Water in your swimming goggles is annoying, especially when you have to keep stopping to empty them. The first reaction is often to tighten the strap. However, that is usually not the best solution.
Swimming goggles keep water out because the seal around your eyes fits properly. The strap mainly helps to keep them in position while you swim. If the shape of the goggles does not suit your face, tightening the strap will not always solve the problem.
Are your swimming goggles leaking? Start with the fit. Then check the strap, the position of the goggles and small details such as hair caught under the seal. This will usually help you find the cause more quickly.
Why do swimming goggles leak?
Swimming goggles can lose their seal in several places. Sometimes it is down to the adjustment, but the shape may simply not fit your face properly.
That is important to recognise. Swimming goggles can be perfectly fine technically and still keep leaking when you wear them.
The shape does not fit your face properly
The seal of the goggles should sit evenly around your eyes. If there is a gap anywhere, for example around your nose or at the side of your eye socket, water can get in.
That is why size alone does not tell you everything. The shape of the lenses, the seal and the distance between the lenses also make a difference.
A practical check is to place the goggles calmly on your face before swimming. With many models that have a soft seal, you can briefly press the lenses against your eyes without using the strap. If you feel light, even contact, that is a good sign.
If one side clearly stays in place less well, it is best to look at the fit first rather than continuing to tighten the strap.
The strap is not adjusted properly
The strap should stop your swimming goggles from moving. That is really all it needs to do.
If it is too loose, the goggles may move while you swim. This can briefly break the seal and allow water in.
Too tight is not ideal either. It mainly creates more pressure around your eyes, without automatically fixing a poor fit. On some goggles, too much tension can even distort the soft seal.
The best adjustment is therefore firm enough to keep the goggles stable, without having to pull them tightly against your face.
The goggles are sitting slightly incorrectly
Sometimes the problem is simpler. One lens is sitting slightly higher, the nose bridge is not centred properly or the goggles have shifted a little when you put them on.
If your swimming goggles are leaking, take them off completely and put them on again. Position the lenses calmly around your eyes, then pull the strap over your head. Check that both sides are sitting at roughly the same height.
Hair can break the seal
The seal of the swimming goggles should sit directly against your skin. A hair between your skin and the seal can leave a small gap.
Remove loose hairs before putting on your goggles. If you wear a swim cap, also check that its edge is not caught under the seal of the swimming goggles.
What can you do if your swimming goggles keep leaking?
Do not change everything at once. Otherwise, you still will not know what caused the problem.
It is better to work through a few simple checks.
1. Put the goggles on again
Start here, even if the goggles look as though they are sitting correctly at first glance.
Take them off, check that the seal is clean and clear, and place them around your eyes again. Make sure there is no hair caught underneath and that both lenses are straight.
Then test them again.
Has the leak gone? The goggles were probably simply not sitting in the right position.
2. Adjust the strap slightly
If the goggles keep shifting while you swim, tighten the strap a little.
Make small adjustments. The strap does not need to be so tight that you immediately feel a lot of pressure around your eyes.
Do the goggles only stay watertight when you pull the strap very tight? That points more towards a fit that does not suit your face properly.
That is an important difference. The strap is designed to keep a good fit stable, not to correct a poor fit.
3. Check where the water is getting in
While swimming, pay attention to where the leak starts.
Does water always get in on the same side? Check the fit carefully in that area. Look around the nose, along the outside of the eye and underneath the seal.
If your swimming goggles have an adjustable nose bridge, the distance between the lenses can also affect how well both sides fit.
Not every pair of swimming goggles has an adjustable nose bridge. With a model with a fixed nose bridge, you cannot change the shape yourself.
4. Check whether the goggles move while you swim
Goggles can fit well when you put them on and still start leaking later.
Pay attention to what happens after pushing off from the wall, while turning or when you turn your head. If the goggles move then, the seal may be temporarily broken.
A small adjustment to the strap may be enough.
If they keep moving even though the adjustment feels right, another model may be the more practical solution.
Fit is more important than a tight strap
If you check just one thing when your swimming goggles are leaking, make it the fit.
Well-fitting goggles sit around your eyes without needing much tension from the strap. You do not need to wear them as tightly as possible to keep water out.
That is also useful to bear in mind when choosing new swimming goggles. First, look at how the goggles sit around your eyes and nose. Adjust the strap afterwards.
What should you look for in the fit?
Above all, check that the seal around your eyes is in contact with your skin all the way around.
Light, even pressure is better than a lot of pressure in one particular spot. Also check how the goggles sit around your nose. If the lenses are too far apart or too close together because of the nose bridge, the seal on the inside of your eyes may not be as good.
If you are unsure, it is better to try a different shape than to keep wearing the same model more tightly.
A more expensive model will not automatically solve a fit problem either. The shape mainly needs to suit your face.
Comfort is part of a good fit
Swimming goggles should be firm enough to stay in place, but they should not feel painfully tight.
Strong pressure marks are not proof that the goggles seal better. If a model only stays comfortable when you are constantly adjusting the strap, it is worth trying a different shape.
This is particularly true when you swim for longer periods. A slight irritation while trying them on can become quite bothersome over time.
Dealing with leaking kids' goggles
The same basic principle applies to children: look at the fit first, and only then adjust the strap.
Kids' goggles should sit around the eyes without needing to be made extremely tight. Check that the goggles are straight and that there is no hair between the seal and the skin.
Also look at the size of the frame. Goggles that are clearly too large for the face may be less able to form a seal all the way around.
So do not automatically tighten the strap more and more when water gets in. Put the goggles on again first and check how the seal sits around the eyes.
For children, simple adjustment is especially practical. If the goggles need to be repositioned after every few lengths, it is worth taking another look at the fit.
When do you probably need different swimming goggles?
Have you put the goggles on again, adjusted the strap properly and checked that there is nothing caught under the seal, but do they keep leaking in the same place?
Another shape may fit your face better. That does not mean the current swimming goggles are poor quality. The same goggles can fit two people very differently.
So do not keep compensating with a tighter strap indefinitely. If the basic shape does not fit properly, another model is often the simplest solution.
How to prevent your swimming goggles from leaking
With leaking swimming goggles, tighter is not automatically better. Start with the seal around your eyes and only then check the strap.
Put the goggles on straight, keep hair and the edge of your swim cap out of the seal, and adjust the strap only as tightly as needed to keep the goggles in place.
Does water still get in at the same spot even though the goggles are adjusted correctly? The shape probably does not suit your face as well. Trying a different fit will be more useful than tightening the current model further.