The experienced Coromandel surf lifesaver and University of Otago PhD student pitted his swimming skills against a simulated rip in the university’s flume yesterday — and he got totally flushed out.
Water in the scientific pool was pumped at 1.5 metres per second, from one end of the pool to the other.
"It’s exhausting trying to swim against that," Mr Cocker said.
"I can only last about 15-20 seconds in there.
"For most people, trying to fight that is what kills them at the beach."
His advice for those who got caught in a similar rip at the beach was to relax and ride the rip out until they could swim to the side, get out of the current and swim back to shore.
The rip simulation was one of many events held at the university as part of World Drowning Prevention Day yesterday.
School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences lecturer Prof Chris Button said about 100 New Zealanders drowned each year on average, and while the numbers had dropped slightly recently, statistics showed an increasing number of people were being admitted to hospital after near-drowning events.
"It’s a concerning increase.
"They’re all entirely preventable, often because people misjudge the environment, or they don’t have the necessary skills to get themselves out of trouble and need to be rescued."
As part of World Drowning Prevention Day, the department also held a research seminar covering the variety of work and research being undertaken to prevent drowning deaths and injuries.
Prof Button said experts talked about various aspects of water safety; the New Zealand drowning context as well as water safety education; surf lifesaving; cold water immersion; and whether people could actually spot rips, which were often very difficult to identify.
The event was also about promoting solutions, including better water safety education, getting people to wear lifejackets and having a plan if they are out and about in open water so that if things go wrong, they know what to do and who to contact.
The day offered an opportunity to draw attention to the issue of drowning prevention and galvanise action to save more lives, he said.
