Product Review/Surf Report: Oakley Water Jackets at San Miguel B.C.N

I got a pair. Hooked it up under the table from a friend of a friend who works at Oakley. (I try very hard not to pay retail for anything).

My first use was last weekend, Sunday, at San Miguel in Baja Mex. Waves were a fun 3-4, crowd was tolerable to mellow and the sun was fierce at 1 pm. We surfed from 1-3 pm, just getting into the worst part of the day for that west coast, afternoon, stare-into-the-sun-while-it-sets session.

The glasses fit pretty good, the arms don't fold, so it's a one piece frame. They were tight enough on the temples with an adjustment strap around the back. I have them all the way loose. dunno if i have an oversize head (insert sarcastic comment here) or what. (7 3/8 is my hat size). They have a cord which i tied to my wetsuit zipper string. I applied the supplied anti-fog liquid with the cloth, let it dry then put them on. Couldn't see anything, really smudgy lenses. ok, i guess you have to buff the lenses clean after the stuff dries. did that, much better. Nice & clear.

Put the specs on and walked to the point. got a few strange looks. but oh well. paddled out, it was a little weird to have something on your face while surfing. Duckdiving was not a problem, i kept my eyes open (as i always do) there was no difference. the lenses and frame have strategically placed holes to let the water rush through. The water beaded off pretty good, there were always a few drops, but nothing major. better to have a few spots then to have to stare into the sun.

Everyone in the line up stared at me, so if you are self conscious about that stuff, don't get a pair yet. Wait until everyone has them.

I feel i had a little advantage because i could actually see where the bowl was lining up when sets came in, others probably couldn't. I wish the lenses were polarized, but maybe on later models. I do not have prescription lenses (but if they offer it, i will get them).

The glasses stayed on really well. I even did a faceplant over the falls on to the flats (just to check the glasses of course) and they stayed on.

Today i used 'em again, 3 pm in LA, facing straight west, glaring like crazy. Really glassy and bright. Surfed a really closed out beach break. Pulled into a few death barrels and the glasses never came off or even felt like they would.

I had a little problem with fogging today, i think because the water was cold and the air was really warm. Also, i made the mistake of trying to brush off a water droplet and smudged the lens. I had a perpetual blurry spot in my left field of view.

I would wholeheartedly recommend these to:

- east coasters for dawn patrol - west coasters for sunset - people who surf right hand point breaks in the northern hemisphere in the early AM where the sun is blinding just after dawn (Ventura, Rincon, El Salvador are places where i have experienced this problem) - people surfing tropical surfspots in bright sun in the middle of the day (Indo etc...)

i wont wear them all the time, but for afternoons they are great. they come with a really elaborate case, since the frames don't fold. If you are on a low budget back pack trip, you might not want to drag them along, they are kind of high maintenance (applying the stuff, keeping them clean, trying not to scratch/crush them) and the case is bulky.

finally, it seems someone got the water sunglasses thing right. they don't look 'too oakley' if you know what i mean. I have never really been a big fan of oakley styling (blades? gimme a break....) but these are OK. I got the feeling at San Miguel after i paddled out, that the others were either expecting me to be a total dork or to be a complete ripper on a photo trip. it was weird. having that shield between you and someone else in the water is different. Up until now, all of the 'goggles' i've seen in surf have been really bad, bulky, ugly, etc... and 10 times out of 10, the guy wearing them is one of the worst surfers in the water. not a good way to push the concept. but that will probably change. By the end of the session 3 or 4 guys were asking me about the glasses, i guess the glare was getting to them.

wearing eye protection in the surf makes a lot of sense. surfers are weird, rarely are we seen in daylight hours without sunglasses, EXCEPT for when we go in to the water, the most reflective, glaring, eye damaging environment of all. boarders wear goggles or sunglasses while they ride...

i would like to see RX lenses and lower prices, i think these things are $180.00 retail. with scrip lenses it would probably be astronomical. (like i said the lenses have holes ground into them around the periphery to let the water through). thats a lot of money in a precarious position. Also, i don't know what you would tie them to in warm water, i guess you could sew something in to a rash guard.

if you are looking for sunglasses in the water, this is your answer. If you need scrip lenses, you may still be out of luck.

over and out

-dos zapatos

<<<<<<<<I got a pair. Hooked it up under the table from a friend of a friend who works at Oakley. (I try very hard not to pay retail for anything).>>>>>>

I was thinking of getting a pair because of my bad eye form the bells palsy. i can close that eye now, but it is a bit of an effort to do so.also, that eye doesnt tear either......so i need to protect it from wind too. everything i tried in the water, goggles, sunglasses, anti fog spray, would fog in the line up and i couldnt see the waves. yes, if i used the things i was trying underwater, they would work fine. i think it was like you said. the difference in the temperature between your body and the water. i am going to try to get a pair anyway, as i am desperate to find something that might work!!!!! its bad enough i havent been able to surf all winter but to have my sufing limited in the warmer months because of my eye is not acceptable./ i will persevere!!!!!! so, i think i will get a pair in the spring.........thanks for the report on them.....todd.

...............><}}}}}'>................ 'I wish, I wish, I wish I were a fish'
http://community.webtv.net/MZCMN/

i used them again today for a sunset session. the water was probably 55-58, i really have no idea, and the air was probably 80 when i paddled out at 4 pm(did i mention the weather was insane this wekend, 85 in downtown LA! clear blue as far as you could see) i had a bit of a fog problem today, especially after that bong hit, i mean, after riding a long wave and paddling really hard for the outside. i think my head was just putting off too much heat and fogging the lenses. i had to keep dunking them to keep them clear. just a quick face dip would take away the fog. the water would bead off nicely. after a few minutes of cool down waiting for the next wave, the fogging would dissipate. i wore them until the sun was about a fist above the horizon, then it was a little too dark and i pulled them down. surfed another half hour or so with them around my neck. waves were a really fun 2-3 ft and dropping.

<> How was the 'height'? d
http://www.monmouth.com/user_pages/sisom http://www.altsurfing.org

<snip>

Thanks, dos ... great, detailed information! I saw a sponger with the Oakleys in the water a few weeks ago and didn't think it looked too odd at all. Over here is it more than sensible. I will be looking into them soon.

Sus ... even thought of wearing regular sunglasses for a while there ...