The color swimsuit your kid wears could keep them from drowning. Technically the swimsuit won't save them, a lifeguard or another swimmer will. But the color of the swimsuit they're wearing could be the difference between being noticed, especially while in distress or underwater, or not.

Swimsuit color is never anything I ever thought about. Nor do I think it was anything my Mom ever thought about. And this is the same woman who gifted me a reflective leash and a bright yellow hat so I'd be safe walking the dog on a dark Warrensburg street in the winter.

So when I saw the post on the "What's Happening in Smithville, Missouri" Facebook page I took notice. The post from March 6 summarized the results of swimsuit color testing on a dark pool bottom, a light pool bottom, and a lake bottom done by Alive Solutions.

Alive Solutions is a company that helps those in the aquatics industry operate their business safely by providing data, training, and expertise when it comes to operating an aquatics business safely. That's my summarization of their mission since their about page gives a little more lengthy expectation of who they are and what they do.

Bottom line, the overall best swimsuit color you can buy for your kids is neon orange. Neon orange was one of the easier colors to see in all three water environments Alive Solutions tested swimsuits in: A dark pool bottom, a white pool bottom, and a lake.

Here are the colors they suggested for these three types of water environments:

Swimsuit Colors for Swimming in Lakes/Open Water 

Neon Yellow, Green (still bright and contrasting), Orange (still bright and contrasting)

Alive Solutions also pointed out they did this test in 18 inches of water, and that in an open water/lake environment visibility of any swimsuit color in more than two feet of water was zero for all colors. So keeping people on the surface with life jackets in this environment is very important. Read more about Alive Solutions swimsuit testing in lakes/open water here.

Swimsuit Colors for Swimming in White and Light Blue Bottomed Pools

Neon Pink, Neon Orange

Alive Solutions points out that dark colors do show up well on a light pool bottom, the problem is they can be dismissed for a pile of leaves, dirt or a shadow. Light blue and white swimwear just blend into the pool bottom too easily. Read more about Alive Solutions swimsuit testing in light bottom pools here.

Swimsuit Colors for Swimming in Pools with Dark Pool Bottoms

Neon Yellow, Green (still bright and contrasting), Orange (still bright and contrasting)

Alive solutions noted that pools with dark pool bottoms tend to be similar to what people will experience swimming in a lake or dark blue ocean environment, hence the similar swimsuit color recommendations. Dark colors disappeared very quickly in this environment and white was easy to see close up, but the faster away you are the harder it is to see. Read more about Alive Solutions swimsuit testing in dark bottom pools here.

By the way, this isn't just great information for what swimsuits you're getting for your kids, it might be some good advice to apply in your own life no matter how good a swimmer you are. Have fun, and I'll see you at the pool.