Full disclosure: I am a sponsored Maritonia athlete. That means they sent me goggles to test. It doesn’t mean I’ll say anything I don’t believe.

There’s one thing all swimmers can agree on, from lap swimmers at the local Y to Olympic sprinters and kids riding waves to open water marathon swimmers: You need a good pair of goggles. Fit and comfort matter, but ultimately you need to be able to see. That’s the whole point.

45 YEARS OF GOGGLES. STILL LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PAIR.

In over 45 years I’ve tried countless brands and styles. I eventually landed on a brand comfortable for swims as long as 10 hours. Like most goggles they were clear…until they weren’t.

I was convinced that the perfect pair didn’t exist. I was happy to use Foggies wipes to clean the lenses and perfected licking the inside of the lens for a quick clear at the wall when it wore out. Then I saw the Maritonia ad on Instagram talking about their Nanoclear technology with anti-fog built right into the lenses! My first reaction was “I believe it when I see it. Every company claims they have anti-fog goggles, but it never lasts.” When they contacted me and offered to send me a couple of pairs to try I figured I had nothing to lose. Now I’m done with all of that.

HOW A SURGEON DAD BUILT THE CLEAREST GOGGLES I’VE EVER WORN

How did they do it? The cool thing is that Maritonia was founded by Deng, a surgeon. His daughter was a competitive swimmer, and her goggles fogged up so badly she’d have to stop mid-swim and lick the lenses to see. One day it clicked – could the anti-fog technology from endoscopes work in swim goggles? He started building them himself. From the earliest prototypes to scratch-resistant lenses, through iteration after iteration, Maritonia came to be with one core belief: see clearly.

THE SWIM TEST: WOULD THEY ACTUALLY WORK?

I looked through their website and picked out 2 styles: one for the pool and one for outdoors. When they arrived I was shocked how clear it was to look through them. They felt comfortable enough, but needed to pass the swim test. I took both pairs to the pool. From the moment I started my workout I couldn’t believe my eyes. The water was so clear. I grabbed the second pair to test while teaching a swim lesson. At one point, I put the goggles on top of my head. After about 5 minutes of instruction I was ready to put the goggles back on for a demonstration. When I put them over my eyes they were just as clear as before. No rinsing, no licking and no fogging!

I’ve been swimming regularly with these goggles for over 7 months logging over 100 hours of swimming and they still have not fogged up. Not even once.

Swimmers keep asking me which style I recommend, so I figured it was time to write a review.

Here is my opinion on the 4 different styles I’ve tried. It’s worth mentioning that the clarity and antifog are equal among pairs so I’ll just share my preference about fit and usage.

Before we dive in, a few terms worth knowing:

• Lenses: The part you look through. This is where anti-fog and clarity are important.
• Frame or Gasket: The part that holds the lenses and creates the seal on your face. You should be able to make a seal on your face with this part alone. Also the part that can create the famous raccoon eyes that we all try to avoid.
• Nose Bridge: This connects the frame between your eyes.
• Straps: The elastic bands that hold the goggles on your head.
• Buckles: Small fasteners that allow you to loosen or tighten the straps.