I have never used the snorkel in a race before but thinking about trying it. I’ts not against the rules and I don’t expect to be on the podium. so is there any valid reason, beside it not being fashionable, to not use it? It’s a great training tool so why not a great racing tool.
now that I am writing though, i am wondering… why can you use swim skins or aero wheels etc and podium but not a snorkel which creates more drag and not less? So for all of you who want to respond that you should be able to swim the distance without the snorkel… 1) i can and 2) maybe you should be able to ride just as fast without aero helmet and wheels (which i do use in races).
In a mass start or wave start more of a chance of it getting knocked out and in the process taking out your goggles with it and swalloing a lot of water.
I also I see it getting filled with water a lot from all the splashing , waves and then you having to clear it all the time.
I have seen them in Ironman races.
So I think they are legal. I have heard that people with neck problems can find it easier than turning the head to breathe.
But, remember you can’t get as much air when compared to without one.
Imagine trying to bike or run and only being able to breathe through a tube.
The biggest issues I see with them are that the people who wear them are usually the ones that lack confidence in the water, navigation whilst wearing a snorkel is challenging as again it’s usually the inexperienced swimmer with an unbalanced stroke so navigation is more critical to avoid swimming in circles (no black line on the bottom to compensate). It is also one more hazard in the water and 'can be quite uncomfortable when other people hit the tube that extends down to your mouth.
My advice would be to try some open water swims with it then if you want to try it in a small race then do it, but I think you will find it more frustrating than anything else.
Good luck
I’ve been using one in the pool now for about 2 years and am tempted to try it during a race. I doubt there is much chance of getting water in it and I like the idea of not having to turn my head to breath (evens out my stroke). Give me a snorkel and a wetsuit and I may come close to an hr Ironman swim.
I’ve never used one, but I thought that snorkels tended to create a slightly hypoxic experience, so it would limit your ability to push hard for the whole swim.
I would caution against it for the following reasons:
May be difficult to sight, unless you are doing IMLP with the magical cable.
Adds additional layer of complexity, another element of a race that could go wrong.
Dependency, if something does go wrong, will you be able to ditch the snorkel and race w/o? Will you panic in the water if you get pushed under and take in water down the tube?
You mentioned you can do the full length w/o the snorkel, just be in the right state of mind to be willing to deal with it.
So far I agree with the concept that you wouldn’t want to be kicked with a snorkel on or dependent on the snorkel to cover the distance. (I would guess most are dependent on goggles.) Having used one I don’t think sighting would be a challenge. But, the swim snorkel has been touted as one of the best swim training accessories you can own as it helps balance your stroke, eliminates excess rotation to the breathing side, promotes a better head position, and allows you to focus on better technique without having to worry about/focus on breathing.
So i guess the question really is… if more people ought to be using it for training for all the stated benefits, and those people don’t expect to be close the podium, assuming they could swim the distance without the snorkel if needed… why aren’t more people using this legal accessory? Is it like taking a photo with your chain on the small ring?
Training wheels help keep your bike from falling over to the side while you’re learning to ride, but they don’t teach you anything about balancing on the bike (which is why push-bikes are way better for teaching kids to ride bikes than tricycles and training wheels). Most swim accessories are learning aids intended to improve your technique while doing specific drills. The objective would be to do the drills with the toys to establish muscle memory or proprioception, and then practice maintaining form without them. Being totally dependent on the toys to get down the pool in a straight line or to keep afloat is dangerous in a race situation because the toys can get lost or, in the case of the snorkel, a rogue wave can fill the tube with water and there’s little that’s worse for a poor swimmer than a sudden mouthful of water.
I am not sold that you can swim faster with a snorkel than without. I agree that it is an awesome training tool. However, in my personal use, I don’t think it facilitates oxygen intake at the desirable amount to keep up with hard efforts… but maybe that was because I covered 3/4 of the hole! In any case, I found the best application of the snorkel was for drills, isolating body position without moving the head, and allowing concentrated effort on rotation and stroke entry. I was consistently a second or two slower with the snorkel, at my threshold base.
Can’t answer why more people don’t do it, but revert back to my original thoughts on what could go wrong. Maybe more people avoid it, just like more people are switching to carbon clinchers from tubies.
I’ve never used one, but I thought that snorkels tended to create a slightly hypoxic experience, so it would limit your ability to push hard for the whole swim.
I would agree for a sprint or Oly you will probably go hypoxic but I think for a 1/2 or a full the effort would be less and a snorkel would work.
Regardless that USAT rules don’t prohibit the use of a snorkel, I’d urge you to clear the idea with the race director & any USAT official present. As a former race director of a grass roots triathlon I banned the use of snorkels for all the safety reasons already posted. It’s not just your safety, but those of the other swimmers. We use a variety of items in our swim training that aren’t allowed during competition.
The biggest issues I see with them are that the people who wear them are usually the ones that lack confidence in the water,
I disagree. Snorkel wearers tend to know exactly what level they are at and are realistic about their limits. They don’t use a snorkel to accomplish what they otherwise could not accomplish. The use the snorkel because they don’t care what you or I think about them and they simply want to.
If you’re comfortable using it for actual snorkeling (where you dive down, fill up the tube with water as a result and then surface and clear the tube while swimming) then I’d say go for it. I don’t even use a snorkel for snorkeling because I find it dries out my mouth too much. I just use goggles and hold my breath.
I re read my wording and 'am changing it to some of the ones that lack confidence in the water. This group usually underestimate the challenge of breathing, sighting and combining the two without ingesting water using a snorkel.
Snorkels are just not good for open water swimming where there is impaired visibility. I see it all the time, sorry