to think this is not what you do in a spa?

[surroundedbyvulpices]

Having a much needed relaxing afternoon in a spa, doing what one does - sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, lazy lengths in the (smallish) pool (don't judge me, I was desperate).

This guy comes striding out of the men's changing room, goggles on, throws himself into the pool with an almighty splash, and furiously front crawls straight at me without looking. Startled and somewhat intimidated, I get out and find a lounger, while he continues to circle the pool in a savage, noisy and overly splashy manner for a good twenty minutes.

AIBU to think you don't monopolise a quiet spa environment, and certainly not like a bull in a china shop?

My ex used to do this and it embarrassed the hell out of me. You'd see old ladies frantically head up breaststroking to get out of the pool...
but yes agree with pp it was a case of 'man with penis coming through. Everyone out!'

PMSL, I was once in a pool with a splasher. And he splashed into my lane too! I'd have to hold onto the side of the pool while he thrashed past, or otherwise choke on the waves he created. I had never seen anyone swim like that before. It was actually the last time I went swimming! He was like some sort of thrashing machine. Going nowhere, but Jesus did he make waves lol. State of him. Wonder if it was the same guy?

Washe doing the butterfly stroke? Like Phelps? It's a legitimate technique

Too much testosterone

Butterfly is NOT legit in a smallish pool!

Agree with 'aggressive swimming' being much more a male thing, can only assume that those not getting what OP means by savage swimming have not experienced it, because you'll know it when you see it (or when you are literally swum over by a savage swimmer).

Swim in a savage manner

Butterfly is a legitimate technique, yes, but still shouldn’t result in much splashing.

In fact a swimmer throwing up a lot of splash probably has pretty crap technique. O/p maybe you should have stopped him and offered some advice on a more efficient stroke, explaining that all that splaching isn’t very productive and maybe he should google swim smooth?

I've also experienced 'aggressive breaststroke legs' ie kicking legs outside the savage swimmer's own lane, resulting in kicking people in the next lane along. People who do that should be dragged under by the ankle and drowned.

People who do that should be dragged under by the ankle and drowned

Volunteering

Yes, my splasher was going nowhere. He was thrashing like a good thing, but took him about 5 minutes to do a length. He was also swallowing water, choking, looking like he was drowning half the time while the lifeguard kept a watchful but somewhat bemused eye on him.

See now you had had a lovely relaxing time and were all zoned out, and he clearly hadn't done the spa thing yet, so was probably swimming as hard and fast as he could to spend some energy. He is entitled to do that, in a swimming pool, I guess.

I get it.

Seen it often, and usually they pick the fucking slow lane if there is one, I can only assume so that they will definitely "win". And I refuse to accept that they dont see other swimmers, they are just much more important and can therefore barge as much as they like. Like MAMIL who will keep jogging/cycling at you (usually from behind so you have no idea they are there) and give you a load of verbal if you dont immediately concede the whole sodding pavement/road to them.

Pathetic and yes very much the aquatic version of man-spreading. There is always a fucking dickhead.....

So a man swam in a pool? What was the pool intended for?

Ah,manspreading with chlorine. I would just continue pootling up and down the middle and he’d have to go round.

Seen it often, and usually they pick the fucking slow lane if there is one

The ones i encounter usually pick the fast lane, then take it as a personal insult when i keep overtaking them. Sprinting to catch up, tapping me on the feet until I stop to let them past, then slowing down and getting in my way because they can’t keep up the pace.

Sorry YABU. Often locals have membership of spas which they use for exercise.

"splashing people's hair" the horror!

My local spa has members. Many swim for fitness. They often rope off a lane for them though.

Urgh, the worst type of swimmer, and they don't even realise that their stroke is terrible, ineffective and just makes them look a total knob.

I'm no lover of the particular type of perfumed ladies what breastroke who expect to emerge from a pool with immaculate hair, but they are better at placing themselves in appropriate pools and don't affect the rest of the pool with a wash that the QE2 would be proud of.

I've seen impressively fast females front crawling, but never seen a female swimming savagely, so it must be their supersize penis and balls affecting their stroke.

YANBU op, the manspreading in my pool & sauna/steam really pisses me off.

There can be several people, all doing breast stroke lengths and a BIG MAN MORE ENTITLED TO BE THERE jumps in and starts front crawling - not normally, no - but the splashiest, most aggressive swimming possible.

One made water hit me in the face so hard I nearly lost a contact lens. Fair play to another bloke in their group tho, every time he passed me he switched to breast stroke because I think he saw what happened.

They all fucking congregate along the wall at the bottom/top too so they fuck you up when you switch direction. I think that is downright rude. And could be intimating.

What annoys me the most though is how fucking loud they all talk at each other in the sauna/steam. I've had to tell one that he's talking to the person next to him and he doesn't need to shout.

They are the worst for that on Saturday mornings. I'd like to get up and have a nice relaxing swim/sauna/steam but you can't because they are shouting their loud fucking mouths offs.

I did consider asking the gym if they'd have women/men only sessions once a week each so you could know you would definitely get some quiet time in there st some point but I haven't. My work hours will change soon so I'll work out the best time to go.

This doesn't seem very fair though. So, if you can swim fly or freestyle beautifully, that's fine, but if your stroke isn't perfect, you can't. What if you werent allowed to go for a run unless your technique was perfect? When I go to a spa I like to burn energy first, because then I enjoy the sauna/jacuzzi more.

You guys are hilarious

I wouldn't have minded if there had been lanes or such like, but this was one of those tranquillity inducing amorphous pools that aren't even rectangular, so I wasn't led to expect savage swimming.
Still, I accept that for some unfortunate rurally based testosterone-fuelled manspreaders this may be the only place where they can do their thing.

OP, YANBU!

Bloody hell @reallyanotherone - I'd never heard of tapping the feet of a swimmer in front of you to indicate you want to overtake; any Court in the land would let you off if you'd reacted by grabbing their ankles and drowing the twats. I'm a crap swimmer (and have poorly knee), always in the slow lane however, there's always some bloke in adjacent lane who's a 'Savage swimmer', creating mini tsunamis that have me frantically paddling to the side for sanctuary. I don't understand, surely a good swimmer is one that has the smoothest stroke and least turbulence? Aaarghhh.

Tapping the feet is standard etiquette in any swim club to overtake. Tap once, lightly, then hang back, they then wait at the end for you to go past. Problem is, public swimmers don't know this rule!