Mum gives chilling swimming guide showing how visible kids are underwater & the stark difference between pool & lakes
MANY kids have broken up for summer and will go swimming as part of their holidays – either in pools or the sea.
One mum has shared a striking guide for showing how visible children’s swimsuit are underwater, and it could save lives.
She wrote: “This is a great safety guide for children swimming in lakes and swimming pools. “The colour of the bathing suit can make it easier or more difficult to see children while they are swimming.
“This is a good reminder to always have adult supervision when children are swimming.”
Her photo showed a range of kids’ swimming costume colours and how they appear underwater in lakes or pools.
They had similar results, although the lake left many colours of swimwear practically invisible to the eye outside the water.
Colours that stood out against the water were bold pink and orange, so could be good to buy if you have water babies.
Shades that were nearly invisible in both pools and lakes were light colours such as white or light blue or light green or grey.
Bold green, red and black stood out, but only in pools and not lakes.
Meanwhile, bright yellows could be seen clearer in lakes but were hardly seen in pools.
Many parents were quick to say how grateful they were for the helpful guide.
One said: “good to know! Looks like bright orange and pink are the winners.”
Another added: “Amazing! My boys will be in hot pink from now on. Can’t go wrong.”
And one commented: “It’s so frustrating that the majority of kids swimwear seems to be blue, especially the boys stuff.”
Experts at Swimming.org weighed in on the topic.
They wrote: “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?
“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 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.”
Swimming safety advice
Experts have revealed some of their top advice for both adults and kids heading to the water this summer:
How to stay safe at the beach
Gareth Morrison, Head of Water Safety at the RNLI said: “If you find yourself being swept out to sea in a rip, try to relax and float until you are free from the rip and you can then swim to safety.
“If you see someone else in danger, alert a lifeguard or call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.”
How to stay safe at the swimming pool
Tiny Hearts Education, former paramedic and CEO Nikki Jurcutz said: “Always put your little one in bright or contrasting colours that would be easy to find in an emergency.
“It only takes 20 seconds to drown, little tips like this could save a life”.
An Auqabliss spokesperson added: “Swimming toys such as noodles, dive rings, floaties and beach balls can be dangerous if left in the pool.
“Children may try to grab these from the pool’s edge and fall in.”
How to stay safe at a waterpark
Ali Beckman, Puddle Ducks Technical Director, said: “Never send a child down the slide on their own, not only are they going to be entering the slide pool area independently, they then have to exit the pool and wait for an adult.
“And wave pools should be avoided until your child is really confident with water going over their faces and you know they are able to regain their feet independently.
“Waterparks are often very busy places and it’s easy to lose sight of a child in a split second.”