If all but one of the swim lanes are doubled up, and the lone single is flip turning with no sign of slowing, what is the protocol?
Wait for the end of his set and and ask to join? Cannonball?
The proper thing to do is to wait until they stop at the wall. On their part, the proper thing to do is to offer to split the lane or circle (after determining if your pace and workout are compatible with circle swimming). As the ‘incumbent’ swimmer, it’s their choice.
Very poor form to just jump into an occupied lane - and a good way to cause a nasty run-in or get cut by a paddle. Also poor form to ignore a waiting person rather than offer to split the lane.
asking to join a lane is a formality, if the only lane not doubled up has someone that is not keeping an eye on the deck at least every 100 or so then I’ll just get into the lane and stand in there so that I am noticed.
It’s my experience that generally these people do know there are people on the deck waiting/wanting to share lanes but are hoping that by avoiding the acknowledgment the waiters will move onto a different lane. A surprising number of people will also just loiter on the deck instead of sharing a lane.
Sit down at the end of the lane and put your feet in the water.
If there is only one person in the lane I would jump in when they are just past the flags and push off under them so they see me. Then hope they understand to split the lane.
I give them a chance to acknowledge me and make it obvious that I plan on sharing their lane. If they don’t acknowledge and get the hint, I just jump in. Life’s too short to wait for people that think the rules don’t apply to them.
Check for local rules, my local pool circle swimming is the rule, I’ve been admonished by the lifeguards for offering to split a lane with someone.
Lane splitting is bush league, triathlete nonsense. Wanna swim like a swimmer? Start by circle swimming even if you are by yourself or with one other. Circle swimming at all times sets the lane up to be used to capacity without having to do a damn thing. Swimmers can come and go as they wish.
Capacity is not two swimmers. It’s at least 4, and that is if they are doing separate things. 5-6 should be doable if all are on the same set.
I love the people that try to ignore me. Of course they know I am there. Now they get to experience a butterfly warm-up.
As others have said, dangle your feet or stand at the end of the lane so that the swimmer can see that you are there. Never just jump in and start swimming.
Don’t expect a swimmer to stop their swim just to roll out the welcome mat. If I am in the middle of a swim, I am not stopping to chat with you.
Lane splitting is bush league, triathlete nonsense. Wanna swim like a swimmer? Start by circle swimming even if you are by yourself or with one other. Circle swimming at all times sets the lane up to be used to capacity without having to do a damn thing. Swimmers can come and go as they wish.
Capacity is not two swimmers. It’s at least 4, and that is if they are doing separate things. 5-6 should be doable if all are on the same set.
I love the people that try to ignore me. Of course they know I am there. Now they get to experience a butterfly warm-up.
x2
and back in the real world where you could have someone swimming 2:30 and another person swimming 1:30 in the same lane, circle swimming is moronic unless you have to.
Normally at my gym when its set on 25y i’ll swim center until someone shows up then if I see them want to get in i’ll switch to one side they can normally figure it out. If its set at 50m, the pool is normally packed, so I just keep circle swimming cause someone is bound to want to jump in.
and back in the real world where you could have someone swimming 2:30 and another person swimming 1:30 in the same lane, circle swimming is moronic unless you have to.
Normally at my gym when its set on 25y i’ll swim center until someone shows up then if I see them want to get in i’ll switch to one side they can normally figure it out. If its set at 50m, the pool is normally packed, so I just keep circle swimming cause someone is bound to want to jump in.
…and what happens when a third person shows up?If the new person is that much slower than you then they will soon realize that they should be in another lane…Maybe it is different down here in Oz but in every pool I have ever been in you always circle swim whether you are alone or not.I’ve tried the split swim thing in Canada and is causes nothing but problems when others want to swim.
I think the difference is here there really aren’t that many people swimming at the same time, or at least I try to avoid those times. Besides those 50m days I rarely see enough people at the pool to need 2 per lane let alone worrying about getting 3+ per lane.
As far as being to slow for a lane, the only pool I’ve swam at that had markers for slow, medium, fast, was at the Iowa State University pool. I doubt most people here, that weren’t swimmers, would even realize that you should get in a lane with someone swimming close to your same speed.
Trust me I get what you’re saying, but reality here in at least most the pools I’ve been in, a third person joining is very rare, theres hardly any need to even have to worry about it. On those days where it is, like the 50m day, I circle swim.
Normally at my gym when its set on 25y i’ll swim center until someone shows up then if I see them want to get in i’ll switch to one side they can normally figure it out.
That’s what I do. I swim at a college pool and it’s uncommon to have more than 2 to a lane. (yes I know I am spoiled).
I had a really nice quiet pool to swim in down here until very recently. A little 25m oasis away from the hoards of swimmers here in Surfers Paradise where I swam alone most days until, that is, they shut down the Southport Aquatic Center to build a new one for the Commonwealth Games and I was inundated with the floating dead .Now I split the Pacific ocean with the sharks.
I had this happen to me today, I was the lone swimmer…& I could tell that someone was wanting to join. I have swam for decades, I get bored easily, & I am always watching my surroundings while swimming.
The next time I flipped, I breathed & looked back & waved my arm giving them a thumbs up to join.
Etiquette? We just all need to get a long & play nice.
“As far as being to slow for a lane, the only pool I’ve swam at that had markers for slow, medium, fast, was at the Iowa State University pool. I doubt most people here, that weren’t swimmers, would even realize that you should get in a lane with someone swimming close to your same speed.”
The pool I swim in has designated lanes (slow, medium, fast, very fast, kick only).
People have vastly different ideas as to what is medium, fast, very fast. I feel like I should be in the medium lane but it’s painfully slow. I actually cannot swim freestyle as slow as that lane goes without sinking. The fast lane can have people swimming anywhere between 1:30/100m to 2:00 (LC). The very fast lane will generally have anything under 1:45. However, the other day there were people in the very fast lane busting out consistent 2 minute 100s and it was driving me nuts!
This why I normally do Masters.
However, the other day there were people in the very fast lane busting out consistent 2 minute 100s and it was driving me nuts!
A few lengths of butterfly usually cures that. Or do some 100 IM’s & they will leave quickly.
There is a lady at my gym, that is adamant about swimming circles event if it is just the 2 of us in the lane. She swims 25 at a time at a very slow pace (i dont care that she is slow) and I can’t figure out why when it is just 2 of us in the lane that she won’t split the lane.
and back in the real world where you could have someone swimming 2:30 and another person swimming 1:30 in the same lane, circle swimming is moronic unless you have to.
Spoken like a bush league triathlete.