KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning deaths are on the rise across the United States. As people across East Tennessee head to the lakes and pools, it's important to know some water safety rules.
Across social media, people have posted that swimsuit colors can factor into people's safety.
"I had seen a bunch of advertisements about like, 'What are the best swimming colors?'" said Anna Freeman, a mother. "So blue and white, those tend to disappear once you are submerged over the water. And for the lake, it's even more important to have bright, bright colors."
Freemans said the posts on social media seem to be everywhere for a good reason. She said swimsuit colors can help families keep their eyes on children as they swim, helping parents keep track of their kids.
"If anything happens and they get out of your sight and they're submerged, the brighter the colors, the faster you're going to be able to find them, and it gives you the best shot," said Freeman. "So neon green and bright orange, some reds, those show up better underwater than the blues — the whites, I think. Pink for girls is probably pretty good too."
Thomas Cochran, the owner of All Swim Knox, also said people should make sure they wear life jackets if they go swimming in natural bodies of water, like lakes and rivers.
"And second, I would say, is having a 'Water Watcher.' And that's generally described as having one competent adult watching, particularly the children in the water. And we never want to have kids swimming alone or unsupervised," he said.
Freeman said if adults are with kids in any body of water, they should always make sure to watch them.
"There's no substitution for parental supervision.," said Freeman. "So you can have floaties and life jackets. But if those children are out of your sight, anything can happen. So don't get lazy. Don't be on your phone. Keep eyes on your children at all times."
Cochran said All Swim Knox is working to make sure adults know how to stay safe too. He said he is posting on social media using the hashtags "#JacketUpForLife" and "#FloatingFamilies" to attract attention to water safety. He said the hashtags and social media posts are meant to encourage families and adults to wear life jackets while in the water.
"Those two campaigns are aimed to change water safety culture locally, as well as nationally when we get to that point," he said. "We're not only going to get adults safer, but we're going to raise up kids who've known nothing but seeing their parents in life jackets, and I think that's the cultural difference that'll change the statistics."
Cochran said it's also important for adults to be sober when they're swimming. He says in 2022, most adults who died weren't wearing life jackets and had ingested alcohol or drugs.
"In 2022 those people who did die often had a positive toxicology report for alcohol or drugs," said Cochran. "So it's very common that adults want to enjoy their time and have fun swimming, but it's not always safe to do that. If you're particularly going to be alone, and if you're in a group, having somebody who's going to be able to intervene in case there is an accident is really, really important."
All Knox Swim provides swim lessons to people of all ages and swim levels.