Hi! New guy to the forums here, and pretty new to lap swimming too -- I've been doing it since May sometime.
More than once when I've wanted to join someone in a lane I've found it difficult to get their attention. At first I thought people just didn't want to share, but then I paid attention while I was swimming and realized that when you're looking at the bottom of the pool it is indeed easy to miss someone standing on the edge.
So what do you do? I've taken to dangling my feet deep enough that they're hard to miss, but is this obnoxious? Does anybody have pointers for getting someone's attention without annoying them when you need to share a lane?
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Former Member
I dangle my feet for one length and make sure they see me. If they stop, I ask the obligatory "mind if I share the lane?", and determine whether the person prefers splitting or circling. Most people prefer to split the lane, although I prefer circling. If they ignore my feet, I assume they're either in the middle of a set or one of those people that tries to hog lanes. Either way, I jump in and start swimming with them, then figure out along the way by watching them whether I should circle or split.
If I see someone standing at the end of my lane while I'm still swimming a set, I just move over to the far right side and start circling.
I dangle my feet for one length and make sure they see me. If they stop, I ask the obligatory "mind if I share the lane?", and determine whether the person prefers splitting or circling. Most people prefer to split the lane, although I prefer circling. If they ignore my feet, I assume they're either in the middle of a set or one of those people that tries to hog lanes. Either way, I jump in and start swimming with them, then figure out along the way by watching them whether I should circle or split.
If I see someone standing at the end of my lane while I'm still swimming a set, I just move over to the far right side and start circling.
