To create my own lane

Can't help with the lanes as just go to non lane sessions. However got prescription goggles which makes such a difference.

Would be worth getting some so you can see better.

Surely if you're in lanes you can't zig zag between them, surely you have to duck under the ropes to do that?

Walk up to the signs and read the speed on them.

The pool needs three speeds: one for the serious swimmers, one for the walkers/people who don't like to get their hair wet, and one for everyone else.

I second getting a pair of prescription goggles. Specsavers do them and they are surprisingly affordable.

The fast and slow are relative. The trick is to try to swim at the same speed as other people in the same lane as you.

Swimming lane etiquette is an ongoing problem that you’ll never solve! However as others have said, see if you can get prescription goggles, will change your life!!

Get prescription goggles.

Fast and slow lanes also confused me but it’s to do with how many laps you can complete in a specific time using which strokes. You should see it written around somewhere.

Creating your own lane, while admitting you can’t really see, is just as bad as manspreading and standing to chat in the water for everyone else who is just trying to obey etiquette and swim.

Prescription goggles are going to be essential if you can’t swim when it’s empty.

Were there no ropes dividing lanes? That would be confusing. Usually 3 lanes are roped off. You are supposed to swim in same formation as everyone else. The middle bit is for overtaking.

How did he move between lanes? The ropes would be up separating them so he’d be ducking under every time?

And what do you mean by a gap in the middle? So, it looks like 3 lanes but they only have 2 lanes “open” as slow and fast, and the middle lane isn’t used? That’s weird. If they’ve roped off a slow lane and roped off a fast lane, and left a gap in the middle then they have created three lanes and only use two. Why not use the middle?

Just speak to staff and ask what’s up with that.

She didn’t swim up and down the middle of one lane though, which would be weird and using the overtaking space. She went into a totally different “lane” which has been created but not actually being used. Which is odd. Usually you get slow, medium and fast. So she just used the empty lane as a medium lane.

Our pool has:
Fast Lane - Swim 25 meters in less than 30 seconds
Medium Lane - Swim 25 meters in less than 45 seconds
Slow Lane - no limit specifed

As an ex swimming teacher - yeah you’re gonna really piss people off and I’m surprised a life guard hasn’t spoken to you.

you can read the signs - if you go over to where they are.

Some swimmers are very militant about swim lanes and tbh you can’t really swim where the fuck you want when there are designated swim lanes as you can cause accidents. You’ve been very lucky no one has kicked you or a random slap hasn’t occurred because that absolutely does happen because that ‘gap in the middle’ is a safety barrier. Manspread swimmer is mostly being very passive aggressive towards you.

Get in the slow lane if you’re not ploughing up and down. The fast lane is for people wanting to burn off steam/high cardio and swim fast - those will be the kickers and slappers.

15 years teaching and I’ve seen all sorts of argybargy - especially in the early morning sessions 😮

I’ve never seen a safety barrier between lanes. It goes edge of pool, rope, rope, rope to create three lanes right next to each other. No gaps in between lanes, and odd not to be using the middle lane.

I need a diagram. I can't work out where the man was zigzagging, or where you made a new lane.

I don't mind people stopping to chat, it's a nice social activity for some people - little bob, stop, natter, little bob...

I'm surprised there's no medium lane as that's where everyone wants to go. Apart from the very elderly, no one in my pool wants to be deemed slow and therefore they all pile into the middle lane and go...slowly. Fast lane is a couple of blokes doing front crawl. I'd argue if you can't see enough to know what's going on, you're not really safe to be in the pool. You need to sort out some prescription goggles or take your glasses in and leave them on the side.

There aren't enough pools in the UK and, IMHO, swimming has become utterly frustrating. I've returned to swimming for health reasons and lane problems are worse than ever.
I hate people standing chatting in the lanes during lane sessions too but life guards never deal with it.
At my local pool, they've attempted to quantify swimming speed, 25-35 seconds average for medium lane and other lanes accordingly. But you still get selfish people swimming too slowly for the lane they're in which upsets the balance of the whole pool as people try to find somewhere they can swim at their own pace.
The other thing I hate is men who swim in the fast lane regardless of their actual pace when they are swimming at medium speed. This is especially the case if they see a woman swimming in the fast lane. So they get in everyone's way and stand puffing and bright red at the end of every length.
The OP has failed to explain the layout of her pool but making your own lane is pretty aggressive. I've seen a situation where the pool has been divided by ropes into two which sets up the situation where some people try to swim down the middle of one, wide, lane, it DOESN'T work.
Swimming, bl**dy nightmare in the UK. 😕

I don't mind people stopping to chat, it's a nice social activity for some people - little bob, stop, natter, little bob...

These people shouldn’t be using any lane roped off for swimming. They should be in the ‘free/open’ area.

YABU for not getting prescription goggles.

Get yourself prescription goggles. It's not anyone else's fault that you have bad eyesight and it does sound like you are causing confusion. It's also a safety hazard not being able to see other people properly and it's not fair that they should always be the one avoiding you. Give and take is needed.

I no longer care who I annoy whilst swimming. I go in the fast or medium lane depending on who is already there when I get in. If someone gets in the lane I’m in who clearly shouldn’t be there I’ll overtake them everytime I catch up to them. If they don’t get the message I’ll just swim right through them until they finally figure it out and fuck off to the slow lane.

Why?
At my pool the whole thing is roped off for lane swimming so there is no open area.
Fast swimmers might have a timed rest in between intervals; aren’t you allowed to say hi to anyone then? And there are plenty of really slow swimmers who chat while on the move.

The most effective use of lanes is what the pool I used before I moved had. There were three lanes and someone actively managed them and asked people to move. Which lane you were in depended on the speed of others swimmingthat day. I normally used the slow but was occassionally asked to move to the middle lane.

You sound pleasant (yes, that's sarcasm).
You are aware that you don't own the lane, right?
Cooperation is key.
Nobody has more right than another to be there provided they are in a lane appropriate for their speed.

You can get off the peg prescription goggles that don't cost the earth. I'm a minus 11 prescription, but bought minus 8 speedo goggles for £20, which are enough to let me read the signs.

YABU to start this thread without a diagram.

Basic rule is that chatting for any length of time is frowned upon in lanes, especially when it's busy.

I think this is fine as long as you're singing "You can make your own lane" to the tune of Fleetwood Mac in your head as you do it.