'This is the last photo I took of my daughter before she almost drowned'

"Even now, a couple of years later, it triggers feelings of guilt and remorse... Looking back, I wonder what the hell we were thinking."

Image: supplied

There’s a photo of our daughter that my husband and I can’t bear to look at.

Even now, a couple of years later, it triggers feelings of guilt and remorse. That inevitable question of ‘what if’ still plays on our minds.

The photo was taken a few moments before our daughter almost drowned.

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"I couldn't see my daughter"

Our family had been on holidays on K’gari (Fraser Island) with two other families who had children of similar ages. Our kids were five and two at the time.

On this particular day, there was no one else in sight. No lifeguards. No other tourists. Just us and our kids, frolicking in the sunshine. We were miles from other people (or help).

My husband had ventured a little further out into the lake with our son and one of the dads, while I was in the shallows with my friend and the younger kids.

I was chatting with my friend when I realised I couldn’t see my two-year-old girl. I’d been glancing at her as I spoke, and suddenly she was gone. My heart started to pound as I scanned the horizon.

There was a moment of pure terror as I screamed out to my husband to see if he had her and our eyes connected. He didn’t.

I ran deeper into the water while my husband left our son with the friend and waded into the shallows at lightning speed.

He said he will never forget the horror of reaching her and seeing her little eyes looking up at him from under the water. She must have run out towards him and was completely submerged. It was so quick and silent.

My husband pulled her up and she was still holding her breath. By some miracle, she was completely fine.

I burst into tears and we hugged her tight. Now, looking back, I wonder what the hell we were thinking.

This photo was taken minutes before the near-tragedy. Image: supplied

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"How did we let this happen?"

Why didn’t she have floaties or a life jacket on? Why wasn’t she within arm’s reach?

That lapse in judgement could have had catastrophic consequences and cost us our daughter. To find the silver lining in a really awful experience, it was a reminder to never be complacent or to assume your partner is watching the kids without checking.

The Raising Children Network offers a range of tips for safety in and around water. 

Top of the list is constant active supervision – you should never take your eyes off your child, in or around water. That means constant visual contact, not glances. I feel sick reading this, knowing that this is where I went wrong.

You should avoid distractions, including using a phone, and never leave older children to supervise younger siblings.

Importantly, children under five must be within arms’ reach, and children under 10 must be visible and accessible.

Originally published as 'This is the last photo I took of my daughter before she almost drowned'