The master's group I coach twice a week is roughly 16-17 people in 4 lanes. I have 2 "real swimmers", sometimes 3, but everyone else is a triathlete/adult onset swimmer. I actually don't care when they leave, as I note when they leave. So if they leave early and come back in on the 9, that's not 59, that's a 60 split....if they want to claim it as 59, I cant stop them, I'll call them on it and mark it as a 60. Within that group, I personally coach 9 so, everyone there is "honest". But again, my masters is very freestyle/triathlon focused sets. We aren't doing IM much, we aren't doing breaststroke etc etc.

So if they leave early, which none of my do, I simply would call their BS time out. Most dive under/bend to push off when the clock hits the 9 and pushes off on the top.

ETA: I do laugh when my athletes look down on their watches when they are going on an interval, when the big ass pace clock is 10 yards away easily seen. That drives me nuts when they do that....about once every 3 months they'll get wrath from me "stop looking at your damn watches and go off the pace clock when on an interval".

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II