*Updated December 21st/2018
1) Farming/Harvesting Crops
A few years ago, I had a call from a gentleman that wanted to know if the Aquagoggle V2- prescription swim goggles would stand up to having a few holes drilled into the lens. To date, that has been the oddest question I have ever received about the goggles. However, this man had a very good reason for asking. He is a farmer and unfortunately suffers from dry eye. Driving his combine during the harvest was unbearable. So his idea was to seal his eyes away from the worst of the dust/grit etc with our goggles. Just adding a few holes for a little ventilation.
Well, he did it and reported back that it worked beautifully. I only wish I had asked him for a picture of him on his combine wearing swim goggles!
2) Sailing to Antarctica (and capturing it on Film)
Back in 2016, I was contacted by a man that wanted to know if our prescription swim goggles would hold up in very cold weather and possibly severe weather. My thoughts went to someone doing an early in the year triathlon (triathletes are crazy and awesome). But no, Sylvestre Campe was doing something that to me was even crazier and audacious. He and his crew were sailing to Antarctica to film a series about the adventure. Wow.
I told Sylvestre that I knew of no reason why the goggles wouldn’t do the job, and he ordered a pair of our V2- prescription swim goggles to try. So off a package went to Brazil, and I didn’t hear from him for quite some time. And then, a few months later I received an update in an email from Sylvestre.
“We are back from the most amazing sailing expedition, next one will be NW Passage. The goggles where amazing. We had a storm that was particularly bad as we were anchoring in the Antarctic…, we drifted and hit ground with 120km/h winds… Well, to make a long and exciting story short the goggles saved our Abel Tasman. No pair of glasses would have stayed on my face!!!!”
“This morning I went surfing with the goggles, amazing being able to see the wave,
Cheers from steaming Rio,
Sylvestre”
You can watch a promo of Campe and crew’s film here:
3) Prepping Dinner
Cutting onions during meal prep. I admit, when a customer responded in a review with this idea, I was mad I hadn’t thought of it before. I’ve been handling Aquagoggles for 17 years, and in all that time I’ve suffered through some meal preparations that a pair of our prescription swim goggles could have saved me from. My eyes burn and water like crazy when I dice onions. Why does something so delicious have to hurt you so? Well, now they don’t have to. I may look silly, but I can see what I’m doing and my eyes don’t burn now.
4) Mowing the Lawn
Much like the irritation from dust and chaff, like the farmer, or burning eyes from cutting onions. Some people (like my wife) suffer terribly from an allergic reaction to grass. For my wife, it’s a nice excuse to leave mowing the lawn to me. For some though, they just push through the discomfort and get to it. A few customers are willing to look a little silly if it means they can save themselves from red & puffy eyes, and wear our prescription swim goggles while they mow the lawn. I think they’re also preparing for an excuse to jump in a pool after they’re done. At least that’s what I’d do.
5) Obstacle/Adventure Races
This was another use that made sense when we were made aware of it. Events like the Tough Mudder have a number of obstacles that include water, and of course mud. Wearing your regular eyeglasses could be either annoying and expensive if you wreck them.
Other events that include color bombs and tons of suds are also becoming popular. If you are so inclined to take on one of these events, then a pair of swim goggles might be a good gear option. Also, any Anti-Fog solution is a great idea.
We’ve also heard of them being used for surfing in San Diego, sailing in the UK, and one ultra marathoner even took a pair to the Marathon des Sables. If you’ve got an interesting story about how you’ve used your Aquagoggles, share it with us!
We can also help you choose what lenses might work best for you. Here’s the link.
By Graham Cressman/Aquagoggles.com
