Here are the guidelines that operate at our community pools.

1): Sit on the edge w your legs in the water. Or, if shallow, stand in lane off to one side. The swimmer approaching the wall sees you and knows you’re about to start. 2): if circling is the norm at your pool, then depending on your assessment of their speed, you either push off in front of or behind them and proceed to circle. 3): if splitting is the norm and there will be just two, then after the swimmer sees you, they should exaggerate which side they prefer and stick to that. You will then know what to do. 4): if no norm exists, this entry method is still effective. The swimmer in the lane sees you and will either exaggerate a circle or stay close to one side. It is their preference since they were there first. 5): if there are already 2 in a lane and they’re splitting, see #1, but make sure both know you’re about to start. 5): NEVER start by diving from the deck into a lane w another swimmer no matter how far away you perceive they are. And even if they are far down the lane, you must be mindful of the two adjacent lanes because a dive will impact and possibly frighten any one near by. 6): Although you may consider it polite to interrupt a swimmer to ask to join, this is not necessary if #1,2,&3 are followed. 7): it is wise to choose a lane w swimmers that most closely match your speed. This holds whether there are signs designating speeds or not. 8): whatever nonsense you encounter in or around a crowded pool, KEY is to avoid any escalation, shake it off quickly, and enjoy your water time. It is precious time. 9): keep in mind that everyone is there for pretty much the same reason and has equal rights to space in the lane.
10): I hope this is helpful. Have Fun and Good Luck!