Meet The Swim Reaper
I am obsessed with Instagram. I try and post something onto the social media account every day and I must admit I specifically booked an AirBnB apartment on a recent trip to Vietnam based on the Instagram worthiness of it's rooftop pool.
I use it as a photo diary of all the fun things I do, the people I see and the social interactions I have, and as a way to chronicle my feelings and share my favourite songs that may mean the world to me at that moment in time.
Not everyone uses Instagram in the same way. Some make their livings off of it by travelling the world, taking amazing photos and selling places and items. Some use it as a way to share fitness goals and ideas, and some use it as inspiration for their daily lives. However, there are some that take Instagram with a unique twist and one of these accounts happen to be just the right amount of dark and twisted humour that I’ve come to love.
The account I am talking about is iamtheswimreaper and it features gloriously set up photographs of beautiful beaches and swimming holes around New Zealand. The main draw card is the fact that there is actually a black-cloak clad Grim Reaper engaging in these fun-in-the-sun style activities; everything from playing a round of beer pong to floating on a giant pink inflatable flamingo, to acting the lifeguard on a busy beach.
The account states that the Swim Reaper is “Just lovin life. lol. Nah, jokes. Lookin to reap some peeps this summer. If ur gonna make dumb decisions in the water, I’ll be waiting. Holla!” and while it all seems in the name of good fun it actually is a great marketing campaign put together by Water Safety New Zealand.
The national organisation is using The Swim Reaper campaign as a way to warn people against the risk of drowning in the lead up to the 2017/2018 summer break. The tagline claims “Swim dumb and you’re done” and aims The Swim Reaper’s clever photos at working against dumb activities in the water. It’s aimed at the most at-risk age group of young men aged 15 to 30 and is a great way to spread the message of staying safe this summer – while being completely awesome and gothic at the heart of the delivery.
Check out some of The Swim Reaper’s awesome Instagram posts below, and follow him on Instagram here.
