Mark: The open water. It is certainly a little bit different to the pool, that's for sure.
You've got no wall to hang onto the end of each length, there's no black line to follow
on the bottom of the pool, the water may not be as clear, and it certainly won't be as
warm either, or at least here in the UK it isn't anyway. There's a lot of change there,
but does that mean that your goggle choice needs to change too? Quite possibly.
Taking into account all those considerations, and some others, I thought today I would explore
the ins and outs of open water swimming, and hopefully help you choose your ideal open
water googles too. [music]
Now, goggles may seem one of the most basic pieces of kit within your swim bags. Don't
be fooled by their rather simple design and relatively cheap cost, because these things
can totally transform your swims. That means getting the right set of goggles for you is
so, so crucial. Get it right, you'll barely notice them at all. Get it wrong, and trust
me on this one, it is all you'll think about during your swim. There's some specifics that
you want to take into consideration for the open water as well. Today, I thought I'd run
through some of those specifics for the open water, some of the options that are available
to you, and some considerations that you want to take into account for you personally.
Right then, top of the list for consideration, regardless whether you're swimming in open
water or the pool actually, has to be the comfort. Trust me on this one, having a set
of goggles that don't fit your face, not only you're going to be thinking about discomfort
for the whole entire swim, also, there's a chance because they're not fitting your face
well, water is going to be seeping in and leaking, which is going to be incredibly annoying,
to say the very least. You may get away with that in the swimming
pool because you can stop at the end of lanes, at the end of each rep and kind of, drain
the goggles out and refit them for a period of time. In the open water, that's not so
easy, because we can't stop quite as readily and quite as easily.
You want to make sure that you get the right set of goggles for you, they're comfortable
and they don't leak. I'm afraid to say there's no magic answer here. It's simply a case of
trial and error and a process of elimination in terms of models and shapes of goggles.
Now, I have figured out a system for myself, and that is simply popping a set of goggles
onto my face without putting the straps on over my head, squeezing them into the sockets
and, hopefully, there we go, they're held for a period of time there. They don't need
to suck on and hold continually, but as long as there's some suction and you feel that
there's a full seal around the sockets and the gaskets.
You can try that by heading on into a local store and just trying a bunch of goggles.
The next one you can do is, pull the goggles on over your head, so the straps are over
around the back, then popping the goggles onto your eyes. You're looking for any areas
of undue pressure, or across the nose as well. Again, that will not only be very uncomfortable,
but also that could be a sign that it's not sealing in other areas, and that's going to
cause leaking. We're now moving on to some considerations
specific to the open water. I'm going to start this bit by looking at the size of the goggles.
I've actually picked out an array of different goggles here, all of varying sizes. These
are the largest that I own here. Although, you can go larger yet again, and then we've
got a size down from that here, then the set that I quite often wear, very low-profile,
small yet again, here. Now, quite often we see a lot of people wearing
these larger goggles. They're really popular, and that's simply down to the fact that they
increase our field of vision. That's really good in the open water because it improves
our spacial awareness, being able to see more people around us. Particularly good for race
day when you're in that washing machine effect. Loads of different swimmers around you, you
can see all of that happen. Now, I have to admit, having come from a swimming
pool background where most swimmers will wear goggles very similar to this, very low-profile
and minimalist, I never really embrace these larger goggles, and I'm quite embarrassed
to admit, but it mostly came down to vanity. I just didn't like the larger look of the
goggles. Also, I guess I was in the mindset that if
it wasn't broken, then don't fix it. I made this point simply because it highlights the
individual needs and preferences. Now, I, obviously, really like these low-profile goggles
as many others do, whereas others prefer these larger goggles, also even as large as scuba
masks. Yes, I have seen them in the open water and in triathlon event. I guess it just highlights
making sure that you find a set of goggles that are comfortable and work for you.
We're now moving on to another extremely important consideration with your open water goggles,
and this is the color of the goggles. I'm not just talking about the strap on the goggles
here, I'm talking about the lens color. Now, understandably, a lot of people go for the
mirrored and the tinted lens color options, because they look pretty cool. I've got to
agree, they do. They work well in the indoor swimming pools when they got the bright light
shining down, maybe reflecting off the bright tiles on the bottom of the swimming pool,
also in the open water when the sun is shining or reflecting off the surface of the water.
When that sun's not out, and maybe the water clarity is not so good, these sort of goggles
are just going to make things even harder to see. That's actually where these sort of
goggles come in. We've got a blue lens color or even the yellows and the oranges, because
they actually help to enhance the light. I used to use those these sort of goggles loads
when I was racing because we're here in the UK. We don't have all that much sun. Also,
we've got a clear lens option, that's maybe for something in between or if you just prefer
clear and not having any color or tint to that.
My suggestion here is not just to pick a color and go down that route, it's actually to have
a couple of options because you don't know what conditions are going to be presented
to you on race day. I'd normally suggest having that blue, yellow or orange lens color, and
also a tinted and mirrored. If it is sunny and maybe the sun's on the horizon at beginning
of the day, then you can wear that mirrored option so that you can see where you're going.
Equally, if the sun's not out, you can go for enhancing the light.
It's also worth paying close attention to the seal on our goggles, also known as the
gasket, which is this bit here. Some people prefer larger, softer seals. Some prefer smaller,
harder firmer seals. It all comes down to personal preference, that's absolutely fine.
It is worth pointing out that, like I mentioned before in the swimming pool, we swim, we maybe
get to the end of the length, we take our goggles off or we adjust them. We relieve
the pressure around our eyes. In the open water, we're not stopping quite as often.
Therefore, we're wearing the goggles for a sustained period of time, and that pressure
can build up on our eyes. That is why some people opt for the larger
seals, the larger goggles and softer seals in the open water, just to help with that.
You may also find the absolutely fine with the smaller or the firmer seals, just worth
pointing out and trying out before you do go and try and do, say, a 3.8 kilometer swim,
and your eyes are excruciating. Now, I think that's most aspects covered.
I'm now going to talk about the vision, because this is incredibly important with open water
swimming goggles. Because, unlike the swimming pool where you maybe have a black line you
can follow on the bottom of the swimming pool, in the open water we're sighting for buoys
and points. They can be hundreds of meters into the distance, and it's really important
that you're able to see them. Don't make the mistake that I have and wear goggles that
have either been really scratched on the inside or they fog up. Therefore, we can't see more
than maybe a meter or two in front of you, it's a disaster.
Now, I know this sounds really diva-ish and very grand, but actually what I suggest is
having two sets of goggles. One that you wear for training that get a lot of use and may
get abused at times, then another set for racing, that you really look after, they're
maybe not scratched, hopefully not foggy. That will mean that you get the best performance
on race day you possibly can. That's, I think, everything you need to know about open water
swimming goggles, at least everything I think I can share with you guys. I hope you have
enjoyed that. The main thing, I think, to take away from
this is that, yes, you can wear your pool goggles in the water if you think they're
fine, but equally don't be afraid to try out some different goggles and find what works
for you. If you enjoyed today's video, please hit that Thumbs Up button. If you've got any
questions, please drop them in the comments section below. If you would like to see more
from GTN, don't forget to follow us over on social media, or subscribe to us just below.
[00:08:57] [END OF AUDIO]