To go to a family swimming session without children?

[Temples41]

I'm a fairly novice swimmer, I can tread water just about and swim about half a length without stopping. I was terrified of water for years so even doing that much is a big step for me. However I don't like getting out of my depth and can't swim far.

I'm really keen to get back in a pool however all the pools near me (I've checked all 8 of them!) only have lane swimming sessions or family swimming. That's basically it.

I can't do lane swimming as I can't really swim so would be holding everyone up, plus I'd be scared of getting out my depth so have to turn round half way up the lane.

But would it look odd going to the family session on my own? (I might have a friend who will come along but we don't have children to take).

Schools are still in here for the next few days so I'm not too worried about the session being full of kids, more that I'll look like a weirdo!

What do you think? AIBU or not?

Family swim just means ‘not lanes and kids will be there’ - crack on.

No not at all.I go to family swim on my own evert Saturday after pilates. Plenty of people without kids there too. No one will look twice

Yes just go, it doesn't matter if you have kids there or not and no one will notice or care if you don't swim a whole length.

What Merryoldgoat said.

Have you considered getting 1:1 lessons, OP? A good coach could probably get your confidence up pretty quickly and get you in a position to go to the lane swimming (which, if you want to actually swim, is probably going to be more suitable most of the time, especially once school is out).

It really just means that children are allowed, as well as anyone else who is not bothered by that. You'd be absolutely fine going on your own, no one will even look twice!

Yes echo others, not an issue at all.

FWIW the pool I swim at has two (out of five) lanes for "slow" at lane sessions and some of the swimmers are pretty slow (which is fine btw). I have certainly seen people walking the start of the lane or doing that running in the pool thing where they make very slow progress. If they are not in anyone's way or get out of the way then it's fine.

That's if you find the family swim session a bit crowded and too much OP, tho I doubt you will.

Thank you!

I think when I used to go pre Covid it was labelled as general swim, the reference to family worried me a bit.

I did have some lessons pre Covid, before the lessons I couldn't be in a pool unless the water was below waist level and I was holding the side, so I had a lot of fears to overcome. I am thinking of more lessons in future but I want to get used to being back in a pool again first after 14 months.

The pools near where I live ask you to confirm you have at least one child with you if you are booking a family swim

The family swim near me pre-COVID (haven't been since as they've only reopened for an hour at midday so far) was mostly adults without kids, swimming at their leisure or just walking in the water.

Where I am, it just means it's in the family pool with a non-swimmer area where most can stand up in, there aren't lanes so you have to keep an eye out for everyone else, and there will be kids and possibly floats in the water & is pretty narrow compared to the main pool the lane swimming is in or the teaching pool used for lessons & very little kid swim times.

But obviously, in other areas it will differ, it might be worth calling the pool up to ask.

I've been going to our pools family swim as I'm not very confident. I'm not the only single person there by any stretch.

No one will even know that you aren't the adult in charge of one of the more independent kids. But even so it is fine. Crack on.

At my local pool this would be absolutely fine. My only concern would be that sessions with children can be a bit noisy and splashy- if you are nervous will that be a problem?