It seems like every brand of goggles claims theirs don’t fog up.
But they all do, eventually
On the box or the package they say ‘anti-fog’ or something like that, but over time, we all know they’ll fog.
All of them.
But it’s true that most are still good for the first 3-4 swims.
So I suggest buying a good pair of goggles, getting used to them over months of training, and then a week or two before your race, buying the same goggles again and using that new pair in the race.
You’ll know they fit you and work for you, and they’ll be so new they won’t fog up. Just make sure you test them for a few practice swims before the race to guarantee a good fit.
And have your backup goggles around just in case.
When we interviewed pro triathlete Callum Millward, one of his tips was to bring extra googles.
Otherwise, there are a few other tips you can use to prevent your goggles from fogging up.
- To begin with, when they’re new, try not to touch the insides of the lenses. Doing this may wear off what little anti-fog coating they may actually have.
- Spit in them. This is one I used to do when I snorkeled and scuba dived. We’d spit in our masks and the belief was that it would prevent them from fogging up. It may have helped, but the fog always inevitably came. In my opinion, the more civilized or polite way to do this (especially if you’re in a big crowd of swimmers on the beach) is to just lick the insides of the lenses – not spit.
- Use an anti-fog spray. You just squirt a bit of this in, rinse them, and then swim. You can buy it from Arena or TYR.
- Put a bit of soap of shampoo in them. This acts a coating that prevents the fog from building up. Like the anti-fog spray, gently rinse them before swimming. You don’t want shampoo or soap in your eyes.
Fogged-up goggles suck.
So before your race, pull out your almost-new pair, and enjoy a fog-free swim.
Or else you may have to follow tip #37.