Looked like a snorkel? - Ironman Louisville swim start

Totally legal. 

She's prolly still out there swimming in a circle.

From the athlete guide:

Swim goggles, snorkels, or facemasks may be worn. Any athlete using a snorkel will not be eligible for Age Group awards, including IRONMAN Wold Championship slots and Rolldown slots.

Snorkels have been legal for a few years now.  I saw one in use at the IM Arizona start this last November. 

It seems to me that if someone "needs" a snorkel to swim, then the IM swim is not a good idea, certainly not the deep water start of IMAZ.  But I suppose to each their own. I've read a few threads where people say they are faster/smoother with a snorkel, so maybe that's why these people use them.

couldn't agree more.  

I think many people that use them in races do so because they have limited mobility with their neck and can't turn to breathe for an extended period of time.

^^^This^^^

I train with a guy sometimes who is a stronger than average swimmer (usually top 15%-25%) who uses one for oly and longer because he has some neck issues from past injuries that will result in debilitating pain for days if he pushes through a longer distance turning to breathe.  In his case, using the snorkel has nothing to do with swimming ability, and ironically, it probably slows him down a little, because he can't get as much air.

I also just started coaching a woman who has a fusion in her neck from birth that limits her neck mobility.  She's done a few HIM's, and is training for her first IM in 2014.  The use of a snorkel is one of the things that we'll  consider for her in the coming months.

IMO, whenever these discussions arise, too many people only view the issue from their personal situation, and don't consider that everyone is unique.  It's like the threads about not toeing the line of an IM unless you can swim, bike, or run x pace, or know that you can finish in 12 hours.  Not everyone is in the M30-34 AG and fully healthy.  For example, I have another new athlete who is a woman turning 50 this year, has an artificial hip as a result of a stress fracture from marathon training about 6-8 years ago, and is training for her first IM.  Our plan is for her to walk the marathon, and if she can do any running, it will be a bonus.  She was a D1 swimmer for Pitt, does the Chesapeake Bay Swim almost every year, and is a stronger than average biker, so there are a lot of people in every age group (including some pros) who will be chasing her out of the water, but she knows that her real challenge will begin at mile 114.4 when the run begins.  Just finishing under the finish cutoff will be a huge victory considering her medical history.

IMHO, the people who race in spite of these challenges are BA and deserve a lot more respect than they tend to be given in online forums.

Amen. Great post.

Using a snorkel because of neck mobility issues never occurred to me, nor have I heard that before in online forums.  I've only heard of them as training aids.

Anyway, I'm happy this rule change from a few years ago allows more people to complete who couldn't before.

Exactly.  You never know the journey the person next to you took to get to the start line.  Sport is not just for the people who are the best at  it it is for EVERYONE to enjoy

The snorkel threads crack me up because there's some kind of implied cheating that goes on if someone swims with a snorkel.

1. I already brought up the neck issue which I would think covers 99% of the people using a snorkel in races.

2. While using a snorkel does indeed make for a more efficient stroke as your not interrupting your stroke with breathing but it's really freakin' hard to breathe with a snorkel.  So any "advantage" with stroke efficiency is way offset by inefficient breathing.  Way offset.  It would be advantageous over short distances (maybe 100-200m) but the reduced amount of oxygen would certainly prove disadvantageous over any significant distance.  No way I'd want to swim 2.4 miles with a snorkel.