Water safety experts believe that the right swimsuit shade can actually help prevent drowning.

A pleasant vacation at the beach or by the pool can easily turn into tragedy — statistics show that tens of thousands of people die from drowning every year. However, water safety experts are confident that drowning is largely preventable.

Researchers advise learning basic swimming skills, appointing “water watchers” to keep an eye on children in the water, and avoiding swimming alone or while intoxicated, Focus writes. However, there is something even more surprising: experts also believe that the right swimsuit color may help prevent drowning. The point is that a properly chosen shade can make a person more visible and help avoid danger, especially for children and inexperienced swimmers.

So, what swimsuit color is considered the safest? According to Lisa Zarda, executive director of the U.S. Swim School Association, bright neon swimsuits are easier to spot in pools, lakes, and oceans. At the same time, blue, black, white, and gray swimsuits actually blend in with the water.

When water moves and reflects sunlight, some colors simply disappear underwater. This is especially true in open water, where it can be murky and difficult to see anything. As a result, experts agree that the brighter the color, the safer the swimmer. However, bright orange and yellow swimsuits are considered the safest.

An informal study was conducted by the public safety group Alive Solutions, which tested swimsuit visibility in three different conditions:

in a pool with a standard light-colored bottom;

in a pool with a dark bottom, resembling a dark-blue ocean environment;

in an open lake with brownish-gray water.

The study results showed that the most visible color was bright neon orange. However, there were slight differences in which colors stood out best under different conditions. For example, in a pool with a dark bottom, neon yellow, green, and orange stood out the most, while bright reds and pinks appeared darker, and both light and dark shades blended in with the water. In a pool with a light bottom, most colors stood out, while light shades such as white and light blue disappeared almost instantly. At the same time, in the lake, only neon colors were visible, while all other colors quickly disappeared.