When it comes to surf fishing, polarized sunglasses are a must! However, sifting through the many brands and styles can be challenging, especially if you’re looking for the perfect pair to suit your needs.
The best-polarized sunglasses for surf fishing are durable, provide full coverage, and are 100% UV protected. Choosing a brand that offers a variety of colored lenses is ideal. It allows you to select a lens that is optimal for the light conditions you often face while surf fishing.
Below you will find specific sunglass brands and styles that are recommended for surf fishing.
Costa Del Mar Sunglasses
Out of all the sunglass brands out there, these seem to be the crowd favorite for fishing. Costa Del Mars are popular because of their great coverage, protection, and clarity.
Costa is famous for its 580 lens technology, which sets them apart from other brands. These lenses are named after the 580 wavelengths of harmful blue light they are designed to filter.
The 580 lenses also allow customization of the lens material and color, depending on the following variables:
- Your personal-aesthetic preference
- The light levels you’ll most often be exposed to
- The activity you’ll be using them for
Regarding lens material, the two options you can choose from are glass or plastic.
The glass lenses are often recommended for surf fishing because they have the highest clarity and are scratch-resistant.
On the other hand, plastic lenses are more durable and are more affordable, so if you are also planning to wear these sunglasses during higher-impact activities, plastic is your best bet.
After you’ve chosen the material you want your lenses to be made out of, you can now choose the lens color.
It’s essential to select your lens color depending on the time of day you go fishing and how much light you are most often exposed to.
On their website, Costa Del Mar recommends using their Green Mirror or Copper lenses for inshore fishing.
The Green Mirror lenses are great because they enhance your vision and provide high contrast, allowing you to see fish in the surf more easily.
They are most effective when fishing during full sunlight.
Copper lenses are another great option. These lenses are best if you are looking for sunglasses that are a little more versatile (you can wear these lenses while surf fishing and while driving!)
All Costa lenses block 100% of UV light for better eye protection. They are also 100% polarized to get rid of glare.
Regarding frames, all of their fishing and sports glasses are made from TR-90 nylon, which is both highly flexible and durable.
TR-90 is able to withstand hot or cold temperatures without losing its shape, making it a wonderful material for all outdoor activity.
The TR-90 frames come in a variety of colors depending on which style you choose.
As a side note, Costa Del Mar’s come with a limited lifetime warranty. This means the company will fix any problems with your glasses that are caused by a manufacturer defect.
However, this warranty does not cover general wear and tear nor any type of accidental damages.
Below I’ve listed some of the most popular styles of Costa Del Mars for surf fishing.
Costa Del Mar Fantail Polarized Fishing Sunglasses
Costa Fantail Fishing Sunglasses are stylish, but also extremely functional. These sunglasses are lightweight, comfortable, and last a long time with proper care.
Like all Costa sunglasses, they are highly customizable and come in a variety of frame colors, such as:
- Tortoise
- Matte Black
- Blackout
- Midnight Blue
- Race Gray
- Matte Moss
- Camo
- Matte Gray
The Fantails can be made with either glass or plastic lenses depending on what you are looking for.
With regards to the lens color, they have a variety of options available, including:
- Blue Mirror
- Gray
- Green Mirror
- Copper Silver Mirror
- Sunrise Silver Mirror
If you are using your Fantails mainly for surf fishing, it is recommended that you get the Green Mirror lens.
When it comes to frame fit, Fantail frames only come in a medium. So, if you have a narrow or wide sized head, you may need to choose a different style.
A useful feature of these sunglasses is their Hydrolite nose and temple pads.
Hydrolite is a rubberized material that gets sticky when your face is wet or oily, helping prevent the glasses from falling off!
The Fantails also have little water droplet-shaped grips on the nose and temple pads.
These are yet another measure to help prevent the glasses from falling off your face when oily or wet.
These glasses are highly rated and are said to be worth every penny!
Costa Del Mar Tuna Alley
These glasses are part of Costa Del Mar’s classic collection.
As far as lenses go, you have fewer color options than with the Fantail. The Tuna Alleys only come in Blue Mirror or Green Mirror.
However, you can still choose to get them in glass or plastic.
Tuna Alleys have a wide variety of frame color options, including:
- Matte Steel Gray Metallic
- Matte Black
- Tortoise
- Race Gray
- Matte Sand
- Shiny Crystal
- Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades Camo
The extra lens curvature allows the frame to be curved, so it fits more naturally and snugly to your head.
Since the frame is snugger, it provides ultimate sun protection for the sides of your eyes where light could normally filter in.
The wraparound feature refers to the frame and how it goes all the way around your face.
This feature assures that you have coverage from every angle, including peripherally.
Like the Fantail, the Tuna Alley also comes with Hydrolite and has droplet grips on the nose and temple areas, providing the wearer with ultimate slip protection.
One of the main differences between the Fantail and Tuna Alley styles is the fit.
While Fantails are made to fit your average joe, with a medium-sized head, the Tuna Alleys are considered to be large to extra-large.
The larger size allows them to look more natural and fit better on individuals with larger heads.
If you tend to fit into regular-sized frames, but you like the oversized look, the Tuna Alleys are a great option and will still fit your face.
The Tuna Alleys cost about the same as the Fantails.
Oakley Polarized Sunglasses
Oakley’s are a well known American sunglass brand. They are famous for making durable sunglasses for a variety of sports activities.
Oakley sunglasses are special because they have Oakley’s patented three-point fit technology.
This makes it, so the frame only touches your face in three places, including the bridge of your nose and your two rear temples.
