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Comment by inanutshellus | Hacker News Reader

I've never swam for exercise in lanes before, but I always assumed you'd only have one person in a lane at a time. How does it work to have two in one lane? If I'm swimming and someone wants to share my lane, do I swim out, wait for them to get to my side, then swim back when they reach my side? (And if I'm the slower person, I assume I start swimming behind them as soon as they launch off from the edge?)

It'd also be a shock to me to see a second person just simply joining me in my lane. Is there a protocol for joining a lane other than, I guess, flagging me down and asking? Do people normally know how to accept having a second person in their lane?

Funny thing to be asking so many questions about...

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One person per lane is generally guaranteed only in competition. You can get your own lane if your pool is lightly loaded but by no means would your lane be off limits to others, normally.

It's crowded when you're finger tips to toes or you smash into the oncoming swimmer off the wall (the ones following you) which is typically the mistake of the one turning and not the oncoming swimmer but not always. You try to stick to lanes moving at your preferred pace. It's a little like driving - sometimes you get your own lane and sometimes you don't.

You haz kwestuns we haz anserz

Rule 1, stay to the right. Generally, there is a black line running down the center of the line. Stay to the right of it, it's like traffic. Swim down on the right, reach the wall, turn, turn around swim down on the right again (you're on the opposite side). You don't have to coordinate with anyone. That's why it's courteous to stay to the corner of the lane when you are stopped at a wall.

During peak times, my YMCA wants 5 to a lane. It’s tough because you have competition level swimmers, people who were competitive swimmers and casual swimmers. Some folks are having fun, others are pushing.

Customs vary by when and where you learn them, and it’s feels very hostile, especially for casual swimmers. (In my online experience, the closest thing is the “eternal summer” phenomena in Usenet in olden times)

In any case, worrying about the nonexistent risk of swimming in a recreational pool is counter-productive — casual swimmers will be turned off by the experienced ones.

>the closest thing is the “eternal summer” phenomena in Usenet in olden times

Surely it must be the Eternal September :) [1]

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

I’m eternally grateful you picked that up! :)

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