Is it odd for a 15-18 year old to be in the pool (when the only thing on is children's swimming lessons)?

[WallFloor]

I know that I'm probably being ridiculous, but after that park thread/Crimewatch I feel a bit over cautious.

I frequently take my daughter to her swimming lesson, there are a mixture of boy and girls that are 3-6 and different sections of the pool are cut off for each stage. There is a tiny square left for people to swim, but no one ever stays swimming or comes at this time as 1) it's so small 2) it's really noisy 3) it's full of kids and parents waiting for their children to finish lessons.

For the last 3 weeks, every single time there has been the lessons (only lasts an hour and a half) a girl who is around 15-18 stands in that one bit of the pool. No swimming, just stands looking at the lessons. I think nearly every mum has noticed...

Isn't this odd behaviour? She is always in the changing room when all the mums/kids are and walks out to the pool at the same time. She then gets out after the hour and a half when it's over. It's just too much of a coincidence!

What would you think?

[CozyAutumn]

Mousebank, my thoughts exactly.

[DerekSprechenZeDick]

101 and log it been mentioned yet?

Oh mouse that's why it hasn't

[AgentProvocateur]

I think she's probably a serial killer who is just waiting for the instructor's back to be turned before she starts drowning the children.

[WallFloor]

She was there again today... she's on her own! I'm sure of it

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

Does it matter, given that there are so many adults around supervising?

[paxillin]

Go up to her and ask if she's one of the life guards or training to be one?

[mycatstares]

Does she leave the same time as everyone else?

[ThenLaterWhenItGotDark]

I'm sure with the OP's beady-eyed skills and the other, at a guess, 40? or so adults supervising the snowflakes, we can all rest assured that The Girl In The Pool is not about to feature on Crimewatch.

Thank fuck and all that is holy it is a girl, and not a boy, or his reputation really would be in tatters in PPLand.

[SaucyJack]

Perhaps she goes in when the younger children's lessons are on because she's trying to avoid perverts herself?

[ForalltheSaints]

I think talking to her is a good idea. The thought that she is avoiding someone, probably perry men, may be true, but until anyone talks to her, you will never know.

[YelloDraw]

still thinking sulky teen sister forced to 'swim' while younger sibling has lessons

Same

[Realhousewivesofshit]

Chat to her.

[mummymummums]

I had an experience once at our local pool. The baby pool was busy with babies and young children, and 3 lads aged about18 came and got in. They sat on the steps and didn't move. I guess it's slightly warmer than main pool. But one of them acted v v odd.
My DD was prancing back and forth along the steps up to her waist in water and each time she got near him this one lad slunk down under water with his goggles on and watched. As she retreated a few feet away he resurfaced. I kept my daughter away after seeing this a few times but kept an eye on him and he did exactly the same every time a small girl came near. He put himself eye level with bottoms.
When I was certain I went and spoke to lifeguard, also a lad aged late teens. He said I was disgusting to make accusations like that. He said it was just lads keeping warm.
I went off in search of duty manager (leaving DD with DH) but found no one. When I came back two of the lads were chatting with lifeguard and I realised they all knew each other. Oddly acting lad was still in pool submerging every time a little bottom came near.
I left a number at reception for manager to call me. When he did he said he fully understood my concerns but said they can't go round making accusations and due to age discrimination laws can't stop older people going in baby pool!!!! I said I saw no reason they couldn't ask them to go to main pool. Really not sure why they bother with safeguarding training if this is how they deal with an obvious concern.
I'm not a drama queen, and I went over and over it in my mind and I know he was up to no good. I don't think his friends were, but I'm not sure about lifeguard. I've never gone back even though it's our nearest pool.

[mummymummums]

P.s. Not saying this is same as OP's situation- it just reminded me !

[WhiteDraig]

OP can either chat to the girl and seek answers or talk to someone at the pool about any concerns she has.

Everyone on here can only speculate.

mummymummums experience sound very unlucky and unusual but she did have real concerns - I think Op need to think if this is just odd behavior from her point of view and she need to step away from crime watch- or if there really is any concern that need to be reported.

[FireSquirrel]

You sound completely cuckoo. Who cares why she's there?! Even if it was a male instead of a female, so what? There's a 99% chance she has a perfectly innocent reason for being there, but even if she is a weirdo who likes to stare at kids nothing is going to happen, she's in a seperate area of the pool and the instructor and parents are right there! It's not like she's skulking round the changing rooms peering at half naked kids from behind a towel, and is nothing like what happened at Legoland where kids were running around out of view of their parents. If it bothers you so much, ask her, but tbh it sounds like this is all in your head.

[JellyBelli]

Ask the staff to deal with it. Its not cuckoo to be concerned about someone staring at younger children.

[mum2Bomg]

I'd say teachers daughter. I was dragged to loads of places I didn't want to go...

[WallFloor]

It isn't teacher's laughter, she's too young

[FireSquirrel]

She isn't staring though. She's watching, like everyone else. If she were actually doing something dodgy then fair enough, but watching something isn't a crime. No wonder so many people are afraid to help lost/distressed kids nowadays when they can't even look in their direction without being suspected of something. It will turn out to be the instructor's child, one of the parent's kids or some other totally innocent explanation, teenager will be absolutely mortified and OP will be labelled one of those parents for having kicked up such a fuss over nothing.

[MsGus]

Why don't you just ask?

[Meadows76]

Jesus just speak to staff at the pool if you have concerns. Not that I have any idea what you think you need to be concerned about. More a case of nosey

[ThenLaterWhenItGotDark]

I hope she goes to the manager and complains about you staring at HER.

Mummymumums 'experience' sounds just as paranoid frankly. Older kids (who knew the lifeguard) in smaller pool. One of them goes underwater. Other smaller children are in the vicinity at the time..(er, like they would be, what with it being a little kid pool) Hold the front page! Manager sounded sensible though.

[mummymummums]

Aren't we fortunate to have ThenLaterWhenItGotDark to tell us that when an older 'child' of at least 18 repeatedly (and I really do mean repeatedly) goes under water and stares every time a small girl's bottom comes near that it's obvs innocent. Clueless. I was there - it absolutely was not innocent. Can't even think of a single innocent explanation. FWIW I take the children swimming once or twice every week, I have had safeguarding training for my job, and never before have I ever felt someone was up to no good like that one lad. Please don't make sweeping and ill informed judgements when you weren't there. I escalated the matter to the local authority and the manager was given further training in safeguarding practice. Because of my job they knew v well I wasn't jumping to conclusions. I couldn't just let it go - it would have been wrong. It was a horrible and unpleasant situation.
I also feel there may well be an innocent explanation for OP's situation. There was not for what I saw.