‘Invisible’: The shocking image worrying parents around the world

A picture of an Aussie child disappearing into the bright blue depths of a swimming pool has shocked parents across the world.

A picture of an Aussie child disappearing into the bright blue depths of a swimming pool has shocked parents across the world.

An image posted to CPR Kids Australia, may first appear like a typical shot of an empty swimming pool.

But a second image posted to the comments draws attention to a slightly dark patch of water which is the only indication that a child is underwater.

CPR Kids, which is run by a group of registered nurses, acknowledged while the image of the nearly invisible child is “hard to believe” – it evidenced just how dangerous picking the wrong coloured swimwear can be.

The photo, uploaded to an Australian Facebook page, prompted a flood of horrified responses from parents. Picture: @CPRKids / Facebook

A slightly darker patch in the water was all that suggested a child was beneath the surface. Picture: @CPRKids / Facebook

The organisation assured that the image had not been altered in any way and that the parent who originally took the photo had shared it because of how unbelievable the incident felt.

“One of the CPR Kids Educators was at a pool party … she asked one of the children who was wearing a pale blue swimsuit to swim to the bottom. The results shocked her,” the team said in the post.

A commenter also recalled the same phenomenon happening to their child when they went swimming at a caravan park pool.

But while watching your kid seemingly vanish in front of your eyes can be shocking, CPR Kids said the terrifying risk is the inability to identify whether your kid might be drowning.

In Australia, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five years old.

And CPR Kids said that a huge part of combating the “silent” killer is to make sure your child is identifiable by wearing brightly coloured swimwear.

“Avoid blue, dark or dull colours for kids swimwear,” a cautionary post advises parents.

“Opt for bright and colourful (swimwear) so that they are easier to see.”

The Facebook group CPR kids, which was run by nurses, advised parents to opt for bright and colourful swimwear Picture: @CPRKids / Facebook

But what made the child even harder to see was the fact that after a few hours of pool party fun, the pool water was no longer crystal clear.

“The (educator) … noticed how cloudy the water had become after being used all day,” they said.

“The cloudiness was likely due to sunscreen in the water.”

However, shocked parents in the comment section lamented how hard it was to find brightly coloured swimwear for boys.

“Would be great if you could tell the manufacturers of swim wear!” one person wrote.

“Once kids get to 7yr it’s all blue/black/white.”

Another commenter noted that even kids life jackets at waterski shops were phasing out the fluorescent colours in favour of popular camouflage prints.

CPR Kids warned that child drownings can happen quickly, silently and at any time.

Jessica Julie recalled the horrifying moment her child began drowning without her knowing.

“(I was) sitting on the edge of the pool … watching my little one play,” she said.

“A man sitting beside me watching his child jumped in to grab my child before I had even realised he was struggling. My child never made a sound.

“I was within arms reach and was distracted in thought.”

Nurse and director of CPR Kids Sarah Hunstead told Daily Mail Australia it was imperative for parents to “actively supervise” their children if they were in or around the pool.

“When it comes to supervision, you always need to remember that even though there may be lots of people around, they’re not necessarily looking at the kids,” she said.

“The ‘active’ is what’s important.

“That means you’re not reading, you’re not on your phone, you’re not chatting to anyone else.”

Official advice from Royal Life Saving Australia recommended that when kids are playing in the water, adults should allocate a designated “pool water” to supervise.