Water-safety public service message includes splash of dark humor

The floaty-toting, daiquiri-drinking Grim Reaper on Instagram has an important risk-management message for young, hip beachgoers: You can drown. 

In a campaign set up by Water Safety New Zealand, the “Swim Reaper” character can be seen carrying a surfboard, playing volleyball and even acting as a lifeguard in darkly funny holiday snaps, the Irish Sun newspaper reported Tuesday.

The campaign’s target audience is at-risk young men aged 15 to 30, who make up 14% of the population but account for one-third of all fatal drownings annually, according to the newspaper.

The iamtheswimreaper Instagram account now has 100,000 followers and counting, and tells visitors to its page: “If ur gonna make dumb decisions in the water, I’ll be waiting. Holla!”

Jonty Mills, CEO of Water Safety New Zealand, told a reporter: “A lot of these drownings (of young men) are what we would describe as preventable fatalities. Lives would be saved if young males simply made smarter decisions around water.”