What colors should your swimming pool lane ropes be? Are there specific rules and regulations you should follow for colors if you want to be compliant when hosting competitions? And do the colors mean anything to swimmers, or is it all about appeal?
When purchasing swimming lane lines, you have many options at your fingertips, including colors. You can mix and match colors based on swim competition rules, swim team colors, or even just personal preference. Let’s get to the bottom of why you might choose certain colors for your swimming pool lane ropes.
To Help Swimmers
Swimmers use swim lane lines to recognize where they are in the water. They have to be able to keep track of their progress while swimming, and quickly glancing at the colors on the lane lines is one way to do it.
The colors of the swimming pool rope float should change as the swimmer gets closer to the end of the lane. For example, the floats at the 15- or 25-meter mark might be green, whereas the floats in the center of the pool are blue. Make the floats within 15-feet of the pool wall a bright color, such as red. This vibrant color (which is often associated with the action to STOP) will catch the swimmer’s eye and stand out against the pool water. This is a smart use of color that helps the swimmer easily detect when they’re getting closer to the pool wall.
Another way to help swimmers is to make the resurfacing markers a contrasting color from the rest of the swim lane line. This helps swimmers quickly detect when they should resurface for air. For example, if your swimming pool lane rope is a mix of blue and white, consider making the resurfacing markers a bright, contrasting color, like orange or yellow. Choose something vastly different from the rest of the rope.
To Show Team Spirit
When you don’t have to meet FINA regulations, your swimming lane line color choice is up to you. One route you can take is to match your swimming pool lane rope colors to the colors of their swim team or school. For example, if the school colors are red and black, you can incorporate a pattern of red and black swimming lane lines into your pool.
To Host Swim Competitions
Mainly represented in the Olympics, FINA (The International Swimming Federation) has specifications for swimming pool lane lines when hosting swim competitions. These also apply for the World Cup. The color specifications are:
- Two green ropes for lanes 1 and 8
- Four blue ropes for lanes 2,3,6, and 7
- Three yellow ropes for lanes 4 and 5
For most other swim competitions in the United States, the regulations for swimming pool dividers are much less strict. Most, if not all, swim meets are USA Swimming or NCAA meets. Facilities hosting competitions under these governing bodies can build their lanes in any color pattern. In most cases, the colors chosen represent the colors of the organization where the event is taking place.
In general, there are no standard colors for lane lines. Outside of competition rules and regulations, you have free rein to customize your swimming lane lines to look exactly how you want.
Competitor offers a palette of 14 shades to choose from, so you’re sure to find the perfect color scheme for your pool. Our swimming pool lane ropes are custom designed to your specifications in any color pattern you can imagine. All colors are available for large and small discs, as well as donuts.
Learn More About Swimming Lane Lines from Competitor
Competitor offers a variety of options for swimming lane lines. Our products are custom built by hand with pride, passion, and expertise. Every Competitor Racing Lanes is manufactured and assembled in the USA and customized for your specific needs. Contact us to learn more.
