Alive Solutions tested out a range of colours of swimwear to find out which ones are the most visible when swimming
As the school summer holidays begin to kick off, many families will be flocking to different parts of the UK and the world for a well-deserved rest. This may mean a trip to the beach or a dip in the pool on foreign shores.
Since the weather has begun to pick up over the recent days, it only seems right you’d want a cool refresh. But if you plan on going swimming with young children, you should be aware how the colour of your child’s swimming costume could be putting them at risk.
Consumer site Which? shared a warning on its Instagram page, detailing how the colour of swimsuits could save a kid’s life. Research conducted by Alive Solutions tested different colours and patterns in open water and swimming pools.
Which? captioned the post: “The colour of your kid’s swimsuit could save their life! This video highlights why if you’re buying a swimming costume for your child, you should choose a bright neon block colour.
“This is because it maintains better visibility underwater, while light blues and whites can be very difficult to see if your child gets into difficulty.”
Testing different colour swimwear in open water from different viewpoints (the surface, shore level perspective, and elevated), at two feet deep, many of them were “barely visible”. The best colours in terms of visibility were bright colours, including neon yellow, green and orange. All of the other colours disappeared.
In a swimming pool, bright and contrasting colours remained the most visible. Which? explained that white and light blue swimwear showed up the least.
Which? said: “While the darker colours could be seen, they could easily be mistaken for shadow or dirt.”
When it came to block colours versus patterns, Alive Solutions found that neon colours were still the winners. Small patterns (either light or dark) didn’t seem to impact visibility very much.
However, large dark patterns did impact and decrease visibility. So for instance, wearing a solid neon orange suit is more visible on the dark bottom than a neon orange suit with large navy stripes. If you’re still hunting for swimwear for your children, your best bet is to buy neon colours to keep them safe.
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