Territorial dispute in swimming pool

[tamade]

I am lucky enough to have a proper lunch break and at least three times a week I go to a nearby hotel and swim a mile, sometimes 2km.

Today I was alone in the pool and started swimming in lane two (of four) which is one lane away from the side closest to the changing rooms entrance. About 30 min later a man got in and stated to swim in lane 1. Five minutes after that he changed into my lane. I caught up with him at the far end and when he turned he looked at me swimming toward him and seemed surprised (surprised I hadn't moved lanes?). He then kicked off the wall and swam beneath me and under the lane divider into lane three. Not long after I finished up and went to get changed. Before exiting I looked back and sure enough he had moved back into lane two, which I presume is "his". And based on that I believe that he was trying to claim lane 2 when he initially moved in.

He is another regular I have seen him coming as I am going although we don't usually use the pool at the same time.

I think this is knobish behaviour

Someone swimming in a lane is not evidence that they think it's 'theirs'. 🫣

So what? He swam under her while changing lanes.

To take offense at that is a hell of a reach. That would not be a blip on my radar.

It's like making shit up to be offended about.

Not offended. It’s an unnecessary invasion of space and a power play. No reach needed.

Oh, we’ve found common ground. Agreed.

It's not.
It's a public space.

Eh? You just agreed with someone who suggested the man thought it was his, simply because he returned to swimming there.
Make your mind up.

It’s not that she thinks it’s hers, it’s that she was already swimming in it, there were multiple free lanes available but that he moved into the lane she was in and then swam underneath her unnecessarily in an otherwise empty pool. It’s not about ownership.

Genuinely, you think it being a public space makes it reasonable for a man to swim directly underneath a woman in an otherwise empty pool, when she’s been swimming in a predictable and consistent direction?

he’s a Knobhead. Ignore him.

He didn't just go in and swim under her, but you know what, I'm fed up discussing this with you. Re-read the existing posts and then maybe you'll actually understand.

Why did OP use the word territory then?

Personal space.

I’ve read it all. I don’t agree that it was reasonable. That’s ok.

That is a wild take on a guy changing lanes.

Unless a fin was spotted.

People can change lanes if they want. It's not like he crashed into her.

He was a knob. My pool can be busy but you will always get splashy aggressive men, man spreaders at the end of the pool, dick doing a butterfly with no regard for anyone else etc. They also hate it when women are faster than them. It’s kind of funny. I also saw in my pool sauna a male facing the seat area, holding the middle of three rows (so using three spaces) doing a weird thrusty grunty squat ‘exercise’. Mostly why I switched pool to ladies’ sea swimming.

Wild take but… could he have changed lanes when she wasn’t about to reach the end of the lane, in which she’d been consistently swimming, so that he didn’t need to then swim directly underneath her?

Except it wasn’t necessarily.

The OP herself said he was surprised to see at swimming right at him so dived underneath and swam
into the adjacent lane.

For those saying ducking underneath her and moving was wrong - don’t think he should have just stayed there for her to swim directly into him - I’d find that aggressive and territorial.

He moved out the way. Even for MN it’s a reach to find the man in the wrong in this situation.

Why would he be surprised when she was the only other swimmer in the pool who had been there before he even got in - consistently swimming up and down in that lane? If he genuinely didn’t notice her then he’s still at fault for not looking?

It was reasonable though.
You not realising that is also ok though.
Tschüss.

And the circle continues......

Or he wasn’t expecting her speed and realised it wasn’t comparable with his speed so moved?

He can swim in whatever lane he wants even if it’s the only occupied one there if he wants that lane. The same way the original swimmer did just that because they also wanted that lane.

@pestowithwalnuts @KrisAkabusi etc etc etc

Shit gaslighting. Really really bad. Very obvious, very lifted from your incel podcast. Or your little handmaiden guide.

OP he did it on purpose. Because you're a woman and he is a pathetic loser in life. Honestly I think we should be armed at this point. They would soon behave.

Everyone on the thread knows you're correct in your feelings about this and some will want to make it worse. It’s how they feel visible these days. Sad times.

'YetYeti · Today 17:34'

'I completely agree OP. I’m not sure why you’re having to justify this so much.'

Really? You're genuinely not sure?

Everyone doesn't know OPs anecdote is correct.
People are allowed to disagree with you or with OP, without you resorting to name calling.

Disagreeing with someone is not gaslighting. Saying that I don't think this is a big deal does not mean I've an incel podcast. FFS! Not everyone is as dramatic as you.