“Visibility is important in drowning recognition,” Livingston told us.“Many parents were selecting swimwear that was super cute and fashionable but would cause their children to potentially disappear under the water.”
In 2020, Livingston and Alive Solutions conducted an informal study testing the visibility of different colored swimsuits in light-bottomed pools, dark-bottomed pools, and lakes. The company determined that neon pink and neon orange offer the most visibility in light-bottomed pools, while neon orange, neon green, and neon yellow stood out the most in dark-bottomed pools and lakes (neon pink did not perform as well in this area).
They said that blues, whites, and lighter colors offer the least contrast and are, therefore, significantly less safe.
It’s important to note that these “safe” swimsuit colors will be rendered meaningless without additional precautions in place.
For the strongest water safety, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a multi-layer approach. In addition to having your kid wear a visible suit, you want to know the signs of drowning, ensure fencing around residential pools, get kids in swim lessons and ensure little ones are always in arm’s reach of an adult. (Or they should be in a life jacket, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.)
Other water safety experts recommend having adults rotate in 15-minute shifts of designated water-watching when hanging at the pool, lake or beach.
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