Aquatics director says swimsuit color could help with safety in the water

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - If you’re going swimsuit shopping for your kid, there could be certain colors that make them more visible while in the water.

You can imagine if a small kid is at the bottom of a deep pool, it might be hard to spot them. That’s why swimsuit color could be the difference between life and death.

Trey Sullivan, the Shades Valley YMCA Aquatics Director, says swimming safety is top priority at their pools.

He recommends that parents should consider buying swimsuits for their kids that don’t blend in with the water like pale shades of blues or greens. Sullivan says the brighter the swimsuit, the better.

“So many lifejackets you see are are reds our bright neon yellows and our bright neon oranges, anything that’s very visible,” said Sullivan. “Even a bright pink can be helpful. It’s easy for a parent to see it’s easy for a grandparent to see it’s even easy for our lifeguards to see. There’s a reason our lifeguards wear red, right? So they’re the most visible.”

Sullivan says extra eyes never hurt so make sure you’re paying close attention to your child this summer while they’re playing around deep bodies of water like at pools and water parks.

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved.