Race Diving w/ Goggles

Question
Hi, Eric.  I swam competitively from age 8 to 18, back when swimmers didn't wear goggles.  I've continued swimming to stay fit, and am now interested in competing at the Masters level.  Question: What's the trick to diving from blocks with goggles on?  I'm afraid they'll fall off or fill with water.  Any special sorts of goggles I should be looking into?  Thanks, Eric!  Jim

Answer
Jim,
Diving in with goggles is something you are just going to have to get used to.  The typical problem is that people don't have the goggles on properly.  Make sure that you find a pair that fit your face well.  Nobody has the same face which means that no two faces will wear goggles the same way.  I always like to try different brands out.  Try taking them out in the store to find a pair that is comfortable, or see if you can borrow some friends goggles at the pool.

As for diving in the water, the only advice I have is to keep your head down.  You don't want to dive in where there water will be able to pull the goggles off of your face.  Make sure you keep a tight streamline while entering the water.  If your head is "slightly" angled down, the water should be fine.  Again, this is really something you are going to have to play around with.  Eventually you will find the "sweet spot" where the goggles stay on and no water fills in.

I know that this doesn't help out that much, but this is truly a personal preference and process.  Practice truly does make perfect!

I do like Speedo goggles personally.  When I was younger we all wore "sweedish goggles" that didn't have any foam.  They were comfortable, but I like foam now.  I suggest getting a pair of competition goggles from Speedo.  They will say competition on the packaging.  Usually they are smaller and fit in the eye socket.  The larger goggles are more recreational and fit around the outside of the eye socket.  Those will generally fill up with water when diving in.

Best of luck.
Eric