Advice

Fitting Prescription Goggles

Gone are the leaky prescription goggles of years gone by our range of prescription goggles are made with silicone seals to provide a comfortable seal and excellent fit, here are a few tips on getting your swimming prescription  goggles to fit perfectly.

Place the prescription goggles over the eyes before fitting the strap. Pressure should then be applied to the prescription  goggles, if suction is achieved then the prescription goggles will provide a leak free fit.

The strap should then be fitted. The purpose of the strap is to hold the prescription goggles in position - not to provide the seal. A firm not too tight fit that does not apply any awkward pressure to the face is the perfect fit.

Adjustment of head strap may be necessary. Always remove prescription goggles first. Then adjust the head band until you get a comfortable fit. It is also essential to adjust the nose bridge for both comfort and a water tight seal. Slide lenses closer or further apart one notch at a time until you get the perfect fit. If you a looking for high performance prescription goggles that will give you the perfect fit the look no further than our Dragon prescription goggles.

If you need prescription l goggles then you will find that our Dragon optical goggles will provide excellent comfort and a great fit plus they are supplied with optical lenses.

The unique one-piece construction of Aqua swimming goggles mean no  bridge adjustment is required.

Eye Safety Warning

To remove prescription  goggles safely, put thumbs under head strap at side of head. Slide thumbs to back of head and lift strap from back to front of head.
To avoid possible eye damage of discomfort when wearing prescription goggles:

• DO NOT pull eye-cups from your face - they may spring back and hurt your face.
• DO NOT dive into water (competitive racing starts from starting blocks, which are not considered dives).
• DO NOT swim Underwater below 2 meters.

Look After Your Gear

• After use, rinse prescription goggles in clear cold water and keep in an Zoggs goggle pouch so as to avoid scratching the lenses.
• Do not allow others to use your prescription goggles. A properly fitted goggle mounds itself to the face. It can also be unhygienic.

Let’s go snorkeling !

Last month we reviewed snorkeling equipment so that you would have the information to choose the best snorkeling equipment for you. If you haven’t made your choices yet then scroll down the page for advice on how to choose your snorkeling equipment.

Once you have got your snorkeling equipment you are ready to go snorkeling! Remember to apply some mask defog to your mask to stop it fogging up. Then put on  the mask adjust the snorkel and if you have fins put them on just before you get into the water.

Now you have all you snorkeling equipment on it time to go snorkeling!.Once in the water float in a horizontal position and relax. Get used to the water movement keep your arms at your sides and breathe deeply and slowly check that you snorkeling equipment if comfortable and make any minor adjustments. When you want to move, if are wearing fins  use only your legs and kick in the water slowly from your hip. Try to keep your legs straight and avoid bending your knees, it will feel strange at first but you will soon get used to it. Try and avoid splashing your fins on the surface and remember to breathe deeply and slowly and relax. Just get used to the sensation of floating on the water and you new snorkeling equipment.

Things under the water appear 25% larger and closer than actual size. Test your ability to judge distance by moving to shallow water and try and touch the sandy bottom you will notice it is further away than you expected. To enjoy snorkeling no matter where you are buy a submersible fish guide  the handy piece of snorkeling equipment means you can  study the fish and identify them under water every one will want to know what you saw when you return from you watery adventure.

Have you ever thought of going snorkeling at night ? it’s a great experience and the only additional snorkeling equipment you will need is a inexpensive underwater torch. Nocturnal creatures are on the move while diurnal ones sleep, the water is calmer and many species including squid will be attracted to you torch and come quite close to you. Some fish change color and  patterns while others don a “ pajama” made from mucous to protect themselves from predators. Use you snorkeling equipment to have snorkeling adventures both night and day.

Care of the environment

Everything you see on a coral reef is alive! Even what looks like hard rock is coral made up from trillions of animals that cover themselves with a hard protective skeleton. Some corals are soft and look like plants but these are also animals.

Remember to never touch any coral or creatures you see whilst snorkeling follow this rule and not only will you be protecting the environment but also yourself. Some corals can sting or burn and fish and other creatures may bite or sting if frightened. Just observe. Leave beautiful shells for other snorkelers to see.

Top Tip !

It is advisable to wear a T shirt whilst snorkeling to help prevent sunburn also remember to wear a water proof sun cream  prevent you getting burnt in the water remember to apply sun cream especially to the backs of the knees !!

 Activeaqua guide to snorkeling equipment

• Choosing a diving / snorkeling  mask or goggles

Your snorkeling mask is a vital piece of snorkeling / diving equipment, creating an air space in front of your eyes and allowing you to focus underwater. Your snorkeling / diving mask  also encloses the nose in a soft silicone pocket so you can equalize ( clear or “pop” )  your ears as you descend underwater. To enable you to get the most from your time in the water, a comfortable watertight snorkeling /diving  mask is essential investment and if looked after will last for years.

For a large range of masks click here for snorkeling mask or diving mask in the Activeaqua mask department.

Fitting your snorkeling or diving mask: To check that a mask is watertight, simply place it on your face (move the strap out of the way) and inhale through your nose, the snorkeling / diving  mask should stay on without the aid of the strap. Also, check that you can comfortably equalize your ears with thesnorkeling / diving  mask on (pinch your nose and gently blow against it, your ears should pop but do not blow too hard!).

Any snorkeling / diving  mask that fits well is a good choice. Other features of a snorkeling/ diving mask  to consider are:

Generally avoid plastic skirted snorkeling / diving masks (similar to those you purchase in beach shops) which look the same as our snorkeling / diving  masks but are a fraction of the price, you are not buying like for like and although it would seem like a great deal you will only end up throwing it away. They often cause face rashes, are uncomfortable  leak and fog up.

