Aqua Sphere Vista Goggles
By Jules Richards
Coming from a swimming background I’ve found a good set of goggles that you can rely on are difficult to come by. I’ve used Aqua Sphere products in the past with mixed results. Now in my second season of triathlon, I’ve competed in pretty much most swim scenarios, from pool based sprints to sea swims and tidal pool/freshwater. Now training for IMUK I’m looking for a set of goggles that are going to be comfortable over a long distance and preferably some that aren’t going to be easily removed by someone’s foot.

When I was asked to review the new Aqua Sphere Vista goggles, the name struck fear into my heart, if they were anything like the Microsoft package of the same name I might as well leave them in the packet and wait until the second or third version to arrive.

The first test for the goggles was how difficult it was going to be to adjust them to fit, I’ve had goggles in the past which require a PhD to get them to fit and within seconds they’ve slipped. The Vista goggles however with the push button release on the strap were done in seconds, and stayed that way throughout the testing. So the first outing for the newly fitted goggles was a 2.5Km sea swim at Carbis bay. The water quality was good, as was the visibility with the goggles, sighting was no problem. They formed a comfortable seal on my face and didn’t leak once, therefore no fogging problems either. So I took them off in the water got them wet and stuck them back on, still no leaks or fogging issues. The one issue I had (and this was not a major thing) was that when I went to take them off the vacuum they had created almost sucked my eyeballs from their sockets.

I then took them to my local (25m) pool and did 2Km, this was to be their downfall. Although they didn’t leak I had issues with fogging, even after the tried and tested method of spitting in them I was still having issues. There were no leaks, even when diving into the pool and during tumbles. The field of vision is exceptional and you’ll be able to see if there’s someone catching a free ride on either side. They do look quite good, however perhaps a little overkill for the pool, I did feel quite conspicuous wearing what probably looked like a snorkelling mask to most people in the pool.

In conclusion they are a very good set of goggles for £17.99, they’re comfy, easy to adjust and will stick to your face even if you’re wrestling with someone but didn’t leave me with a massive goggle marks (not a good look when coming into T1). However for me I think these goggles will only really be used when it comes to open water swimming, for pool based stuff they’re just overkill really. Also remember to close your eyes when taking them off unless you want a permanent look of surprise on your face

Visit Aqua Sphere Site