"We never thought of the water," Myra said.
Now his mum regrets not stressing the importance of being safe on the water and as the school holidays start, she is urging all parents to make sure they know where their children are and ensure they are safe in whatever they do.
Barb and Myra say they wish they could go back to that day so they could have checked whether Bishop had a lifejacket before he headed out on the jetskis at Lake Okareka.
"If Bishop had a lifejacket on ... things might have been totally different," Myra says.
At the very least it could have meant his body was found sooner.
Myra says she doesn't want any other family to go through what Bishop's family endured.
She said during last year's school holidays he spent most of it with his family - until the New Year period when he was more interested in spending time with his friends, just as many teenagers did.
Bishop's family are about to experience their first Christmas without him - something they're not looking forward to.
While they remain distraught by their boy's death, the family say they are "getting there" and are "slowly coming to grips with it".
"Every day's been a struggle," says Myra.
"Especially for my sister [Bishop's mum] and his dad."
Despite his short life, Bishop had made an impact on many people of all ages and nationalities. Among those at his funeral were family, friends, Rotorua Boys' High School staff, present and former students, members of John Paul College's 1st XV rugby side as well as members of the Murupara, Te Whaiti and Kaingaroa communities. He was a member of the Rotorua Boys' High School First XV and had many talents. Bishop enjoyed other sports - he played golf with his nephew at the Kaingaroa Golf Club.
"I think he would have succeeded in all the things he wanted to do," Myra says.
Bishop's family's message to parents is to make sure they know where their children are during the school holidays and what they are doing.
They want families to enjoy happy, safe holidays together.