Some users find that a snorkeling / diving mask with only one single lens as opposed to two (a left and a right) gives the feeling of a more open, spacious snorkeling / diving mask. However these single lens mask generally cannot accept corrective lenses. If you need a prescription dive mask or prescription goggles  then click here for optical masks.

• Choosing Snorkels

The snorkel is simply a curved tube that lets you breath while floating face-down on the surface of the water. They also offer hours of enjoyment for snorkeling in the shallows allowing you to keep your head underwater.

For a large range of snorkels click here for Activeaqua Snorkel Department

There are a variety of features available on today’s snorkels, some of these are Explained below :

Purge Valve

This is a one-way valve that allows water to be cleared from the snorkel from the lower end, thus reducing the effort required for clearing the snorkel . In certain snorkels, the valve is located directly below the snorkel mouthpiece; others incorporate a shotgun design with a valve on a separate branch from the main snorkel tube.

Wave Chamber

Many modern snorkels incorporate a system that reduces the amount of water entering the open end of the snorkel, known as a wave chamber. Many people recall a ping pong ball on the top of a snorkel to stop any water entering the snorkel  tube, this system is no longer available.

A flexi-tube on the snorkel mouthpiece keeps the snorkel out of the way while underwater, and can be bent back round to the most comfortable position. Better snorkels with more advanced technology such as Aqua Ultra dry snorkel have a corrugated flexi-tube but the inside is smooth so the air flow is not disturbed making each breath much easier.

• Fins or Flippers

Full foot fins are designed to be worn with bare feet and are ideal for warm water snorkeling. and when diving from a boat were foot ware is not always allowed,

• Other important items

Our snorkeling bag offer good protection for  your new snorkeling equipment . With spaces for your snorkeling / diving  masks snorkel  fins etc . Plus a pocket for your Sun cream keys etc. Our snorkeling guide and fish identification slates are also useful. Other useful diving / snorkeling supplies are mask defog and swim ear.. If you click here you will find these and other useful diving accessories and snorkeling accessories

Click here for our best buy mask and snorkel sets.

The joy of snorkeling is that the your mask snorkel and fins act as snorkeling floatation devices giving you more water confidence, so even people who are not strong swimmers can enjoy the underwater world.

Snorkeling Equipment Sets

Which snorkeling equipment set is right for you ? All our snorkeling equipment sets are made from high quality items that cannot be compared with the cheap sets you find at the beach. So what the difference ? And why to have such a range of snorkeling equipment sets ?……
snorkeling and diving masks like the Aqua Big Vision, Aqua Stingray and Aqua Vision give you a greater field of vision without having to put your snorkel underwater so are great for those of you who just want to watch the underwater world go buy with minimum effort.

A great  mask for snorkeling is the Aqua Purge mask, this combines a large field of vision with a purge valve so if any water enters the snorkeling mask simply blow out through your nose and clear the water away ! This is a great snorkeling mask.

Many people wear glasses or contact lenses and find their underwater world slightly blurred which is why we supply prescription masks and prescription goggles the Seavison Mask and Midi View mask are both prescription goggles that take optical lenses. We use a simple prescription for these prescription goggles which makes these prescription goggles an affordable solution.

Each snorkeling / diving mask has been matched with a suitable snorkel most ofl our snorkels have drain valves which means if water gets in the snorkel it easily cleared . The Aqua Snorkel has a one way valve in its base so all you have to do is blow out to clear any water in the snorkel. The Atlantis Snorkel is very similar to the Aqua Snorkel but is has a added feature of a wave hood which stops water from small waves entering your snorkel. The Aqua Dry Snorkel has all of the above features , plus and extra chamber with drain valve so by the time the air you are breathing from the surface gets to your mouth it has passed through two chambers and vent valves so is unlikely to have any water in it. The final snorkel is the Aqua Ultra Dry Snorkel this  has a float on the top to stop water entering the snorkel when you dive down, plus this acts as a splash guard for your snorkel. Iit also has a special chamber at the bottom which make breathing air from the surface much easier and is truly the king of snorkels. All our snorkels are fitted with a quick release snorkel holder so they can easily be attached then unattached form your mask. Also all the mouthpieces are made from soft silicone and can be easily replaced .

All our snorkel equipment sest work out cheaper than buying the items separately  Mask and Snorkel Sets

 Selecting your prescription for prescription  goggles, snorkeling or diving mask

All our prescription goggles are based on a simple prescription , this means that when looking at your own prescription you need to consider the Sphere values. As long as your cylinder reading is low then you will find our simple and affordable prescription goggles  lenses a great solution for seeing under water.

Other things to consider:

• If you have problems reading then you need to select a + Lens
• If you have problems seeing distance then you need to select a - Lens.
• If you exact prescription is not available i.e. if you were a -2.25 then simply select
  the next available lens up i.e. 2.5.
• The Sea vision Mask Prescription Mask  and Midi View Prescription Mask  are high quality silicone prescription masks which are extremely comfortable to wear. We selected these masks to provide a range of prescription  lenses for as over the years we have found they  fit “most” faces.
• All our lenses are optically corrected for use underwater.

Also remember that water itself provides some magnification of objects just look at the size of hands under the water next time you are diving , snorkeling or swimming and when you are under water you do not need to see great distances usually you only need to see 30-40 feet.

Remember we have a wealth of experience of what solutions have worked well for our many happy customers who have purchased our prescription  goggles or masks and we are happy to share this knowledge with you but we are NOT opticians. If you have any concerns about the lenses we offer being the right solution for you then please contact your optician.

Lastly