A guy freaked out at me yesterday because he seemed to have his own ideas on what appropriate behavior is for lane swimming, but I disagreed. I just want to know the general consensus.
Well, don’t pee in the pool, don’t stand around in a lane when other swimmers are waiting, don’t use your ducky float, don’t swim nekkid.
Those are my rules.
Ducky float? As in those rings that go around your waist?
I just realized how awkward option number 2 looks. :smack:
In general, if there are only 2 swimmers, you usually split the lanes (each person gets a side) unless you know there are potentially more swimmers coming. You can also mutually decide to circle if you wish.
To circle, swimmers typically start on the right side and return on the left side (basically the swimmer is always swimming on the right side of the line). Swimmers should try to stay in the center of their half but should always err on leaving more room towards the center (in other words, hug the lane rope). You should generally leave at least 10 yards between swimmers. Slower swimmers should yield to faster swimmers. On the resting/starting side, swimmers taking a break should stay as close to the lane ropes as possible and leave the middle free for turns. A swimmer coming up ready for a turn should aim for the center of the lane and push off at a slight angle to put them back on the right side of the line.
In most teams, swimmers are grouped and assigned lanes based on swim times in a common length (for example, your best 25 yard swim time). Slower swimmers and those needing more coaching are placed on the outside lanes where the coach can more easily observe. Faster and more advanced swimmers tend to be in the middle.
This thread is exactly why I stay outa the deep end!
In a public pool, I think it’s definitely expected that more people will be coming. At the pool I go to, there are four choices, a free-for-all-area (where you can swim, play with pool toys, soak in water with your friends while you chit chat), slow lanes, moderate lanes, and fast lanes.
All the lanes have a sign that say “Keep to your right except to pass”
your poll needs to be parsed out better:
i answered “no stopping to catch breath” because it was closest to what I think is right…
stopping to catch your breath, no go. (edit: I assume you’re only asking about the far end of the lane, right? if not, I would need to amend my poll answer)
doing a touch turn (i.e. not a flip turn) when the guy behind you is trying to be all michael phelps and stuff… totally fine, and if the swimmer behind you has a problem with that, he or she can go to a faster lane.
I generally would expect people to come in the pool, so I don’t adhere to the “split the lane unless you expect more than 2” rule.
If we’re splitting the lane, only when the 3rd person enters the pool and makes his intentions to swim known to the two of us does it convert over to a circle route.
I’ve never had a problem with this.
I break all these rules on a regular basis.
Just kidding, I don’t stand around when others are waiting. 
I’ve been on swim teams and I’ve swum for exercise for years, and I agree with gumpy3885.
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Pick a lane appropriate to your average speed. If you discover you’re significantly faster or slower than the rest of the swimmers in your lane, move.
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If the person behind you catches up, pause at the end and let them pass.
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If you catch up to the person in front of you, don’t try to sprint past them. Wait for them to pause at the end.
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If you pause at the end, stand off the the side so the middle is open for turns.
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If you pause for longer than it takes the other swimmers in the lane to complete a lap, get out.
I don’t think it’s realistic to say “no stopping at the end, ever”. There’s nothing wrong with stopping to adjust your goggles, or check the clock, or to briefly catch your breath before starting another set. You just need to do it in a way that doesn’t interfere with the ability of the other people in the lane to keep moving.
I don’t understand your answer.
yeah. I can see that
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if we’re talking about the entry side of the pool length, then stepping over to the edge of the lane to catch your breath is ok
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if we’re talking about the far side of the pool length (i’m using a 25-yard pool), then stopping mid-lap is somewhat annoying.
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touch-turning is not stopping to catch your breath, and if someone gets huffy about them not being able to flip-turn because of that, then that’s their problem.
As you leave the pool, drop a couple Baby Ruths in the water. 
The other swimmers will thank you.
Honestly, I’ve never heard of lane swimming, except for swim competitions.
As a former competitive swimmer and former lifeguard this seems weird. All the pools I’ve been in around here have alternated between keep-right and keep left lanes. This minimized crashing arms with the swimmer on the other side of the lanerope. Which lane circles in which direction was set by the coaches or by signs.
The lanes are set up so that everyone circles counter-clockwise. Basically, keep to the right side with the ropes, unless you have to pass, which means if you are passing, you pass on the left. The lanes are narrow though, so in addition to gauging the space needed to pass, we also have to avoid the swimmers coming back on the other side.
Oh, so you’re saying if I get into the pool on the North end, then stopping to catch my breath at the South end would be sucky, but coming all the way back to the North end before I stopped is okay? Did I get that right? :: visualizing, visualizing ::
ETA: That wouldn’t count for beginners, would it. At our local pool, many of the beginners have to rest at each end.
are you from the UK by chance? (or Australia or another Commonwealth realm?)
Hehe… I would except there seems to be about five lifeguards per shift watching us like a hawk. Besides, do I keep them in my bottoms while I’m swimming? :dubious: And if I have a candy bar, I should be eating it now throwing it out to waste!
A hotel swimming pool on the other hand… 
Canada
I don’t have an opinion about swimming etiquette, just one general rule of social interaction: freaking out on a person is not OK