Should I expect my lap times in a salt water pool to be faster or slower than in fresh water?

Answer 1

Faster because you are more buoyant in a salt water pool, so more of your energy can go to moving forward and less to staying afloat.

Will this increase be noticeable? Not without a precision timepiece

Answer 2

Any speed difference would really depends just how salty the water is, if it is brackish, then it won't change your bouyancy at all really. If it is extremely salty then it could with the water being denser with the dissolved salt. It really doesn't make much difference though for most people. For example, some people sink like a rock with low body fat. It generally fluctuates between 3 & 4% prior to exercise.

The salt shouldn't have much of an effect on you compared to other factor. What you really should worry about is swallowing salt water. Salt water will dehydrate you and slow you down.

Answer 3

Neither. Contrary to what everyone here is assuming, your buoyancy is really not at all different than in a normally chlorinated pool. The salinity of a sat water pool is only 1/300 th that of a human tear. It's so low, you can't even taste it.
Over the course of a lap, this insignificant salinity, doesn't provide any advantage or disadvantage.

Answer 4

Who the heck has a salt water pool?

Answer 5

i would say maybe a tiny bit faster but not mush

Answer 6

You should expect it to be faster due to better buoyancy.

Answer 7

salt, you float better in salty water

Answer 8

I agree with wizard8100