Why Ocean Sunglasses Float

They say you only learn what your gear is worth on the day you lose it. On the water, that day comes sooner or later. A kite loops you into a set. A wing pulls you over the front of the board. The glasses come off, and the question is a simple one: do they come back up?

Ocean was born on the Basque coast. The Atlantic there is cold for much of the year, the wind comes in hard off the Bay of Biscay and the shore break doesn't forgive much. It's a place that tells you quickly whether something works. Out of it came one rule that everything we make for the water follows: it has to float.

How our frames float

There isn't one trick. There are several, and each model uses the one that suits its shape.

• The frame material. Many of our watersport frames are recycled HDPE, a plastic that is lighter than water.
• Floaters in the arms. Bermuda, Venezia, Cyprus and Biarritz Kids carry floaters built into the arms.
• An extra floater for the strap. Most floating models ship with one. It slides onto the strap and adds lift.
• EVA foam. The foam behind the frame, there for comfort and seal, is buoyant too.

Floating is the backup

A pair that floats is a pair you can find. A pair that stays on is better. That's why the same frames carry retention straps, EVA foam that grips the face and, on several models, removable arms and straps. The hydrophobic coating on every watersport lens keeps spray from drying into salt spots, and the polarized filter keeps the surface readable. We explain that part in Polarized lenses on the water.

Names from the water

Most of our watersport frames carry the names of places where the wind is worth the trip: Cumbuco, Jeri, Essaouira, Le Morne, La Ventana, Leucate, Lake Garda. Together they make a map of where the wind blows. We wrote about them in The spots behind the names.

Everything we make for the water starts with that rule. See all floating sunglasses.