An adult duck supervising a duckling ventured out on the water, among swans and their cygnets, to promote this summer's Play it Safe by the Water campaign.

While the duo created a lot of smiles they also carried an important message as Life Saving Victoria and partner organisations prepare for what is shaping up to be a horror summer on the state's waterways.

There have already been a record number of drownings in Victoria since July with 27 deaths - already higher than the five and 10-year averages for the same time period.

Six deaths have been toddlers, with children aged under-14 also over-represented in non-fatal incidents, according to LSV.

The ducks' mission, as bright yellow beacons, is to remind people of the constant need for adult supervision when children are in the water: "never take your eyes off children in the water", is written across the side of the big duck; "always watch me around water", the little duck says.

This was only little duck's second time on water, having only been out with big duck once before at Docklands.

Six lifeguards were on hand to help watch over both ducks on Lake Wendouree, including Ballarat's Josh Ballinger, who patrols at Point Lonsdale.

Josh said with a lot of families planning to holiday on the surf coast this summer it was important to be prepared.

"Always be cautious around water," Josh said. "Make sure when you're at the beach to always swim between the red and yellow flags and children should have an adult watching.

"We're constantly scanning between the flags, that's our primary survey area, but that is hard when you have thousands out at the beach. Those swimming outside the flags are our secondary focus - we do watch them but that's not easy to watch as much."

READ MORE: They were only wading. Moments later they were fighting for their lives.

LSV estimates 145,000 children have missed swimming lessons, not including school lessons, since march since lockdown. Parents are urged to re-enroll children in swimming lessons this summer in a bid to rebuild water safety skills.

LSV's research principal said child supervision Bernadette Matthews ducks were one of the most memorable water safety icons for Victorian parents and children and it was more most vital to bring this messaging back.

"Active supervision of children (aged) under 10 means they should always be in your sight and children under five should be within arm's reach," Dr Matthews said.

"Twenty seconds is all it takes for a child to drown and this can happen in just a small amount of water, including at the beach, pools, ponds, lakes, rivers and bathtubs."

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Backyard pools are a big concern for LSV this summer, particularly for children, with more people staying at home or avoiding busy public places in the school holidays.

For those gong to the beach, Victorians are encouraged to plan their day, use the Beachsafe app, know their ability, swim between the flags, and be prepared to have a back-up water option like swimming in a public pool.

Three Ballarat lives were lost in drownings last year, the latest LSV drowning report shows. Nine people have drowned in the wider Ballarat and Grampians region the past decade.