Yes, the first return is about 15 feet from the pool equipment, the second about 25 and the third about 40 feet away. My presumption has been that the bubbles all escaped at the earlier ports, but it could be absorption. I will ask some family members to also give the area where the bubbles surface a sniff to see if they can smell chlorine. Many of the tiny bubbles remain in suspension, never surfacing. I can wipe them off of any surface underwater with my hands, including the cleaner hose which is 20 feet from the nearest return.

There is no bypass of any kind. I have only a single speed pump and the flow rate is pretty substantial.