The Color of Your Child’s Swimsuit Could Help Save Their Life
While you’re shopping for your child’s swimsuit, an important factor to consider is the visibility of the swimsuit, should your child go underwater.
Alive Solutions, a company specializing in aquatic safety, training, and risk assessment, tested 14 swimsuits in varying colors first in a pool and then in a lake, and the results were eye-opening.
At only 18 inches below the surface of the water, most swimsuit colors virtually disappeared or appeared to be a cluster of leaves or debris, not a struggling child. The further down the less visibility, especially with any wave activity.
In the pool, they tested visibility in both still and agitated water, and also found that bright and contrasting colours are your best bets. In this setting, white and light blue had the worst visibility, and neon pink and neon orange had the best.
In the lake, they observed the suits from three different perspectives, including the elevated position of a parent sitting on the dock, and found the top colours for visibility to be neon yellow, neon green and neon orange.
They also wanted to test and see how patterns impacted visibility in addition to the colors. So, they combined their previous color testing process and added in prints to see if the patterns made a difference in visibility.
These images show their latest testing done in water with a dark or blue bottom.
They then tested both light and dark patterns in both small and large prints to see what the impact on visibility was.
Things they learned:
-NEONS were still ultimate winners
-Small patterns (light or dark) didn’t seem to impact visibility very much.
-Large dark patterns did impact + decrease visibility
In addition, while around water try to consider these tips:
- Remember that drowning can occur in any body of water, not just a lake or a pool. Children can drown in as little as two inches of water meaning bathtubs, buckets and even toilets are potential hazards.
- Make sure whoever is on watch duty knows they’re on watch duty and will be able to rescue if needed. This person should avoid all distractions, including their phone, and be 100 percent focused on the swimmers.
- Having basic first-aid training and becoming CPR certified are great ideas for anyone planning to spend time by the water this summer— it may not be your child that you have to save!
- Teaching your children how to swim and behave safely around water are key ways to prevent drowning. Children can start swimming lessons when they’re around one years old and should be taught self-rescue techniques on top of their basic swimming skills.
- Keep bicycles, scooters and other wheeled toys away from the water. Children can fall into the pool unexpectedly, becoming trapped underneath the object they were riding.
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