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?

Oh this thread is hilarious! Thank you for cheering me up 😊

meathook
swimbecile

There’s a man who does this in my pool. Well, not mine. The pool I’m a member of.

He’s so ridiculous with his Speedo Spear trying to impress/intimidate us lesser vagina-wielders.

Twat. Makes a holy show of himself every morning.

Yanbu.

Swimbecile 😂😂

It’s just inconsiderate behaviour.

Properly laughing at swimbecile.

OP I think we all know what you mean by "savage" swimming and agree it's not appropriate in a spa pool. It's not appropriate anywhere really but unfortunately I think we're all used to going to public pools and seeing one of these pricks flailing around like electrocuted labradors.

Actually, thinking about it, I've experienced the Common Swimbecile at my pool.

Tend to be approaching or middle aged, bizarrely hairy creatures. Paunchy.

Or am I thinking of the Lesser Spotted Gymtwat?

Savage swimming

Yes he is being selfish. It's the sort of thing you would tell your child off for

To be fair that desperate, choking, splashing technique sounds like someone who has just learned to swim. Fair play to them and I love watching them from the safety of the viewing gallery.

Has anyone suggested that the OP lo g it with the police? This was a clear act of intimidation after all.

I think she's probably cancelled the cheque

I think we're all used to going to public pools and seeing one of these pricks flailing around like electrocuted labradors.

This made me laugh out loud! Hilarious! I know exactly what the OP means, there’s always bloody one! Then there’s the one who does the splashy show off desperate swimming but then makes desperate efforts to socialise with anyone he can and blocks the end of the lane spending most of his time chatting rather than actually swimming. Dear lord, I wish they’d fuck off free swimming somewhere!

I used to go to a local hospital pool where there are minimal idiots. Until some fucker turned up in fins. I mean, wtf?! In a small, hospital pool for those of us in need of a non-chlorinated gentle pool 🏊‍♂️ Wanker ruined it for me.

Most places, even posh ones have memberships

And the breast stroke in the fast lane coz I'm a Man so I Must be in the fast lane.

^^this

id be worried now.as I don't think my front crawl is the best and im now conscious if I over splash or look like a dick.
the other bug bear is the ladies who get into the pool 5 or 10 minutes before the "classes" begin to stake there place.IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANES!

Do you write relentlessly for Take a Break, op?

@Maelstrop

"blocks the end of the lane spending most of his time chatting rather than actually swimming"

Fuck me this grinds my gears!!!!!

I'm a pretty aggressive swimmer. People pootling about trying to keep their hair dry and getting upset when there is any splashing are quite annoying for me. I like to be quite intense to get a good workout in, really elevating my heart rate, and that just doesn't happen when I minimise splashing. It's a swimming pool, getting wet shouldn't be a problem. But there's no excuse for not looking where you're going and the OP's description of this swimmer seems a bit more than just hard swimming. Possibly needed a word from a staff member on being considerate. Lots of spas I've been to lately have started saying "no lengths", presumably because more of their customers really want more of a reflecting pool and bath experience than a swimming one.

Urgh they do this at my local pool, even the lifeguards eyeroll.

Nine times out of ten if I'm sharing a lane with another woman we have a quick chat and happily agree to split the lane in half and stick to it, no thrashing or other aggressive competitive arseholery; it's most civilised.

Fins! I had forgotten about the accessories these kind of men like. One of them at the pool I go to also has a fin and special webbed gloves and socks to increase his speed....he had to be told off my the life guard for swimming aggressively in the slow lane and defended himself by saying there were too many people in the fast lane so he couldn’t possibly be expected to swim there.

Ooooh loving this thread!

Yep, exactly, always, you get a chap doing this where I go.
They stand on the side when I am in the “fast lane”, flexing their muscles, doing a series of false warm up exercises intended to intimidate me to leave, they then get in and do one single length of splashy, aggressive front crawl...taking up the whole lane, before having to revert to a heads up breast stroke - cos they have then run out of puff 😎

They regularly, like twice a week, try and intimidate me out of the lane, but they have met their match - I don’t shift. (The way I see it is if they think they can bully me out, they will then feel they can do it to others - so I have to challenge that behaviour)

One chap regularly getting into my lane when the whole of the rest of the entire pool is totally empty.

If it helps the op, when they come directly at me I just stop and stand up creating a barrier and let them swim almost into me - then I just carry on, shoulders back, head up, looking big and assertive.

Have now got a selection of my own “toys” to spread out at the end of “my” lane....Crocs, fins, hand paddles, diving mask, waterproof MP3 music player to swim with....(you get the drift)...😜

Really happy to share my swim lane - but don’t join me and then be aggressive about it. That’s my motto anyway.

I feel you op! I would be very annoyed.

This happened to my MIL in our local swimming baths and she got badly hurt by a guy who was just swimming really fast and throwing his arms out everywhere. She basically got punched in the face and is too scared to go back.

Personally i don’t think a small pool is the environment for front crawl. This needs to be done in a large pool, not a spa pool!

agree with you OP, it's inconsiderate for others using the pool

If he was stopping others from using the pool, then of course it was rude and inconsiderate. If I was prevented from using the pool, then I would complain.

I hate men in swimming pools. My local pool is tiny and every time I go there is a splashy man who hits other swimmers with his thrashing arms

I miss the Sanctuary. Women only so none of that splashy business