As families spend more time at pools, lakes, and ponds during the summer months, water safety experts are highlighting an often-overlooked factor that could help prevent tragedies: the color of a swimmer’s swimsuit.
Importance of Visibility
While life jackets, swimming lessons, and active supervision remain the most important water safety measures, experts say choosing highly visible swimwear can make it easier to spot swimmers quickly if an emergency occurs.
Bright, fluorescent colors such as neon orange, neon pink, neon yellow, and bright lime green consistently rank among the most visible options. These colors tend to stand out against both pool bottoms and the darker water conditions commonly found in lakes and ponds.
Water safety advocates say visibility can be especially important for children, who can disappear beneath the surface in seconds. “Drowning is often silent,” safety experts note. “Anything that helps parents, lifeguards, or other adults keep visual contact with a swimmer can be beneficial.”
Challenges in Natural Bodies of Water
Natural bodies of water present unique challenges. Unlike swimming pools, lakes and ponds often contain algae, sediment, vegetation, and murky conditions that can reduce visibility. Colors that appear bright on land may blend into the surrounding environment once submerged.
Experts generally advise avoiding swimsuit colors that closely match the color of the water or surrounding environment. Light blue, dark blue, gray, and some shades of green can become difficult to distinguish in both pools and natural waterways.
Many water safety organizations recommend neon orange and neon pink as two of the most effective colors across a variety of water environments because they provide strong contrast against blue water, dark water, and natural backgrounds.
Safety advocates emphasize, however, that swimsuit color should never be viewed as a substitute for supervision. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to maintain constant visual contact with children around water, regardless of what they are wearing.
Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.
