Swimming instructor explains why blue swimsuits are so dangerous

A swimming instructor is warning about the dangers of buying children swimwear that matches the colour of the water.

A swimming instructor has issued a stern warning to parents: Beware of buying blue swimmers for your children.

Nikki Scarnati, a certified infant swimming instructor from the US, made the warning in a video shared to TikTok.

She’s aiming to instruct people on the dangers of wearing swimwear that matches the water, warning parents that kids could be too camouflaged to rescue, New York Post reports.

As a demonstration, Ms Scarnati filmed her young daughter swimming in a pool, wearing a blue one-piece.

The mother and swimming instructor warned against blue swimsuits for kids.

In the clip, which has been viewed over 4.6 million times, the girl’s blond head could be seen bobbing on the water’s surface, slipping under every now and then. But the colour of her swimsuit made it nearly impossible to see the rest of her body.

The US swimming instructor, based in Tennessee, said she’d purchased the swimmers only for the purpose of the video, pointing out how hard it was to spot her daughter in the water because it’s the “same colour as our environment”.

“This is why you do not put your children in blue bathing suits. Look at how difficult it is to see her under the water,” Ms Scarnati said.

“And this is in calm water. This is not with a whole bunch of other kids playing and splashing around and having a good time.”

The colour of the togs makes it very hard to see the child in the water.

“So, do not buy blue bathing suits, guys,” she said, suggesting parents “buy bright ones” instead.

Commenters agreed, thanking the mum and instructor for her advice.

“I’m a former lifeguard and this is absolutely right!” one user commented.

“Any shade of blue is difficult to see, and so is any pastel light colour in general.”

“That’s crazy – I would have never even thought about it,” another wrote.

“I teach swim lessons. Proper coloured suits are one of the things I require,” someone else wrote.

“I never would have thought of this. Thank you,” said another.

There were 339 drowning deaths across Australia between 2021 and 2022, according to a report from Royal Life Saving Australia. Of those, 17 were children aged up to four years old and 15 were children aged five to 14.

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission