My description is probably going to suck, but the technique my swim coach taught me for turning around tight buoys is a kind of a reverse roll turn and it allows you to make sharp turns without losing much momentum. If you want to turn left, you roll you body to the right and have your right arm pass over top completing a barrel roll. Then as your right arm gets to the water it should be pointing the 90 degrees to the direction you were going and your body will align. Do this twice and you can do quick 180 degree turns around buoys, or just in open water.

Here's a video of the technique, since that explanation likely makes no sense...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiVWrzXumgg

3-4 minutes lost on a single 180º turn???!!! That video shows the technique really well though. It might take two of those strokes to get a 180.

yup, but practice it about a million times before executing in a race.

Your description did suck, because if you want to turn left, you roll to the left, not the right.

:-)

Think of taking your outside arm (the arm on the side opposite the buoy) and bringing it over to be your inside arm when you complete the roll onto your back. You then take your now-outside arm and bring it over to be your inside arm when you complete the roll onto your stomach. Each time you bring your arm over as part of the roll, you enter the water well to side of the buoy, thereby twisting your body towards the new direction you intend; when you initiate the pull of that arm, pull your body in the intended direction.

Been there, done that.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"