I'm finding that swimming is probably the most frustrating of disciplines to train for because you have to share the facilities.
When I first started swimming a few years ago I was able to go down to the local pool late in the evening and get a reasonable session in. I'd go twice during the week and once in the weekend.
I'm trying to remember whether it's just that more people are using it now or that I'm becoming more fussy, because I'm becoming increasingly frustrated at the overcrowding.
Maybe it's just that my programme is more complex now and often involves specific timings which don't play well with having to share your lane with lots of other people who are swimming to different programmes.
Christchurch did lose two of its swimming facilities after the earthquakes - Centennial Pool was a small one with 5 lanes, and QEII which was quite large. So now we're left with one part of town being very well serviced with the Jellie Park and Graham Condon centres, and the rest of us get to share Pioneer with 5 whole lanes, two of which are often closed for aqua fitness classes.
But all that is secondary to my main annoyance which is to do with people being either ignorant or inconsiderate, or some combination of both. I have just one piece of advice to people who go swimming: if you're going to do breast stroke or get a kick board, please be considerate to other swimmers and change lane! Unless of course you're a bloody fast kicker or breast stroker. It's extremely annoying to be doing a set of sprints with short rest intervals and have to wait for somebody to get far enough up the pool that you won't run into their feet.
An alternative is to swim around each other but going back to my first complaint, it's usually too dangerous to do so as you risk a head-on collision with somebody coming the other way!
Another annoyance is slow swimmers grabbing an empty fast lane to themselves, but I'm guilty of doing that myself so I'll say no more. At least I keep an eye out so if I'm being massively outpaced I'll change lanes. Usually before I get in I'll look at the speeds of various people in the pool to see which lane is most suitable. If only others did that. Usually it's "choose the emptiest one".
Oh and consider me a stickler for the rules but I do tend to shake my head when I see people diving into the shallow end despite the signs. Great example you're setting, guys. The lifeguards aren't helping by not enforcing it...
OK rant finished.
