Any tips for sealing swimming goggles.masks and keeping water out?

Question

I am having major problem with my goggles. I have 6 pairs of competitive and training grade goggles. If I use the tight low profile goggles when I swim (one hour everyday) I feel pressure above my eyes (very unpleasant when done everyday) and I have to loosen the goggles => Water gets in when swimming rigorously that long and If i use the swimming masks when doing butterfly and breaststroke water gets in when swimming at a very rigorous pace.

Any tips to sealing the goggles better? any sort of coating or material I can use to seal them better?

Answer 1

I would advise a less obvious answer: no gasket/seal at all!

I (and almost all members of our swimming team) was using the well known Swedish goggles. They come unassembled, so you have to assemble them by yourself but can then adapt them perfectly: single or double rubber strip around the head (I used two, one quite high on the head and another one quite low, but you may prefer something different), size and length of nose piece, which will help both cups to stay in contact with your skin when the length is correctly adapted.

Despite what most people think, they are not less comfortable than other goggles but really have to be well assembled to your face's dimensions. So, lots of trial and error but you'll end up with a tailor-made goggle. Bring everything you need to adapt them directly at the pool, so you can modify nose piece length, try for 50 meters and adapt again if needed.

I didn't check recently but I think some (most?) of the current competitive swimmers still use this kind of goggles and they swim quite vigorously!

You can even be fashionable and use two cups of different color should you want it!

And best of all, being just two plastic cups, a strap and a piece of string, they are quite cheap!

Answer 2

When I used to compete a lot, the solution (given the technology back then was not advanced, so goggles were not as streamlined and the gaskets weren't as good as they are today) was to overtighten them. Yes, it's uncomfortable, but it works.

Nowadays, most goggles should seal themselves incredibly well, so no matter what stroke you are swimmiing, or how hard you are swimming you should not get leaks.

If you are getting leaks, the things to look at:

• style: are you choosing goggles that are the right fit for you? Everyone's face is a different shape, so shop around. I have a wide bridge of my nose, so I need to pick up goggles which accommodate this - they are easily available.
• tension: are you tightening them up enough, and ensuring that you have not only a tight strap, but also suction behind the goggles
• dive: you could be losing a bit of the seal on your dive. Have a look at my answer on this question to see how wearing two caps can help with this

Answer 3

I don't know about a product to for sealing the goggles, but I switched to using a different brand of goggle a while back and I haven't had any leakage problems since. I use Aquasphere Kayenne. The seal is really good and the eye piece/strap connector has a little button you can press to adjust the tension slightly without having to adjust the fit and seal. You can see it on this picture - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0025KURO2/?tag=hydra0b-21&hvadid=9556669869&ref=asc_df_B0025KURO2 (I know it's an Amazon picture and I'm not promoting them or suggesting you buy them, but there's a handy zoom function so that you can see exactly what I mean!)

They're not suitable for everyone - they're rather bulky so may be a bit big for competitive swimming. But I swim long distance, indoor and outdoor, and they work really well for me. And I've tried many different styles before these ones.