A swim spa operates by pumping out a stream of water to act against the swimming motion of the user to provide resistance and a current to keep you buoyant. Unfortunately, this procedure cannot reliably be achieved with a 2 pump swim spa system as the current that would need to be generated to keep an average swimmer buoyant would be far greater than the power of 2 pumps. Instead some competitors attempt to solve this problem by attaching a “fishing pole” like tether around the swimmer’s waist to hold them in place. This flexible pole extends out of the back of the spa and attempts to provide enough resistance to keep the swimmer in place (check out a video here).
The St. Lawrence Aurora Swim Spa models offered by the Canadian Spa Company come with at least 3 pumps to provide enough power and resistance to keep anyone in their lane without the need for any additional tethers. These straps can distract the swimmer and may be counterproductive when trying to improve your swimming technique. These additional pumps can also be diverted to the rest of the spa to give you a dedicated therapy experience when needed.