Living in a lake community, this is useful information.
Choosing a bright, neon color for your child’s swimsuit could be lifesaving! The Aquatic Safety Connections put different swimsuit colors to the test in three different environments that you may encounter when going swimming. Those being a pool with a lighter colored bottom, a pool with a darker colored bottom, & lakes or other bodies of open water with the bottoms being a brown or grey color Overall best color= 
neon orangeLAKES/ OPEN WATERFor the LAKES/ OPEN WATER the 
winners were 
neon yellow
neon green
neon orange.
White appeared to be more light reflective, but it would not stand out in a group of people. The rest of the colors including neon pink all disappeared very quickly and the test they performed was only 18” of water. LIGHT COLORED POOL BOTTOM For the LIGHTER COLORED POOL BOTTOM the 
top colors were 
neon pink neon orange. While you may think that darker colors would show up better against a lighter background, you are absolutely correct. However, the darker colors are more likely to be mistaken for a pile of leaves, dirt, or even a shadow.
The bottom two colors were white and light blue: steer clear of these if possible. DARK COLORED POOL BOTTOM For the DARKER COLORED POOL BOTTOM the top choices neon yellowgreen orangeOther observations that were noted: the water significantly distorted some of the colors, some colors seemed to disappear the farther away you got, and some of the colors changed completely or were seen as a different color than they were above the water. The red, pink, and orange all looked more red and darker, the white looked like light blue and quickly disappeared with distance. The darker colors (black, grey, and dark green) showed up as grey, navy, and navy respectively. BE AWARE Other factors will impact the results meaning that each environment is different. Consider the color of the lake water, the visibility or water clarity, the lighting, weather, activity at the water surface, and any currents that may be present. What is the takeaway from all these tests? A brighter colored swimsuit could save your child’s life. While bright and contrasting colors will help with the visibility, it does not matter what your child is wearing if you are not effectively and actively supervising. Think bright, contrasting & practice safe swimming!
