Swimming is a great form of exercise for the whole body.
It gets your heart rate up while moving your legs and arms in sync and increases your overall cardiovascular fitness. It’s a good way to maintain a healthy weight and tone your muscles, while building strength and endurance. Swimming is suitable for all abilities and being lighter in water has less impact on your joints. It also has great benefits for your mental health, from boosting your mood and reducing stress to getting a better night’s sleep as a result.
From leisurely fun swims to more serious competitive-style swimming, there is something for everyone. Dive into your nearest leisure centre swimming pool or take the plunge at the local seaside, try out wild swimming or float in an outdoor lido over summer. Just remember your goggles!
Swimming without goggles is like running with your eyes shut, or sunbathing with no sunglasses. You need clear vision and optimum protection for your eyes. Whether rocketing up and down the lanes or butterflying in wild swimming spots, having the right pair of goggles is paramount.
What are the benefits of wearing goggles while you swim?
First and foremost, goggles protect your eyes. Whether in chlorinated pool water or salty sea water, they will shield your eyes, preventing irritation and soreness from any chemicals or bacteria. In outdoor conditions, they provide UV protection to keep you safe in the sun. Goggles can also help enhance your swimming technique – with the right pair and right fit you can become more streamlined, have clearer panoramic vision, less fogging up in the water and no water leaking in to disturb your rhythm.
How to choose your perfect pair of swimming goggles?
Selecting the perfect pair of swimming goggles shouldn’t be difficult. There are plenty of different styles, colours and designs on the market to choose from for every type of swimmer or picky buyer. Here are a few things to consider when browsing:
- Lens type: A lot of pairs come with mirrored lenses which reflect light away from your eyes to reduce glare and light while you swim. This is great in swimming pools with bright lighting or outdoors on sunny days. Clear lenses will be better when there is less light.
- UV protection: A must for outdoor swimming – choose a pair with approved UV protection for maximum safety for your eyes.
- Anti-fog properties: The last thing you want to do when swimming is to keep stopping to de-mist your goggles. Opt for a pair with anti-fog technology to guarantee clear vision throughout.
- Comfort: This is crucial. A comfy pair of goggles can change the way you swim. Make sure the strap adjusts appropriately to fit your head and the lenses are soft around your eye sockets. Too tight and this will lead to a painful pressure on your face, but make sure they have enough watertight suction to prevent any leaking and water slipping into your eyes.
With these features in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best swimming goggles for adults to help you propel through the water.
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Speedo Futura Biofuse Flexiseal Goggles
This strong durable frame is coated in a gel-like skin (featuring Speedo Biofuse technology) which provides a soft and cushioned finish for the ultimate comfort around the eye. The lenses are wide to allow a large scope of peripheral vision and fit very closely to the eye without being too tight, so there’s no water getting in.
The flexible nature of the goggles means that they adapt to each individual face, creating a close fit uniquely to you. A reliable pair to fashion when lapping up and down the pool and available in black/grey or a nautical blue/white.
Buy now £21.00, Speedo
Adidas Persistar Comfort Mirrored Swim Goggles
Look the part of a pro in these cool all-black goggles from Adidas. The ergonomic one-piece frame design sits comfortably across your eyes, with a flexible nosepiece and adjustable double strap to ensure a secure fit while you swim. The mirrored lenses don’t just look slick, they give a wide field of vision and have anti-fog properties so there’s no steaming up. No leakage, no hazy eyes. Win-win.
Buy now £25.00, Adidas
Zoggs Predator Titanium Goggles
These funky blue and silver mirrored goggles have been created with Zoggs’ new Advanced Ultra-Fit gasket for their comfiest pair yet. Designed to reduce pressure around the eye socket but still keep water-free, add them to your sports bag when hitting the local leisure centre and take the faff out of swimming.
Quick and easy to put on with an adjustable double strap, the curved titanium lenses enable 180° vision and reduce glare from high-level light. They are available in two different sizes: regular profile or smaller profile fit so every swimmer can have the optimum fit for them.
Buy now £26.24, Amazon
Arena Air Bold Swipe Swim Goggles
Whether a triathlete or a recreational swimmer, dive into the pool with Arena’s goggles and enjoy a session of crystal-clear vision underwater with no chance of leakage. The goggles are equipped with Swipe anti-fog technology and the wide lens’ provides panoramic sight. They are super light on the face and adapt to each individual’s shaping with ease for a personal fitting and maximised comfort.
Buy now £34.75, Amazon
HUUB Vision Swim Goggles
Premium sports apparel brand HUBB offer a great option for regular pool swimmers and open-water beginners with this pair of goggles. Pop them on to look like a professional and experience a glide in water with no pressure on the eyes, thanks to the soft silicone frame and gasket. You can tailor them to your head size with the comfortable strap at the back and will be guaranteed to have waterproofed vision, minus any glare with the mirrored lenses.
Buy now £28.99, Amazon
Roka R1 Goggles
Pick one of seven colours from the Roka R1 range – including cobalt, light amber, dark grey and clear - and plunge into the water with grace. Whether bolting it up and down the lanes in the pool or swimming more freely in open water, keep streamlined and light with these goggles and challenge yourself. The hard coat exterior extends durability and encourages anti-scratching, paired with an anti-fog coating and anti-glare features making them a pretty perfect pair. They even come with their own microfibre bag to carry around in pre- and post-swim.
Buy now £37.00, Roka
Nabaiji B-Fast Swimming Goggles
Make your training and competitive swimming the very best with Nabaiji’s innovative design. Featuring an adjustable nose bridge to alter the spacing between the two lenses, use the screwdriver provided or the built-in tool on the back to tailor fit the goggles to your face for watertight results. The lenses have an anti-fog coating and come in different tints – blueberry or magnolia tainted. Simply float along with these super sleek and compact goggles for a more streamlined swim, encouraging optimum performance.
Buy now £24.99, Decathlon
Toplus Swimming Goggles
There’s no fogging up in the water thanks to the protective coating on these goggles, making your swim hassle-free with clear vision. Water will keep out too with the thick double-layered silicone seal providing a tight yet soft and comfortable suction around the eyes.
They are pretty easy to position around your head – and can be modified to fit most head sizes – with their stretchy strap. The goggles are also kitted out with UV protection so they make a great pair for outdoor, wild swimming, or for preventing glare from bright lights indoors. There’s no wonder these are an Amazon bestseller.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
Zoggs Panorama Clear Smoke Goggles
A cheap and cheerful option, Zoggs does not disappoint. Tighten or loosen the silicone strap around your head for a customised fit which moulds to the contours of your face while you swim. Made with a curved lens technology, you are guaranteed 180° peripheral vision with anti-fog properties for clarity in the water. The lenses are strong, durable and smoke-tinted to provide protection from the sun and bright lights. A reliable pair for both indoor and outdoor lengths.
Buy now £10.00, Argos
Speedo Vengeance Mirror Swimming Goggles
As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to goggles. Serious swimmers should have a look at the label’s Vengeance model – the streamlined lens profile makes them lightweight and tight-fitting for you to fire down the pool in without any extra splash. The interchangeable nose bridges and double silicone head strap provide a very secure fit which can be customised totally to you and your head/face. Choose the atomic lime/pool colour for a stand-out design.
Buy now £19.00, John Lewis
