What is it about men ? ( in swimming pools)

It’s a well known training method keeps you in a better position in the water lets you keep your head down so your more stream line
And you can focus more on technique

also some people use them if they have neck problems stops you having to rotate your neck

I’m guessing he was a serious swimmer just minding his own business and doing a proper training session
rather than some who’s gone for a splash round and to watch and criticise people

Snorkels are used for technique improvement. They allow the swimmer to breathe without too much body movement so keeping more streamlined. Better for pool racing rather than open water which needs a different technique (as well as avoiding getting walloped!)
The average public swimmer does not really need them unless in lessons and I'm surprised fins are also permitted as when not used appropriately, they cause more issues with other people.

It’s worth looking into. Decathlon around £20-ish (altho that was approx 6yrs ago). I also have some from a website, which I think were around £40.

I've not looked, but I would expect they're really expensive. prescription sunglasses are bad enough. (unless you go to one of the cheap online sites, but they're a more recent thing)

I think some of the men in my pool just like to show off.

I think it is so they can focus more on their stroke technique. All top squad swimmers at the local club had to have one in their kit.

Some swimmers who aren't that great at breathing properly also get lazy and rely on a snorkel instead of learning to breathe properly.

It’s really unusual for the lanes not to be divided by speed, I’ve never come across a swimming pool with lane swimming not divided into fast, medium and slow lanes. However I don’t think lanes should be divided by sexes unless there’s a competition going on. Where I swim there are generally 2 fast lanes, the slower fast lane has mostly women swimming on it, I tend to pick the one with mostly men as it matches my speed. I would be of great nuisance to all the women swimming on the slower fast lane if I picked my lanes solely based on gender. But moving on to your problem OP, it sounds like that guy has no regard whatsoever for the people he swims with. But I don’t think this flaw in his personality is a consequence of him being either male or a swimmer.

Lots of competitive swimmers use snorkels in training.

But why? What's the purpose of that, @DieStrassensindimmernass

Only some men, the ones with horrible personalities & too much circulating Testosterone, due to no one wanting to shag them as they are wankers equals aggressive swimming , cycling , jogging, driving, etc takes the place of “going at it” with the dick.
or so I believe, I could be wrong.

Lots of competitive swimmers use snorkels in training.

I was going to write the exact same. Or some men who go all out to overtake me and then slow down in front of me presumably because they've tired themselves out whereas I swim at a steady (and by no means slow) pace for my whole 30-60 minute session.

OP can you request the pool introduce speed lanes for safety. Most pools I have swum at have them, and signs advising people to choose a lane that matches their speed and stroke.

I find sharing lanes with a fast swimmer the best option.
I just keep out of their way. They cannot get in my way. Everyone is happier.

Everyone going same speed in a lane means they constantly slow each other day. They get stuck behind each other because no one has the speed to zoom past. This is very annoying.

I'm totally happy to swim with a zooming lane-mate.

Sharing a lane with a breast-stroker can be tough, agreed. I've been scratched & kicked by so many.... often from the lane next to me, they just can't keep in their allocated space.

Yes! I find it’s both men and women though. I started to move to the edge of the pavement and no further - so always enough room to at least pass single file if not more, but I refused to put myself at risk walking on the road. The AMOUNT of people I walked into, and the indignation of them as though I’m the one being unreasonable 🤣 just so entitled and braindead.

Some men in pools are the WORST. I have a slightly reversed situation…. a man gets in a lane I’m swimming in but can’t stand the fact I’m faster than him (and female to boot), so he clogs the lane, refuses to let me pass at the end of the lane as per normal lane sharing etiquette. It’s hilarious as well as utterly rude and infuriating. They must have such tiny little penises, bless them 🙄

happens walking around town too. ever tried the experiment of not automatically being the one to step aside when someone is walking towards you? see how many men shunt you, compared to women. it's like they just expect women to move out of their way automatically.

it's unreasonable to make it about gender, unless the lanes ARE designated for genders. but most of the places I've swam where people are likely to end up sharing lanes, they'll have some marked out as for faster swimmers. it's not so much a gender thing as which stroke you are using. and it is fair to say that generally speaking, women swimming tend to favour the breaststroke, and men swimming tend to favour the crawl, which is usually a faster stroke. don't know if that's because culturally, women tend to want to keep their hair and face dry while swimming, so as not to mess up make up, or have as much faff drying off, and the crawl involves getting your face and head in the water that much more.
but yeah, there is often at least one lane designated for faster swimmers, and it sounds like he should have been in that one.

and another pool annoyance is when there is a free lane and someone gets in the same lane as you. I GET having a preferred lane, but if that lane is occupied, and another is free, use that one.

They think they’re shit hot compared to women while swimming. I had a guy do this to me when I was having a relaxing swim. I changed lanes to the faster lane and left him behind in the dust. He was seriously struggling for breath by the time he got to the end of the lane and eventually managed to ask me how I managed to beat him. I took great delight in telling him I used to swim in a club and we used to race the boys to make us faster. Our swimming coach didn’t discriminate between guys and girls and used to put us in girls v boys races and whoever lost had to swim an extra 24 laps before going home. Needless to say we got very competitive

I went for my swim this afternoon in trepidation!

I saw something I've never seen before (but have seen mentioned here) - a guy in the fast lane using a snorkel. I presume he would be doing that so he could swim front crawl without having to take his head out of the water to breathe - but why?!

There was a man in the pool recently kept on cutting across me when I overtook him at the end of the lane. Clearly had a problem.

Oh yes. I used to be a competitive swimmer and am still quite fast. If there are men in my lane who are slower, they really don’t like it! I’ve been kicked, bashed and sworn at by men in the past although I try really hard to be courteous and considerate to others and always swim in the appropriate lane. Some men are just entitled arseholes.

I also hate being crashed into by some men in swimming pool lanes. Why don't they every look where they are going.

You beat me to saying that. Nobody is interested in your silly bickering.

Can Superworm and Sylviacrystal please move into another lane (thread) to carry on their argument ...

Yes and then they just crash into people at high speed.

Re. Your last point. I didnt lie abut there being loads of female only gyms in Ireland.

Do a quick Google search pet. It will show you that there are loads of female only gyms in Ireland.

Only on mumset , could you get called a liar for stating a fact. Some people are crazy on here.