I'm probably repeating what I've said somewhere else before on the old snorkel debate, but I think we all agree that "to each his own", etc. I have found that due to my types of diving and areas, I have gone from mask-attached snorkel at all times to rarely putting a folding one in the BC pocket (though once in a while I still may). One "argument" I'm still unsure of is using a snorkel as an aid if in really nasty chop and having to be on the surface awaiting boarding a boat or having to do a surface swim back to shore. I've heard all the arguments against using a snorkel here--such as "I always have enough tank air left", "I can inflate my BC and keep my face out of water", and all the debates about swimming on your back or front with snorkel. I have used a snorkel in very heavy chop on rare past occasions, and definitely feel it is an aid--at worst, it certainly can't hurt. Yes, if the wave somehow tops the snorkel you get water in it, a problem not occurring if using the reg. I think this rarely happens and probably shouldn't since most people can figure out if their snorkel is underwater--or close to it. If for whatever reason you don't want to use tank air (or can't due to equipment failure), a snorkel in these rare situations seems logical. One reason for my basically dropping snorkel use is that being retired, I can almost always pick a good day to dive--one where swimming on the surface without using a reg or snorkel will be fine. Make sense?