Just been told that I can no longer use fins in my pool, with 3 people in the lane and at the 6am early bird swim. New management taking a health and safety line! Anyway wondered what kind of arguments I could use to get some common sense on this. Anyone have similar experience - just how dangerous are fins anyway…??
it’s there pool,there rules but it is a common rule no fins or paddles during public swim time.
you could hire the pool privately & then you can use fins
or join a club
Similar issue at the pool I use. In ‘their’ pool, if we are more than 4 in a lane we can’t use paddles or fins. They are strict on this, but not on slow people floating in the faster lanes. We haven’t managed to change their position.
Yeah, well, you’re probably overusing them anyway and they’ve become a crutch. Consider it a favour. 
I think breaststroke is far more dangerous than fins 
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In some cases, I’d rather force some people to use fins in the pool. It’ll speed them up and stop their breaststroking, all at the same time.
It’s common in the UK, the last pool I used had a blanket ban on everything bar pull bouys and kick boards at all times (even if you were the only person there.) The exception to this was when a swim club used the pool.
There probably isn’t a great deal you can do to change it.
Iain
Just been told that I can no longer use fins in my pool, with 3 people in the lane and at the 6am early bird swim. New management taking a health and safety line! Anyway wondered what kind of arguments I could use to get some common sense on this. Anyone have similar experience - just how dangerous are fins anyway…??
You could always do fly sets…
I live on a military area, so lots of guys thinking they’re gonna make it to SEAL or dive training whether it’s at a base pool or one of the city rec centers that just CONSTANTLY use fins. The main issue I have with these guys is that they don’t know when you tap them on the feet. Combine that with a lack of any idea whatsoever of simple lap swim etiquette or awareness of their own pace relative to others and it gets frustrating.
I hate it when people get their paddles out in a crowded lane. Fins, hmm, never bothered me. If you are looking for an approach to take perhaps you tell them you support the ban on paddles but don’t understand why they are banning fins.
what about using paddles and fins whilst doing the breaststroke? Would that bother you?
Swam 8 to a lane many times on club settings. Fins / paddles etc…
Your pool mangement is in pussification mode.
My YMCA tried to ban me from wearing headphones while swimming. I don’t wear them sharing a lane, they guards just saw headphones as a safety issue. I told them they are not headphones, they are ear plugs that play music. Are you going to ban ear plugs too? That ended that. I think it was just a new life guard manager trying to show power under the guise of safety…much like our government. Maybe I should tell him to run for office. We need more government imposed ‘safety’.
I find when my paddles are sitting on the deck they scare away would be lane sharers. I’ll only share a lane and use them with someone I know knows how to properly split a lane. Too many black line lemmings.
what about using paddles and fins whilst doing the breaststroke? Would that bother you?
No, only if they are also using a pool bouy. Yes, I have seen this. I do like the people that bring two sets of fins swimming, one normal set and another set specifically for breaststroke.
Fairly common practice. Can’t use them in all of the pools I go except one (which I don’t go often because it’s the only paying one). Paddles are a big no no as well.
One of the pools will make exception and allow me on Friday evenings, since there are 5 lanes and 1 swimmer, me, for about 2 hours.
Well ya gotta admit that 8 kids from a swim team, likely grouped by ability and likely in 2.5 meter wide lanes is different than 8 yahoos doing who knows what in more than likely 2 meter wide lanes.
I can see the no paddles, I don’t really see where fins would be a problem though. Just glad I don’t swim there.
paddles are far more dangerous than fins. anyone else been sliced by someone else’s paddles?
I think breaststroke is far more dangerous than fins
agree 100%. Nothing like take a kick to the ribs to ruin your season or career.
Swam 8 to a lane many times on club settings. Fins / paddles etc…
Your pool mangement is in pussification mode.
But You and your mates knew what you were doing.
Pools are expensive and if they aren’t being used they close down. So I don’t mind sharing a lane but man the amount if people who agree to share and then swim right down the middle… It is baffling. So much body unawareness.