The Expert Review: Open Water Goggles
June 09, 2014
By Julie Stupp, Olympic Trials finalist
Tell us in the comments below where you will be doing your open water swimming this summer and you could win a pair of open water swimming goggles featured in our review!
Competing in the open water can be very intimidating for many swimmers and non-swimmers alike. The conditions in open water can often be a challenge. The water can be cold, choppy, there may be a current and most of the time it is murky so you have no idea what is lurking beneath you. Not to mention in most races there is a high probability of getting hit in the face with an arm or a leg of a competitor.
One of the few things you do have control of is what you are wearing and how well you react to the obstacles in the race. Having a great pair of open water goggles can relieve a lot of stress by helping you clearly see where you are going and what is going on around you.
Open water goggles are quite different from pool goggles and unfortunately I learned this the hard way during my first triathlon. I realized there are four main components I need to have in a great open water goggle.
My personal criteria include:
1. 360 Visibility – The most important aspect of an open water goggle to me is having what I like to call “360-degree visibility.” This means you have the ability to sight the turn buoys at a great distance, you have good vision clarity in the water and you’re able to effortlessly see out of the periphery of your goggle for your competitors.
2. Anti-Fog – The goggles must have a strong anti-fog coating. In the middle of an open water race you don’t have time to clear your goggles and no one wants to purchase a new pair for each race.
3. Comfort – This is key, not only because you are wearing the goggles for quite some time, but also because most races have a mass start. During a mass start you may have contact with another swimmer and an uncomfortable goggle can cause some pain or injury to your face and or eyes.
4. Tint – Lastly, tint is very important depending on what time your race starts and what the weather entails.
Nootca 207 ($22.99)
The Nootca 207 had all of the components I want in an open water race goggle with its best feature being excellent 360-degree visibility.
360-Degree Visibility: This goggle definitely had the best clarity of any of the goggles I tried on. I could not only see very well in the water but also when sighting for buoys in a race or in training it was effortless. The periphery vision in the Nootca was also excellent because of the wrap around lenses.
Anti-Fog: The only con I would say is the Nootca 207 didn’t have the best anti-fog coating. It stays fog free for a majority of my training swims, but every once and awhile I need to clear the goggles for better vision.
Comfort: This goggle is very comfortable. It has just the right amount of eyepiece cushion and nosepiece flexibility.
Tint: The brown tint on the Nootca was something I have never tried but I loved it. It gives you the ability to swim and see clearly in dark or light weather. I think you could race in this goggle at any time of the day.
Barracuda Fenix ($21.65 – regular, $25.95 – mirrored)
The Barracuda Fenix is definitely the most comfortable goggle I tested in this review.
360-Degree Visibility: The Fenix is a great goggle for open water clarity, but depending on the amount on sunlight during your race, seeing buoys way out in the distance could be a little tougher compared to others because of the dark tint. The Fenix does have a good wrap around lens for periphery vision.
Anti-Fog: The Fenix has a good anti-fog coating, that seems to last for long open water swims.
Comfort: The Fenix has the most comfortable eye cushions of the goggles I tested. The goggles are quite big but they fit really well and create a very comfortable yet strong seal from the water.
Tint: The Fenix has the darkest tint of the goggles I tested. They have a dark reflective tint on the outside of the goggle and create a bluish tint when swimming. This dark tint is excellent for swimming in really sunny weather but on a cloudy or dark morning, it might be a touch too tinted.
Aqua Sphere K180+ ($21.03)
The Aqua Sphere K180+ reminds me the most of a pool goggle in its shape and size, but stood out as a great open water goggle because of its strong anti-fog coating.
360-Degree Visibility: The K180+ clear lenses made sighting buoys and open water clarity easy but they did lack in periphery vision. The lenses don’t wrap very far around your eyes at all giving a limited field of vision.
Anti-Fog: The K180+ had the strongest or longest lasting Anti-Fog coating of any of the goggles I tested. The coating helped me swim for over 30 minutes at a time before having to clear the goggles out with a little bit of water. These goggles could be a great long distance training option.
Comfort: The lenses on the K180+ were not the most comfortable because of a lack of eyepiece cushion. The eye piece of the goggles are very firm and very small so they could become uncomfortable in a long swim by putting extra pressure on your orbital bones.
Tint: The K180+ lenses that I tested were clear. They also come with a smoke lens. These clear lenses that I had would be a great option for an early morning race start, when the sun hasn’t come up yet.
View Shinari ($19.95)
The View Shinari also had a very similar eyepiece shape to a pool goggle, but they had the best level of tint out of the goggles I tested.
360-Degree Visibility: The Shinari goggles are a great option for 360-degree visibility. The light mirrored tint really helped with sighting buoys and water clarity in the sun and the wrap around lenses are excellent for periphery vision. I could clearly spot while wearing these goggles when someone was swimming next to me.
Anti-Fog: The Shinari had a pretty good anti-fog coating that seemed to last for the majority of my longer training swims. I cleared the goggles more often due to a lack of comfort than a fogging issue.
Comfort: The Shinari fit much like the K180+ and could be uncomfortable for long races because of its small and sleek eyepiece shape. The goggles have a flexible yet thin eyepiece cushion that could overtime irritate your orbital bones. But it makes them very streamlined.
Tint: The Shinari mirrored lenses have the perfect reflective tint on the outside. It is light enough for an early morning sunless race start and dark enough for a sunny race start. The inside of the lenses create a brownish, blue hue when looking through the goggles and the color combination must be the perfect blend because it made sighting on a sunny or a cloudy day effortless.
Don’t forget to tell us in the comments below where you will be doing your open water swimming this summer and you’ll be entered for a random drawing to win a pair of open water swimming goggles featured in our review! All entries must be received Wednesday, June 18 at 11:59pm. One entry per person per email.
