Form Break/Exhaustion in first Open Water Tri

You will probably do much better in your next OWS race setting.  You know what to expect.  The first is an unsettling experience.  

I have had the same issue --- seeming to tire way too early during an OWS compared to the pool.  I dealt with this by 'giving in' so to speak.  During all but two races I have had to resort to 20 strokes freestyle and 20 strokes breastroke for at half to a quarter of the race.  Counting strokes helps me focus.  Doing breastroke helped me recover from my little bursts of freestyle effort but still keep moving forward.

Before doing anything drastic, you should identify why you exhausted so quickly. There IS a reason, like it or not.

1) Was your wetsuit maximally comfortable? Or did it restrict you? Did you put it on properly? (Even a slight improper fitting could throw you off.)

2) Was sighting the main reason you slowed? The action of sighting for slower swimmers has a big energy cost - I'm fairly sure it's a lot more than for fast swimmers who thru speed/momentum in the water can pop the head up without sinking more easily. If that's the case, you should practice sighting a lot, both in the pool and in OWS practice.

3) DId you panic? If that's the case, more/harder swim training won't help as much as strategizing to purposefly avoid the initial scrum out of the gate. EVen if you waste 30 seconds waiting while the aggressive swimmers take off hard, you will most likely make it up and more unless you are a FOP swimmer by avoiding the scrum.

Additional OWS time will of course help, but I suspect that more pool time focusing on the main errors will be far more productive than driving 1.5hrs to practice OWS.

Some good advice above.  To add some things that have helped me:

1. Get a good warm-up.  Get your heart rate and breathing going and get a feel for the water.
2. Position yourself to stay out of the pack a the start, either starting way to the side or waiting a few seconds to start behind the main group.
3. Start out at an easy pace, slower than you think you could go.
4. Don't think about racing.  Just focus on that you're swimming from point A to point B.
5. Try to find some clear water and settle into a smooth rhythm.  It's tiring to swim in a pack because you're continually having to change directions, speed up and slow down, not to mention getting bumped into. 
6. I like to count strokes.  I know it takes me about 20-22 strokes to go the length of a 25yd pool at an easy pace.  If I count 10 strokes, sight, then take ten more strokes, I know I've gone about 25yds.
7. If I get to the halfway point and am still feeling pretty good, then I'll start increasing my tempo a bit, but not to the point where my form starts to break down.
8. Don't worry if you have to switch to a backup stroke for a while to catch you breath, take a break, or get your bearings.  Just remember that a slow-and-easy freestyle is still faster and less tiring than other strokes for most swimmers.  If I need some more air or encounter choppy water, I'll just slow down a bit and increase my body roll to give myself more tire to grab a breath. 

Mark