accounting for 39 per cent of deaths last year. 

Ms Sawyer said it was crucial children were always accompanied and river conditions were checked before entering the water. 

“Test the river or lake before you enter the water and don’t jump in … the main thing is never swimming alone so there is a person there in case something happens,” she said. 

The Murray River remains Australia’s most lethal and has claimed the lives of 68 people since 2002.

With 72 per cent of those cases unrelated to floods, river conditions prove to be unpredictable at the best of times. 

During swim safety week, parents will be urged to avoid alcohol and use lifejackets on watercraft.