But the fact is the water is not always going to love us.

It’s because fast-flowing currents, pools of cold water and simple inexperience is always going to make heartbreak a distinct possibility.

And it doesn’t have to be in water that could possibly appear treacherous.

So often we hear of drownings happening when a toddler heads off and in a few minutes while out of sight, falls into a swimming pool, or is left unsupervised in a wading pool.

Summer has finally arrived and so many of us will be seeking out cool water to keep the heat at bay.

That is especially the case for our kids now that the school holidays are upon us.

And being kids, they’re probably more adventurous and so more willing to take risks.

But of course their youth does not grant them any greater immunity from becoming a drowning casualty.

Some of the more recent statistics from the Royal Life Saving Society starkly show the consequences of not taking care.

The organisation says 14 drowning deaths from boating misadventures occurred in the Murray River between 2005 and 2015.

One in five of these deaths involved people who were using smaller craft such as power boats and kayaks.

Most disturbingly though is that no life jackets were worn in 42 per cent of these cases. And alcohol played a part in just over 20 per cent of these drownings. These figures should at the very least serve as a warning of how throwing even a bit of caution to the wind can have deadly consequences.

Living in communities along the Murray can sometimes make us feel a little immune from its dangers. The river becomes just a background in our lives and one that perhaps we don’t take as seriously as we should.

But the river has enormous power and can quickly turn a summer evening swim or a paddle into a tragedy, even when it’s not running at high levels.

As the society’s Tristan Strong says: “I’ve seen full-sized gums get taken down the Murray, you or I are not going to be able to hold against it. It’s just too easy for us to be pulled down.”

We implore everyone to take the time to think carefully about what they’re doing this summer. It could quite easily save a life.