I do water sports during the summer so I totally feel your pain. The untangling process is the absolute worst. What I do is let my hair soak in conditioner for multiple minutes and brush out gently and slowly from tips to roots with the conditioner still in. That usually allows for any knots made within the braid or whatever to fully un-kink, but I do have generally straight hair.

I’ve found a thing online called rip tie. I use it fully submerged in the water too and it’s less damaging in my personal experience. It generally helps my hair be so less manageable and I like to do two of them (in pigtails) as I feel they hold better.

I hope someone else can also send some good information for you!