Whether you’re into powerboats, cruising in calm waters or putting your feet up in a hammock under anchor, one thing that you may not have considered stowing in your gear bag is specialized boating sunglasses. Regular sunglasses have their purpose, but when you’re contending with hours in the blazing sun, blinding reflections off the water, and sea spray – perhaps you’ve wondered if there’s something better out there?
Well-designed boating sunglasses will help you protect your eyes from harmful UV exposure by minimising the amount of ‘UV leakage’. This is where UV rays find their way behind your lenses and into your eyes through the gaps between the sunglasses frame and your face. This is especially important in a marine environment where UV is reflected off surfaces like water and the boat deck. The negative effects of UV radiation are cumulative and build up over a lifetime. So if you love spending long hours on your boat – acquiring some specialised boating glasses is a sound investment.
Polarized boating sunglasses offer other benefits in addition to UV protection. Polarized lenses cut through the glare and help you see the water ahead clearly. They help you assess your surroundings, seeing blind spots and hazards that may otherwise be hidden in a patch of glare.
Wrap-fit sunglasses also provide excellent peripheral vision which helps you spot movement and hazards outside of your binocular and focus range. A pair of purpose-designed boating sunglasses are going to keep you, and those around you, much safer on the water.
5 point checklist for boating sunglasses
We teamed up with industry experts ZEISS who use cutting-edge technology to deliver the best boating sunglasses lenses available.
Instead of focusing on only one or two water-friendly features, we designed our water sport sunglasses range to be a fully superior product out there on the waves.
All of our boating sunglasses incorporate state of the art lens technology including hydrophobic, oleophobic and anti-scratch coatings on both sides of the lenses. Some also have an anti-fog coating. Furthermore, all our boating or sailing sunglasses lenses sail through the FDA impact resistance (or ‘Drop Ball’) test requirements. Even our wrap frames are built using shape-memory TR90 nylon which is not only indestructible but also absorbs and spreads impact loads.
Our Typhoon and Surge models are designed for speed and more intense boating activities or in competitive environments. They both feature our patented double vortex venting system, which counteracts fogging and reduces heat build-up behind the lenses. They also come equipped with a 100% failsafe leash and silicone necklace retainer system – guaranteed to stay connected to you at all times.Even if you accidentally go overboard and the sunglasses are forcibly removed from your head, they will stay connected to you.
You may instead prefer the simplicity of boating sunglasses that float. With a lightweight floating frame, our Flo model is ideal for calmer, more leisurely water and weather conditions. If they fall off, they’ll just bob along on top of the water until you retrieve them.
Layers of technology incorporated into our boating lenses
| Model / Functions | Typhoon | Surge | Flo |
|---|---|---|---|
| UVA/B Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Polarised Lenses? | Yes | Yes | Some |
| Hydrophobic Coating? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oleophobic Coating? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hard Coating? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Retention Leash? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Floating Frame? | No | No | Yes |
| Anti-fog Venting? | Yes | Yes | No |
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