Guide

Why the colour of your kids’ swimwear could be a matter of life and death

10.6.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

When keeping an eye on your children as they’re playing in the pool, the colour of their swimwear plays a crucial role. Experiments have revealed that certain colours get overlooked in an emergency.

Kids’ swimwear should be practical and comfortable. Stylish, too, if that’s your bag. Probably the most important factor in choosing swimwear is the colour – a fact many parents aren’t aware of.

This is because some colours are hard to see at certain depths. Alive Solutions demonstrated as much in an impressive experiment. The US organisation, which advocates for water safety, examined 14 swimwear colours in a pool. Two shades were distinguished as outliers because of the way they vanished completely in the water. The shades in question? White and light-blue.

Once in the water, white and light-blue disappeared without a trace, so avoid going for swimwear in these colours.
Source: Instagram/aquaticsafetyconnection

The experiment chimes with the testimony of a swimming instructor in the US, who specialises in teaching young children. In a recent viral TikTok video featuring her daughter in a blue one-piece, Nikki Scaranti laid bare how difficult it is to see the colour in the water. «This is why you don’t put your kids in blue bathing suits. Look how difficult it is to see them underwater,» the swim teacher warns.

The gaudier and more contrasting, the better

Neon pink and neon orange were the most visible colours in the Alive Solutions experiment. As a general rule, the brighter and more contrasting the colour to the water, the better.

While darker colours are easily visible on the light-coloured bottom of a pool, testers noted that they’re often mistaken for foliage, dirt or shadows.

Swimsuits

Name it Swimming costume

86, 92

Swim trunks

CHF20.90

Swim & Fun Boys Bermudas neon

Swim + Surf shirts

Smile Baby UVP 50+ Bathing Shirt

Swimsuits

Name it Swimming costume

Swim trunks

CHF20.90

Swim & Fun Boys Bermudas neon

Swim + Surf shirts

Smile Baby UVP 50+ Bathing Shirt

In lakes, only three colours will do the job

The organisation later tested the same colours in a lake, setting up the experiment at a depth of half a metre, in partly sunny weather, with a brownish-gray lake bottom. The results were frightening – in these conditions, the water swallowed up virtually all the colours. Neon orange, neon green and neon yellow were the only slightly recognisable swimwear colours. [[image:75152006 "In the lake, you can barely make out a bathing suit or trunks. Even from a water depth of half a metre." "Instagram/aquaticsafetyconnection"]]

The pictures in the first line show the swimwear on the surface, while the ones in the second line were taken from the shore. The pictures in the third row were taken from slightly higher up, which is intended to simulate the view from a boat.

Neon coloured swim trunks are no substitute for supervision

One striking result was that neon pink, which could be clearly seen in a pool with a white bottom, disappeared completely in a lake setting. According to Alive Solutions, it’s essential to take the colour of the lake and its bottom, the clarity of the water, the weather, the light, surface movements and currents into account.

However, the organisation also emphasises that although bright and contrasting colours improve visibility, they’re no substitute for waterside supervision. «It doesn’t matter what colour your kids are wearing if you aren’t supervising effectively and actively watching.»

Header image: Unsplash/Briana Tozour

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Katja Fischer

Senior Editor

Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Mom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.

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