Aquagoggles: Super Sharp Swimming

I love it when I stumble upon a truly neat product. It’s even better when the company behind it is awesome as well. For me, Aquagoggles meets both bars. Let me tell you why I’m so excited about this product.

I recently got back into lap and somewhat open water swimming as the pandemic has subsided. As someone who is nearsighted (I need glasses to see things far away), swimming any sort of distance has been an exercise in swimming towards “the blur.” Aquagoggles allows me to swim with near-perfect eyesight in the water.

So why not contacts?

Over the years I’ve bounced between contacts and glasses. I have mostly settled on glasses. I don’t like the hassle of changing out contact lenses each night and the potential infection risks that can show up with contacts. Also, I’ve lost contacts in the water which quickly becomes problematic.

Scarred from purchasing glasses

Purchasing glasses has always been a tough art here in the United States. Typically vision plans from your employer require buying glasses from the optometrist which cost many hundreds of dollars ($500+). The insurance plan then discounts them to a few hundred bucks ($200-$300). It’s an expensive racket many of us find ourselves stuck in. Because of this, I never looked into prescription goggles figuring they would be equally expensive.

Tip: Get glasses at Costco. Costco now accepts VSP and most frames can be had ~$100

Enter Aquagoggles

What I find most exciting about Aquagoggles is that they meet a real need that I have at a price point that’s a nondecision on my wallet. A full set of goggles can be had for about $35 – about twice the price of traditional nonprescription goggles.

The team at Aquagoggles measures the strength of the prescription in diopters – which is not the measurement on your glasses prescription. Make sure to use the calculator they have on the webpage to convert your prescription to the equivalent diopter measurement. I really appreciate the fact I can order goggles that have different prescriptions in each eye. Many other vendors I’d have to buy two pairs of goggles to mix-and-match lenses. 

Jumping in the pool

I freaking love these things! I can now see the clock at the other end of the pool. I can see the grout in the tile at the bottom of the pool. Swimming out in open water I can actually see where I’m swimming with deep precision.

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The level of detail these goggles bring to my swim has really changed the confidence I have in the water. Using the image it’s easy to see why these have changed my swim. It’s a well-made product that has demonstrably improved my time in the water.

A few small caveats

I love my Aquagoggles. I’ve already bought three sets to keep in various places. I found it really helpful to call in and talk with the support team to convert my prescription into the diopter measurement that was right for me. There was a lens I needed that wasn’t commonly available on the website but they tossed it in for free.

I don’t love the dual size tensioners on the back of the goggles – but it’s a small detail to contend with. Also, since my prescription is not the same in both eyes, the orientation on my eyes matters. It took a couple of swims not being able to read my watch to figure out I have them on backwards, LOL. I now ensure the text “aqua goggles” reads the right way when I put the goggles on. I wish there was some sort of stronger marking to differentiate the left eye from the right eye. They don’t build lenses that correct for astigmatism, but that’s a small detail I can forego.

Built for service

I love the fact that Aquagoggles are really built for service. Every part of the goggle can be purchased à la carte from the website (lenses, nose bridge, straps, etc). I’d recommend purchasing a set and if anything breaks on them, purchase a second set for the free shipping and toss in the extra part that broke. They’ve got a 30 day warranty to correct for any out of box issues. I don’t have any reservations on the quality of the product. Aquagoggles are built to the same rigor every goggle I’ve used to date.

Aquagoggles is a proud 🇨🇦 company. Their support team has been super nice and helpful to me all along the way! Happy swimming in full resolution!