Kids love to splash around in the water be it a pool, lake, or ocean. Hence, having the proper swimsuit for your child is an essential part of the fun. But, not just any swimsuit will do. Recently, Alive Solutions conducted a swimming visibility test to help parents find the correct swimsuit color for keeping children safe while enjoying the waters.
The swimming visibility test and the results
Holidays are a time to relax and enjoy — for you and your kids. While a pool is manageable if you talk of open waters like lakes or even big swimming pools, then keeping children safe and always keeping an eye on them is not possible. This is where having a visible swimsuit comes into play. One of the leading causes of death among children is drowning. This is because the swimsuits worn by the children are not always visible to parents or guards.
Recently, an aquatic safety organization called Alive Solutions has conducted a test with all the colors of swimsuits. They conducted the tests in both swimming pools and lakes. Keeping certain factors also in mind, this swimsuit visibility test gave a result that is bound to help all parents keep their children safe. They highlighted that while the style, fabric, design, and fit of the swimsuit are essential, the color plays an even greater role in keeping the child safe when they are in the water.
The organization took some of the popular colors like various shades of blue and red, neon, bright orange, yellow, white, and black. These swimsuits they placed in two types of water bodies: A pool that has a blue or a dark color base, and open water lakes.
After letting the suits float on top of the water and then causing agitation underneath to cause the swimsuit to submerge, the results indicate that brighter colors like neon and fluorescent are the ideal colors to pick when deciding on swimsuits. While the darker colors did well in the pool test, the researchers did clarify that when dealing with lakes, these darker colors can be easily mistaken for leaves or dirt and soil that is often seen just below the water surface. To prove this, the tests with the same suit colors were performed in the open lake. As expected, the bright neon colors were easily visible while the others pulled on vanishing acts.
The results of the swimming visibility test and how it can help
Natalie Livingston is the co-founder of Alive Solutions and she has experience working as a lifeguard and aquatic operator. From her years of experience, she points out that when it comes to visibility, factors like the sun rays, the shadow regions of the water body, the depth, and the surrounding of the water body play a vital role and are visible in all these conditions is a must. When it comes to children, they can easily drown when they suddenly are fatigued mid-swim. To prevent this, neon and fluorescent colors are the best.
This result has been an eye-opener for even the veteran parents. They have pointed out the fact that when put it this way, the safety of the child comes foremost. Another former lifeguard, Breanna Smith Powderly, pointed out that this color scheme will be of immense help. While she points out that lifeguards are trained to follow a 10/20 rule.
Because of this rule, the lifeguards have to be able to scan the entire area within 10 seconds and then be able to reach any person in danger within 20 seconds. This rule does help keep track of children even in dark colors, but having an easy-to-spot swimsuit can make the task easy.
While having a properly fitting and bright-colored swimsuit is a must, other factors to ensure safety should be effectively put in place. These include: having a designated person for watch duty and they be aware of their task; having someone who has a good knowledge about basic first aid to be administered in case of any drowning; teaching children to learn how to swim and know the limits.
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