BEST OPEN WATER SWIMMING GOGGLES
Goggles are an essential part of open water swimming kit. Our latest Real Women review asks our community of female swimmers what brands and models of goggles for open water swimming they most love and why
Come on in, the water’s lovely.
TYR Special Ops 3.0, £32 and Speedo Vanquisher 2.0, £25 – Coaches Recommendation
“For marathon swims, the TYR Special Ops 3.0 available in a Femme and Normal size. I’ve worn these for up to 9 hours without a goggle mark after! Super comfortable and most swimmers I recommend them to also love them.
For up to 10k or shorter races the Speedo Vanquisher Optical 2.0. I have a slight astigmatism so sometimes on races where I have to sight a lot I prefer to wear these. It makes a world of difference on a race when you can see a buoy properly! They don’t leak and have multiple nose pieces.” – Kelly, GRTW Open Water Swimming Coach
Aqua Sphere Vista Ladies, £22.99
“I like that they come in a ladies smaller size. They are bigger than normal goggles for better visibility and come in clear or tinted too. At the moment I swim in a tethered pool in my garden!” – Marie
“I like Aqua Sphere vista because they’re more like a mask style. They don’t wreck my old lady skin round my eyes, and don’t feel like they’re sucking the eye balls out of your head.” – Allyson
These mask style goggles give a comfortable fit with a wide range of vision and feature an anti-fog, scratch-resistant lens with 100% UVA and UVB protection.
Zoggs Predator, £25
“They fit my face shape well, so they don’t leak or fog up. Good visibility in all conditions. I swim at Grangewaters, Stubbers or in the sea at Thorpe Bay.” – Lucy
The Predator goggles come in two different sizes – Regular Profile Fit and Smaller Profile Fit – perfect if you are looking for a smaller fit. Equipped with UV protection and anti-fog technology, these goggles are also easily adjustable thanks to a pulley adjust system on the double strap.
Roka R1 – £35
“I really like the Roka R1 goggles. They don’t leak, visibility really good and lots of lens options for different conditions.” – Catherine
Boasting a patented design lens angle, the Roka R1’s give an expanded field of view so you can keep swimming straight. These googles block 100% of all UVA light, reduce glare and feature a flat silicone head strap with a locking adjustment clip.
Michael Phelps Xceed, £30
“These just fit well and are reliable and don’t leak! Mine have lasted a few years now. I’m based in Manchester so generally go to the pool or Salford Quays for open water.” – Rhianna
Designed in collaboration with Olympic legend Michael Phelps, these goggles feature a one-piece streamlined design for optimal hydrodynamic performance and fit. They come with four interchangeable nose bridges to ensure a great fit and anti-fog and anti-scratch technology on the lenses to keep vision clear.
Finally, coach Kelly’s top tip when buying a new pair of goggles, whatever brand you go for is to ensure they fit right across the nose.
“If you can adjust the nose piece so it’s not putting pressure on the bridge of your nose or then making the goggle too wide, then you shouldn’t have too many leaking issues or pain – making your goggle strap tight isn’t the solution. The goggle itself should fit your face, then think strap just to secure it.”