Swimming Pool etiquette

[Nath21]

I must admit after being here now a year and a half I have got used to car swerving without indicators, cars at random lane drifting, cars using the white lane markers as the middle of the road as a guide, the rampant disease Low Situational Awareness (LSA) in Singapore which sees people keeping to the left, keeping to the right, running into you without looking, stopping short without any notice, taking up the whole pavement in a group and refusing to let you walk on the pavement at all without knocking into them, but just generally no consideration for the reality they are sharing with other people, but what took the cake for me recently as I have started swimming in the mornings is the swimming pool etiquette by locals. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised considering the above.

We have a six lane 50m swimming pool which has marked white tiles representing the quasi borders of swimming lanes. During the day no one really does laps because its a free for all but in the morning its pretty much dedicated swimmers who swim laps up and down in these lanes. For some reason locals swim on top of the lane as a guide not in between, they will also hop into your lane whilst you are swimming your lap even though the rest of the pool is free of anyone or start swimming and lane drift across lanes because they cannot swim straight. I am not sure if its lack of manners, lack of common sense or something else entirely.

[gravida]

I know exactly what you mean, it's driving me crazy many times.
I think the reason is the same as for squeezing next to you in a bus/MRT, bumping into you on the pavements and going very close in shopping malls. They do not have this 'privacy-safety-zone' which most of westerners have. We like to have a little space, where we let in only close friends and family, they do not mind touch strangers, which is horrible in my opinion. I hate when I am in a public place like a bus, holding onto a pole and somebody places hand so close to mine that it is almost touching... Same with swimming pools, they will swim into you.

[Splatted]

Rule number #1 - don't pee in the pool

[x9200]

Rule number #1 - don't pee in the pool

Overruled! I think I told this story on this board before ... a friend of mine where sitting in the condo pool and a man with a kid came over to the edge (outside the pool) lowered the shorts of the kid and the kid started pissing to the pool. When politely asked he responded "but this is only a child".
So Nath21/gravida, it can be worse. Think, Singapore has one of the highest rate of myopia in the world, they just want to see you better

[nakatago]

what's true on ground, apparently is also true in water.

[Splatted]

So Nath21/gravida, it can be worse.

Hell, yeah... Which leads me to rule #2

Don't do a dump in the pool

[carteki]

Don't do a dump in the pool

You could try the mars-bar-in-the-pool thing and then you'll have it all to yourself!

[nakatago]

things can get worse!

[carteki]

For some reason locals swim on top of the lane as a guide not in between

There is no rule that says either is right - if I recall correctly in competition the floating lane borders are on either side of the strip of black running along the floor (can anyone confirm / deny)

they will also hop into your lane whilst you are swimming your lap even though the rest of the pool is free of anyone

no comment on that one (maybe they're just being considerate to any others who may join?)

or start swimming and lane drift across lanes because they cannot swim straight.

I cannot swim straight - which is why I use googles. Don't know if they are doing the same.

BTW - you're the foreigner here - not them

[QRM]

So Nath21/gravida, it can be worse.

Hell, yeah... Which leads me to rule #2

Don't do a dump in the pool

Happens alot, and not from kids, the life guard at a pool in a well known social club says it happens at least 3 to 4 times a week. The scary bit: there are certain health and safety procedure to deal with the clean up, ie get the people out of the pool, add special pool disinfectant, scoop it out etc. Here the guard looks at me blankly when I ask what is the procedure he said they just vacuum it up!!

[x9200]

BTW - you're the foreigner here - not them

This would be a perfectly valid point if there was not overall tendency in SG to go towards so called Western standards. The courtesy campaign, the traffic regulation, zillions other things follows the standards and Singaporeans generally agree it makes practical sense. So the only thing which is criticized here and in tons of similar topics is the difference between what is claimed on the box and what is inside the box. I would never say a bad word about local habits if I knew this how it is and the nation follows it and is happy to follow it.
And I bet some of these standards are also written in swimming pool/property regulations and I doubt there is a differentiation there between locals and foreigners

[dazzlebabe]

Yes, there's a particular family in our condo from SMS's back yard that is constantly in the pool with beer bottles, pizzas being brought in while swimming and..... infants with no swim nappies!

Despite being told off all the time by guards and other residents, they continue to ignore the people talking to them and continue with their family picnic.

Is there a way to knock some sense into them and not get knocked back?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Bring your own pizzas and beer? Swim nappies? Ne're heard of 'em! Imagine trying to swim with a watersoaked beach towel skrunched up in and around your crotch! And anyway, I don't think they make 'em big enough for the 2nd fattest nation in the world!

[dazzlebabe]

Very helpful... fight pizza with pizza!

Am not a mum, but you know.. those special swim diapers for infants that contain the poo and pee?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Swim nappies? Ne're heard of 'em!