Best Swim Goggles For Triathlon Swimming

Best Swim Goggles
for Triathletes

The BEST swim goggles for triathletes are going to depend on the specific athlete, their specific face and the specific swim venue that they will be swimming at. One best pair of goggles that works for one athlete may not work at all for another athlete as each goggle has a specific fit.

As an uber-geeky and long-time professional athlete, that was also an adult onset swimmer, I have formed some strong opinions in terms of what you want in a goggles. These opinions have been formed using 40+ different pair of goggles from many different companies including: TYR, Speedo, Roka, BlueSeventy, Aquasphere, Swedes, and many more.

If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of cheap things, but cheap goggles is not one of my things. You want goggles that make swimming as enjoyable as possible. Many triathletes struggle to swim enough and bad goggles are just one more road block to more swimming.

Universal Basic Features I Require

The following are basic featureas I require for all my goggles:

- Soft gaskets that won't leave deep marks around your eyes and hurt
- Slim profile with good suction that won't fall off your face with the push off the wall
- Durable
- Won't leak
- Won't fog easily
- Good and easy adjustability 

Lens Options

Then there are some basic features of swim goggles that are situational. Not every lens is the right lens for every particular situation. Each lens has a purpose.

Mirror Lens of the Aquasphere Cayenne

Mirrored lenses - Mirrored lens swim goggles are best for swimming outside at the pool or in a race when you are swimming into the sun. However, mirrored lenses tend to be the least durable lenses and often times require frequent replacing.

Clear lenses - Clear lens swim goggles are best for low light visibility days, early morning racing, and night swims. Everyone needs a pair of clear googles.

Polarized lenses - Polarized lenses offer some of the benefits of mirrored lens in helping cut glare from the sun. They also allow me to see buoys more clearly and have the benefit of being more durable than mirrored lenses. You won't have to replace polarized lenses as often as mirrored.

Tinted lenses - I prefer to have polarized or mirrored glasses over tinted, but tinted work fine too. They are more affordable and still can meet all my other basic requirements. The idea is they bring down the level of light just like sunglasses.

Goggle Recommendations

Here are my top goggle recommendations. Keep in mind, I am actually sponsored by BlueSeventy. You can save 20% off all BlueSeventy products with discount coupon code: Gerlach2020. In my experience both personally, and talking to others, these are the goggles that work for the most amount of people and is a good place to start your goggle search. Many people with smaller faces will benefit from the small-fit version of goggles. Personally, my preference is for small fit goggles but I am definitely a tweener.

Aquasphere Cayenne Swim Goggles - This is hands down my all-time favorite goggle. First the field of vision is larger than most goggles but without being overly bulky. The field of vision is specifically helpful in open water when trying to site buoys. They come in mirrored, polarized, clear, and small-fit frames. Personally the small-fit frames are the perfect size for my face and is a big part of why this is my go to goggle.


TYR Special Ops Swim Goggles - Great goggles that come in variety of lenses and colors. Super soft gaskets that are durable. Come in a women's fit too.

TYR Special Ops

BlueSeventy HydroVision Swim Goggles - Comes in polarized and mirrored lenses that offer crystal clear vision. Great durability and easy adjustability. My only wish is they made this in a small fit version.

BlueSeventy Hydra Vision

Summary

Anyone that definitively says their goggle is the best is full of it. There is no one goggle that is best for everyone. Spend some time and money trying out different goggles and find what fits your face best. The best fitting goggle will often be the best goggle for you. Here are links to the following goggles that I recommend.

- BlueSeventy Hydra - Clear
- BlueSeventy Hydra - Smoke Tint
- BlueSeventy Hydra - Mirrored
- BlueSeventy Hydra - Polarized 

- TYR Special Ops - Polarized
- TYR Special Ops - Clear Transition
- TYR Special Ops - Women's Fit Clear
- TYR Special Ops - Women's Fit Polarized

- Aquasphere Kayenne - Clear
- Aquasphere Kayenne - Polarized
- Aquasphere Kayenne - Mirrored
- Aquasphere Kayenne - Smoke Tint

- Aquasphere Kayenne Small Fit - Clear
- Aquasphere Kayenne Small Fit - Polarized
- Aquasphere Kayenne Small Fit - Mirrored
- Aquasphere Kayenne Small Fit - Smoke Tint