Snorkeling With Glasses

Snorkeling is an amazing pastime. It gives you a chance to see things that you have never seen before. You can go under the water and watch the creatures that live under the sea close up. What is cooler than that? Other than observing amazing sea creatures, there are several health benefits associated with snorkeling.

• Relieves stress: Studies have shown that spending time in the water can reduce stress levels by releasing endorphins, which put you in a calmer mood. Also, the beauty under the sea can give you a relaxed feeling. Snorkeling is a great way to get away from the stresses in life.
• Fitness benefits: To snorkel, you are going to need to swim. Since swimming is an excellent form of exercise that uses just about every muscle group, snorkeling can make you more physically fit.
• Improved breathing and lung performance: To snorkel, you need to breathe through a tube to get the oxygen that you need. Since breathing through a tube is more challenging than normal breathing, your lungs will need to work harder. This can improve your breathing and lung performance. You may not reap these benefits after the first time you go snorkeling, but if you make it a regular activity, you will significantly increase your lung function.
• Cardiovascular health: Snorkeling can increase your heart rate. Being under the water and moving around will make your heart beat faster, strengthening the muscle.
• Flexibility: Swimming improves your flexibility. When you are under the water, you can move your body in ways that you can’t on land. Since you need to swim while you snorkel, you can improve your flexibility. If you suffer from chronic muscle pain or joint pain, such as arthritis, swimming can help. What better way to enjoy a swim by getting up close and personal to the sea life below the surface of the water?

If you are thinking about going snorkeling due to the health benefits and the excitement of it, but are worried because you wear glasses, you don’t need to be.

Unfortunately, you cannot wear glasses under your snorkel mask. The mask needs to fit so tightly around your head so that water cannot get inside. The arms of your glasses would get in the way, preventing the goggles from being airtight. Fortunately, there are ways to see your best under the water if you require corrective lenses. The snorkel gear that you choose would depend on your eyesight and your preferences.

Option 1: Contact Lenses

If you need correction to see correctly, you should consider getting contact lenses for snorkeling. The snorkel masks are designed to keep all of the water out; therefore, you won’t need to worry about a lens being washed out of your eye. There are lenses available that you would wear one day and throw away after. These will be a great option if you want to wear contacts for the occasional snorkeling trip. Your eye doctor can perform a contact lens exam to fit you with a lens that contains your prescription and would be comfortable. You should understand that if your mask falls off while you are in the water, there is a good chance that you could lose a lens. This is why it is a good idea to choose an inexpensive lens. Also, always make sure that your mask is secured tightly to your face.

Option 2: Try On Prescription Goggles At the Dive Shop

You can find snorkeling masks with built-in prescriptions at your local dive shop. If your eyes have the same prescription and your prescription isn’t incredibly high, you should be able to find a pair of goggles that will allow you to see all of the ocean’s wonders. When trying on prescription snorkel masks, you should keep it on for a few minutes. Walk around the store with it on and try to read tags on items as well as seeing objects at a distance. You want to be sure that you can see everything perfectly before making your purchase.

Option 3: Have a Prescription Put Into the Goggles

If you have tried on every pair of prescription goggles in the dive shop, but none of them are working, you should buy a pair of goggles without a prescription. There are two options available.

• Custom Prescription Lenses: This type of mask doesn’t have a prescription glued to the inside. Instead, the entire mask contains your prescription. This will ensure a full field of view while you are under the water. It is also much more expensive than bonded corrective lenses.
• Bonded Corrective Lenses: A bonded corrected lens is a corrective lens that is glued to the inside of your snorkel mask. This method costs less than having a custom prescription lens made. However, the lenses might not be the exact shape of the mask; therefore, you may not have a full field of view.

Prescription masks can be made for people who are nearsighted and farsighted. They can also create a bifocal snorkel mask and a mask for people with astigmatism. These lenses can be made regardless of how high your prescription is. To have a prescription snorkel mask made, you would simply need a prescription from your eye doctor.

**Important Tip

If you are planning to spend most of your time snorkeling rather than scuba diving, you should get a prescription mask that will help you see objects in the distance. Most ocean life is going to be relatively far away, and you will want to see them.

If you are planning to do more scuba diving, you are going to need a prescription mask to see close up. While diving, you are going to need to see the gauges on your equipment.

If you have always wanted to go snorkeling but haven’t because you need to wear glasses, you have options. You shouldn’t allow you poor eyesight to ruin your opportunity to get a good look at what is living under the sea. There are options available to get you in the water safely.

Source

1. Contact Lenses, allaboutvision.com