"It's just been a crap year and we miss him. It was New Year's Eve, for God's sake. The holiday period is just terrible for these things to happen."
Mrs Saunders today spoke out against people's complacency around the water.
She said many fishers took off life jackets on the water because they considered them "a hindrance" - like her husband had on the day he drowned.
"At least you give yourself a shot if you've got your life jacket on, don't you. If you don't put it on, you're very lucky to survive," she said.
"I don't understand why he didn't put it on - he always put his life jacket on, he was very safety conscious. But I don't know what happened that day."
Mrs Saunders said people thought they were "bulletproof".
"They think that it won't happen to me, and everybody who knew my husband, they really haven't got their head around it yet because there was no situation that that man couldn't get out of.
"He was one of those people that had an answer for everything and everybody. He got everybody else out of problems.
"That this happened to him, it just shows that it can happen to absolutely everybody. Whether it's just not thinking, whether they think they're bulletproof, I wouldn't know. But life's far too precious."
Mrs Saunders said it was a worry that two of her grandchildren could not swim, and her son still went out on his boat with his children.
She did not know if the right messages would ever get through, but she hoped they would.
"There's thousands of families who go through it. I don't know if we'll ever change it. It would be nice to wouldn't it?"
Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Matt Claridge said it was disappointing people were not taking heed of the messages around precautions in or on the water.
"The message is the same regardless of the time of year. Supervise small children vigilantly, and for those heading out boating, fishing or diving - which are the problem activities at this time of year - then they need to make sure their gear is checked and well-maintained, and they shouldn't be heading out alone."
Mr Claridge said people thought it would never happen to them, but there were a number of ways to change attitudes.
It came down to a mix of education, enforcement, and environmental measures like signage reminders.
"It's incredibly difficult to always get the message to the right person at the right time - that's the challenge."
He urged parents to ensure children had swimming and survival skills.
"Parents can get involved with that by just getting in the water with their kids and having fun."
The annual drowning toll for 2011 has edged up to 119 - more than 30 deaths greater than last year.
Two people have died since the beginning of the holiday drowning period, which like the road toll period runs from 4pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on January 5.
A man in his late 60s died while boating in Tauranga Harbour on Christmas Eve, while a 53-year-old died after he got tangled in kelp while snorkelling at Te Awaiti Bay, near Tory Channel, in the Marlborough Sounds.
Police yesterday (Monday) said there had been 24 water-related incidents since 6pm Christmas Eve, with six calls about boaties in trouble and needing a tow.
Inspector Ian Harris of police central communications said some simple precautions could have prevented the emergencies and it was fortunate no lives were lost.
"Traditionally we also have a number of jet-ski incidents occurring this time of year and I just want to reiterate the safety messages around responsible behaviour when enjoying this type of activity."
He said alcohol use around water was also fraught with danger, with "tragic results" in past years that could have been avoided.
