Learn to Swim

A guide to the Learn to Swim Programme

The safest swimwear colours for your child

Adult supervision is crucial to keeping young people safe in, on and around the water, but have you ever thought about whether the colour of your child’s swimwear could make a difference in preventing drowning?

If the worst does happen, being able to quickly find a child in the water could save vital seconds and make the difference between a fatal and non-fatal incident.

How many of us pick our children’s swimwear based on how it looks, their favourite colours or who their number one character is right now?

The colour of the swimwear makes a huge difference as to whether they can be seen even on the surface of the water, let alone if they are underwater.

Look around the poolside next time you’re at your little ones’ swimming lessons – blue, white, and red will be seen in large numbers.

Then pay particular attention to what happens when they are swimming along, and even when they dive to the bottom to reach for a sinker.

The child almost vanishes before your eyes!

The safest colours for swimwear

The colour of the bottom of the pool will make a difference BUT neon colours – orange, green, pink and yellow – will always be easier to see in a swimming pool than the colours mentioned above.

Don’t believe us? Here’s a recent study by Alive Solutions Inc. which proves the theory, click here to read the study.

If you’re going swimming in an outdoor setting, the results are the same. The caveat for this is that open water settings, such as beaches and rivers, also come with various hidden dangers such as tides and currents which need to be considered when making your choice.

So now you know, when buying your child’s swimwear, think bright, neon, contrasting colours.

Looking for more ways to keep your little one safe? Check out more from our experts by visiting the Water Safety hub.

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