When shopping for swimwear for kids, your biggest concern is likely to be finding styles they'll love—maybe it's action figures or Disney icons. But there's one important factor that you may not be paying enough attention to and is a huge factor in water safety: the swimsuit's underwater visibility
The color of your child's swimsuit may be more important than you realize, and being able to see it immediately can save your child's life if they go underwater.
A recent test shows it clearly by video to determine the visibility of various swimsuit colors in both open water and pool environments.
As the picture shows, fluorescent pink, orange, green, and red are easiest to see in open water, brighter neon swimsuits are the safest option for children. When immersing swimsuits of various colors in a pool with a light-colored (white) bottom, with or without surface agitation of the water. The most eye-catching swimsuits, making it easier to spot a child even from a distance.
However, light blue, and any pastel or light tan colors are considered the least visible, as they "disappear" underwater. Darker colors are also a poor choice, as they can "often be overlooked because of a pile of leaves, dirt, or shadows on the pool bottom", making it difficult to see the child, especially if they are at the bottom of the pool. This can make it challenging for lifeguards or parents to rescue a child in distress quickly.
When we switched to another scene in a dark pool, the results were similar, with neon green, yellow, and orange determined to be the most noticeable. Darker colors like black, gray, and dark green look darker beneath the surface, and a white bathing suit appears so blue that it mixes too much with the water. These colors make it challenging to locate a child in the water.
The same test was repeated on a sunny day, Neon green, yellow, and orange were the top picks, and "bright and contrasting" colors were the best choice for visibility.
In pools with dark bottoms, white looked light blue up close but quickly disappeared as one moved farther away. Dark colors or swimsuits that matched the color of the water also vanished quickly in pools with dark bottoms, while dark colors stood out better in pools with light bottoms but could easily be mistaken for leaves, dirt, or shadows.
However, it takes more than the right swimsuit to keep your child safe. Bright and contrasting colors help with visibility, but it won't matter what color bathing suit your child is wearing if you're not effectively supervising and actively watching. By following the recommendations of experienced swim instructors and lifeguards, parents can ensure that their children can swim safely and have fun in the water.
