.

Its not even a question!!

I learnt the hard way several years ago after not listening to the skipper of a pro game boat i chartered. It was fkn horrific

Dont make the same mistake as i did.

^^ that may be so, but I jump on a board and plane thru chop, putting on the sunnies does not reduce the visibility of the chop to such a degree that it makes sailing harder. So I think it is still all positives for polarized

Mmm I always wear polarized sunnies..maybe that's why I suck at chop hops...I haven't really noticed any problems re chop.I can't hop like I used to but I think that;s more likely to be the + 23 years of age rather than the glasses..

More important to see the shallow sandbanks!

One benefit of polarised lenses is you can clearly see rip tides, although this is more for surfing on a beach break...works well for the north devon coast in the UK where you park at the top of a cliff and can see the whole beach.

Are Barz Arfa goggles the go? They fit my huge head, but I'm skeptical about the anti-fog. They pretty much fogged up the moment I put them on. Supposedly when it's windy, it shouldn't be a problem, but I'm still skeptical about airflow through the holes in the gaskets.

Traditional sunglasses rest on the nose. Barz goggles rest on the eye sockets via a gasket. What's worse in case of a face plant?

Polarised and only polarised. in fact I only buy Polaroid brand ones.

Not sure about the sunnies. But looking back my inability to chop hop for years was partly technique, but mostly because I was pretending I wasn't blind (prescription now -1.5 and -2.25 , but a couple points less at the time). Started wearing disposable contacts and what do you know - could see the ramps...

I use the polaroid safety specs from 'big' hardware store ($10) which have a hole at end of arm - attach elastic cord...

... no wuckers

I tried Barz Arfa goggles, Dirty Dog something or other and Oakley Water-something (jackets?) last week. All very expensive, the Oakleys ridiculously so. Today I tried a bunch of $10-20 safety glasses at Bunnings. All were much more comfortable than the $$$ frames. Now to get them in prescription...

WindmanV said..

Mr. C,

What about an older prescription set of glasses to which you add Polaroid slip-ons?

Well, I hardly wear the glasses I have, so the are all pretty ancient. The youngest pair is 10 year old. They are also metal and look pretty flimsy. I wouldn't want a face plant in them.

When i was 28 I had a pterygium removed from my left eye.

Due to 20 years of sailing, surfing and general WA weather (salt and wind) my eye began feeling like sandpaper everytime i closed it.
I found the operation quite traumatising because you have to be awake when the doctor fillets the pterygium off with a scalpel and tweezers.
Since then, the only type of sunnies i use are polarised and i've even started using the ones like they sell on this site when wind surfing.
Can't recommend polarized sunnies enough.

So I assume with that prescription you're not after prescription sunglasses. Polaroid or not doesn't really matter. What matters is UV protection and they all do that.

Don't spend too much money on them. You will scratch them and you will lose them. I use Seaspecs at 3 pairs for $100. They're identical to the Seabreeze ones.

Don't stuff around with anti-fog or anti-drop coatings. None of them are particularly effective. The best thing you can do is clean them with a little detergent (dish washing or hand soap) and warm water. Dry and polish them well and they'll last ok for a few sessions.

If your glasses fog up or get too many droplets then just dunk your face in the water. Holding them away from your face for a few seconds when riding will also clear them quickly.

The hand band is almost useless. You must use a second leash. I put a little loop of ribbon on the back of the head band and hitch it onto the zip puller on the wet suit, then tie a knot in the zip puller. I haven't lost any glasses since I have been doing that. Just tying on to the zip puller is not so good. The fabric they use is usually a little stiff and knots come undone. Ribbon is soft and knots better. For a chest zip wet suit put a longish loop of ribbon on the adjuster for the shoulder.

I am a big fan of peaked caps. You can tilt your head and block out most of the direct glare from the sun. It does nothing for reflected UV but it's pretty good.

Gorgo said..

So I assume with that prescription you're not after prescription sunglasses. Polaroid or not doesn't really matter. What matters is UV protection and they all do that.

Don't spend too much money on them. You will scratch them and you will lose them. I use Seaspecs at 3 pairs for $100. They're identical to the Seabreeze ones.

...

Thanks for the tips. I don't really need glasses to get around. No need in urban areas. But it would be nice to have perfect vision outdoors. No way would I pay hundreds for non-prescription sunglasses.

Well, prescription glasses and sailing., let me tell you..
I have windsurfed for 30 years and always in glasses, - shortsighted, tried contacts but allergic to them ---- bummer
i have lost maybe 20 sets of glasses. Often it does not matter if they are tied on or not-- crash hard enough face first and the lense will pop out !!!! happenned lots, jumps/ freestyle etc.

These days i wear a gath so that helps them stay on a bit, i also have a rubber style band around the back that slips over the arms of the glasses.
I used to have this and a 'safety leash' attached to my wetsuit zipper. ( not used anymore due to gath)

I use sunglasses with Transition lenses ( change shade -- light to dark etc-), I obviously have to wear them summer and winter sailing. It does not effect any spotting of waves/ lumps, sharks !!!! etc.
It would be nice to sail without them but putting contacts in for a half hour sail sometimes is not my thing...
I dont call myself a backwards and forwards sailor as i crash alot with wavesailing and freestyle.
Perhaps the glasses are a good thing all this time as i read in a British mag years ago about the potential for long term damage on the water from not having sun protection , i.e sunnies.

note the cost of prescription lenses can vary a lot, i wish i could buy suunies for $200.00!!! complete. the worse your eyes are usually the more the lenses cost.
The cheapest i can buy a set of lenses for myself are $200 then plus the sunnies of say $150.

Note also that high prescription lenses will not go into any sunnies with any sort of 'wrap' / 'bend' ( i think it is measured in something called base curve). The result would be distortion on the edges of your vision, definately not good with sailing, trust me it has happenned to me when i tried a pair of Oakleys years ago that were only slightly wrap.

Perhaps one day i will have the eye op. but at 45 and having worn glasses for 35 years i think it is not high on my priority.


cheers guys.