Water is a great way to beat the heat but according to the Texas Department of Child Protective Services,summer is also when children are most likely to drown.
For almost three weeks Mark Mateo has been bringing his three year old daughter Maxine to swimming lessons.
"It’s a great tool for the kids to have under their survival kit letting them be brave and comfortable in the water is a must for me," Mateo said. But with swimming lessons responsibility and safety are the top priorities.
“ It takes 30 seconds of breathing in water and it coming into the lungs and it can change your life forever," Amanda Alvarez a swim coach said.
Alvarez has been a coach for 16 years and said it is paramount to teach kids how to be safe in the water. According to CPS, in Texas this year there have been 42 children's drownings.
And with the recent drownings in Lake Corpus Christi, water safety tips are essential.
But when reporter Naidy Escobar asked parents if the color of a swimsuit matters when it comes to saving a drowning child most parents did not know the answer.
According to Akron Children's website drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 years old and the second-leading cause of injury death for children ages 5 to 9 years.
The color of the swimsuit plays a huge factor in saving a child's life.
ALIVE Solutions is a company that focuses on aquatic safety, training, and risk assessment. They have tested 14 swimsuits in varying colors first in a pool and then in a lake and the results of the test may shock you.
This year in Texas there has been a total of 42 drownings and Alvarez shared a tip not many hear about: being mindful of what colors you wear in the water.
“You want to stay from your blacks and your blues mostly blues and whites... You want to keep pastels and bright colors to where you're more noticeable in the water," Alvarez said.
“I didn’t learn about this until yesterday, the brighter the color the better because you can easily spot them if they are drowning," Mateo said.
Amanda added that it is important to always keep the kiddos close to be able to keep them safe.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
