The best sunglasses for boating are fitted with polarized and/or mirrored lenses, important for safeguarding the health of your eyes during any boat-based activity in the world of water sports. Polarization reduces glare from the water, making it easier to see where you’re going (or the fish you’re casting to) while protecting your eyes from strain. Discover the best boating shades from Costa, Maui Jim, and other top brands.
Whether you prefer to cruise with your friends on the weekends, or you're an avid sports fisher, a sturdy pair of wraparound sunglasses is essential to protect the health of your eyes while you’re on the water. As you consider which boating shades are right for you, look at sunglasses with polarized lenses to ensure a distortion-free field of view with reduced glare. Our list also includes frames that resist corrosion and damage from saltwater for optimal durability and reliable extended wear.
The Best Sunglasses for Boating:
The glare-blocking, fully wrapped Oakley Split Shot was designed with the outdoors enthusiast in mind, and makes an easy choice for the Best Sunglasses for Boating. Not only do the Prizm™ lenses enhance color, contrast, and detail, the sleek Oakley frames boast a lightweight O Matter construction that meets or exceeds the ANSI safety standards for high-mass, high-velocity impact resistance. The Split Shot shades come with a detachable leash, so you won’t lose them when you hit choppy water or net your next big fish.
The Maui Jim Cloud Break 700 sunglasses are our pick for the Best Women’s Sunglasses for Boating. These shades beautifully illustrate Maui Jim’s focus on creating tough, wearable shades with award-winning lens technology for the active woman who loves the water. The slightly oversized square frames feature a wrapped profile for extended eye coverage at the periphery, and the butterfly silhouette adds fashionable appeal to your suit-and-sandals wardrobe. Never worry about the health of your eyes in bright, reflective conditions wearing the Cloud Break 700 shades from Maui Jim.
Costa has been a trusted name in water sports eyewear for decades, and the Costa Saltbreak sunglasses exemplify the brand’s signature attention to detail in durable performance shades. Our choice for the Best Costa Sunglasses for Boating boasts an 8-base curved profile and premium polarized Costa 580® lenses for an unobstructed field of view with reduced glare. The environmentally friendly bio-based nylon construction is sturdy, while the C-Wall lens coating provides superior scratch resistance and an oil-, sweat-, and water-repellent barrier. Take to the lake or the ocean in style wearing the Saltbreak sunglasses from Costa.
It’s already baked into the name: Smith’s Guide’s Choice sunglasses make an easy choice for the Best Polarized Boating Sunglasses. Smith Optics has pioneered glare-reducing, polarized ChromaPop+™ lenses that enhance contrast to make the details pop in bright conditions. The lenses come with a smudge- and moisture-resistant coating, so you don’t have to worry about fingerprints or salt spray obscuring your field of view. Enjoy a cool look paired with impressive performance lens tech wearing the Guide’s Choice from Smith.
The dedicated waterman knows that eye strain and even sunburn in the eyes are real hazards during long days on the water, and the Costa Rincon sunglasses are engineered just for him. Our pick for the Best Boating Sunglasses for Men features scratch-resistant and durable premium polarized Costa 580® lenses for optimal glare reduction and contrast. The sleek, wrapped rectangular silhouette flatters most men, and the slim, sporty temple design is comfortable. Look your best on the boat and feel confident in the health of your eyes wearing the Costa Rincon sunglasses.
If you’ve already explored our list of the Best Sunglasses for Water Sports, then you know that the Smith Pinpoint sunglasses were our choice for the Best Sailing sunglasses. Crafted in Evolve™ bio-based frame material, these sturdy shades feature a 6-base lens curvature for extended eye coverage at the periphery. The state-of-the-art ChromaPop™ lenses enhance contrast and reduce glare, so you’ll be able to see clearly when you tack. Whether you sail on a Sunfish or a catamaran, the Smith Pinpoint will safeguard the health of your eyes in style.
The avid angler needs durable frames that stay in place while fighting the biggest fish. The Maui Jim Peahi 202—our pick for the Best Sunglasses for Fishing—offers a reliable Grilamid construction that resists damage in salt- or freshwater environments. The wraparound profile protects your eyes at the periphery, and Maui Jim’s award-winning SuperThin Glass lenses are available in a range of tints that cut glare and enhance color for a bright field of view. Net that trophy fish you’ve been chasing wearing the Peahi 202 shades from Maui Jim.
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