Barracuda Hydrobat Swim Goggles

The quick review? You will either love or hate the Hydrobat Goggles from Barracuda. They look goofy (my wife kept giggling while I was wearing them), and the field of view is limited, but they did not fall off no matter what I put them through; face up, face down, a twisting entry (that hurt!), even swiping my hand across my face as if I was being hit by another swimmer. I could not get them to dislodge. As a swimmer, I would not use them, I did not like them. From the coach/reviewer side of things, they are high quality goggles that work well if they fit and if the the limited field of view is OK.

Barracuda makes a lot of good, high-quality goggles (compare prices on Barracuda goggles), and the Barracuda Hydrobat is among them. But just being a well-made goggle is never enough. Goggles are unique to each swimmer. You have to ask a lot of questions when you look at goggles you want to use. Things like "does this goggles shape fit your eye socket" (the Hydrobat oval shape fit mine) and "can the nose-piece be adjusted to fit your eye spacing" (the goggles could not be adjusted narrow enough for me to be comfortable, but I adjust goggles eyepieces so that they are very close together - think of a beady-eyed coach!).

I used the Hydrobat goggles off and on over several pool workouts and they never fogged up, never leaked, and never fell off. The double strap was no harder or no easier to adjust than many other models of swim goggles, and once adjusted it did not change or slip from day to day (an observably frequent problem among young age-group swimmers). The eyepiece has a comfortable silicone flange/gasket (as opposed to a foam-type or none) that made a good, water-tight seal. The goggles come in a re-usable hard case that kept them clean and unscratched when I tossed them into my gear bag, too.

Is the Hydrobat a good goggles? Yes, very good in terms of quality, features, and construction. Did I like them? No, but only because of personal "how they fit my face" reasons. I kind of liked my wife's reaction (giggling) when she looked at me when I had them on, and the way they stayed in place no matter what I put them though was a huge plus.

What bothered me most about the Hydrobat was the spacing between the eye pieces. No matter how I adjusted the nose bridge, I could not get the space small enough to fit the way I wanted it to; they were never really comfortable. Admittedly, I wear my goggles almost as narrow as possible; my personal favorite goggle is the old "Compy" that used to be made by Hind (started wearing them in high school back in 1974 and can't seem to break the habit - anyone besides me remember their advertisement with a jumping frog wearing them?). They are simple goggles with foam gaskets, a single strap, and a rubber nose bridge that slides in and out to adjust spacing. I have to cut-off the extra part of the nose bridge so it does not gouge my nose.

Now, the goofy part of the Hydrobat, and the part that probably makes them stay on so well. They have these wings with holes in them that stick down below the eye pieces. The wings seem to direct the flow of water around the goggles, making them stay in place as well as, if not better than, other goggles. I did everything I could think of to make the goggles fall off, but they would not move. I have had goggles popped off of my face in ocean swims, and it is not the most fun thing to have happen. With the Hydrobat on, I would be confident that I would not have that problem. But, if you are concerned with how others see you, you might be self-conscious in the Hydrobat.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.