This maintains less pressure on your head, meaning less discomfort. Even though the frames have three points of contact, the sunglasses still manage to stay on securely.
Regarding Oakley lenses, they have developed a lens called PRIZM that is designed to provide optimal color, contrast, and detail.
Oakley has made specific PRIZM lenses for a variety of sports and everyday casual wear.
These lenses block 100% of UV light and harmful blue light up to 400 nanometers.
They also have PRIZM Polarized lenses that have all the features mentioned above, and they block 99% of reflective glare.
All of Oakley’s lenses are made of polycarbonate (i.e., plastic), so if you really want glass lenses, this may not be the right brand for you.
For surf fishing, the best lens is the PRIZM Polarized Shallow Water.
This lens is designed to help you see below the surface by enhancing green and copper colors, making fish easier to spot.
They are also effective at blocking glare due to their specialized HD polarization technology.
Oakley Split Shot Polarized Fishing Sunglasses
Although the Split Shots were Oakley’s first water-specific design, they quickly became a favorite among fishermen.
This style has three polarized lens choices:
- PRIZM Tungsten
- PRIZM Shallow Water
- PRIZM Deep Water
As mentioned above, for surf fishing, it is recommended you get the PRIZM Shallow Water polarized lenses.
When it comes to frames, the Slip Shots are made to fit medium to larger faces.
The material they are made from is Oakley’s famous O Matter, which is a nylon material that is durable yet lightweight.
This material is heat and cold resistant, allowing the glasses to stay strong no matter the weather conditions.
The frames also include Oakley’s signature No-Slip Unobtainium nose pad.
Like Costa’s Hydrolite, Unobtanium keeps the glasses on your face when you put on sunscreen or begin to sweat.
The frames are made with a high wrap design, meaning that the sunglasses’ frames are high enough to protect the sides of your eyes from the sun, providing you with great overall protection.
The frames come in a variety of color options, including:
- Black Ink
- Matte Carbon
- Matte Tortoise
- Matte Black
- Matte Heather Gray
- Polished Black
A unique feature of these sunglasses is that they come with a detachable steel leash. The leash is durable and allows you to wear the Split Shots around your neck.
The leash is also extremely easy to attach. There is a small clasp at the end of the frame that you can open, attach the leash to, then close to keep it securely in place.
As a safety measure, Oakley designed this leash with a 5 lb (2.3 kg) breakaway feature.
Another cool feature of the Split Shots is their hat compatibility.
Oakley designed these glasses with a slight curve at the top, so that they would fit comfortably under all hat rims.
Maui Jim
Maui Jim sunglasses are very stylish without compromising their quality. All of their sunglasses are 100% UV protected.
They also block harmful blue light without blocking visible blues from your vision.
Like other fishing sunglasses brands, Maui Jim also utilizes the 8-base frame for an optimal fit and great sun protection.
They utilize nylon frames because of their unbeatable durability and weather resistance.
Maui Jims have developed a unique technology called PolarizedPlus2 to deal with any glare problems you might face.
This technology provides horizontal glare protection, which typically comes from flat, smooth, and shiny surfaces.
This technology also prevents your eyes from receiving any “bounce back” glare that comes from surfaces behind you.
The PolarizedPlus2 lens also has a Bi-Gradient Mirror at the top and bottom of the lens.
This mirror makes it so you won’t have to squint since it prevents light – from above and below – from coming into your eyes.
The lenses come in four different styles, including:
- SuperThin Glass
- MauiBrilliant
- MauiPure
- Maui Evolution
The SuperThin Glass or the Maui Evolution lenses are recommended for surf fishing.
The SuperThin Glass lens has the highest clarity and is the most scratch-resistant.
It is thinner and lighter than normal glass, so you get all of the advantages of having a glass lens without the added weight.
The Maui Evolution is another great option.
Although this lens is made from polycarbonate, it is able to provide almost as much clarity as to the SuperThin Glass with only a third of the weight.
It retains the scratch resistance of glass while also having the impact resistance and durability of plastic.
Maui Jims Peahi Polarized Wrap Sunglasses
Maui Jims Peahi sunglasses are probably the most stylish sunglasses on the list.
They come with a wraparound frame that effectively covers your entire line of sight without looking bulky.
The Peahi come with the standard Maui Jim nylon frames. While the frames are size large, they still fit individuals with regular-sized heads.
With regards to frame colors, they have some unique ones, including:
- Mahi Mahi (These are a yellow/green/black color just like the fish!)
- Redfish
- Black Matte Rubber
- Gloss Black
- Matte Black
- Matte White
- Tortoise
- Matte Tortoise
All Peahi sunglasses come with the Superthin Glass lenses. When it comes to the lens color, the HCL Bronze or Maui HT are recommended for surf fishing.
The HCL Bronze lens provides you with a nice warm viewing experience.
On their website, Maui Jim states that these are best for varied, everyday conditions.
The Maui HT lens is advertised as being a “high transmission” lens that adds extra contrast and color, which are important qualities when trying to find fish in the surf.
These glasses are definitely considered high end. However, Maui Jim fans say that these sunglasses, although expensive, are totally worth the extra cash.
Maui Jim World Cup Wrap Sunglasses
The World Cup sunglasses are another favorite among Maui Jim enthusiasts.
These glasses share all of the great features that the Peahi come with, such as the SuperThin Glass lenses for a crisp optical experience, a wraparound fit for complete coverage, and rubberized nose pads that ensure they will stay on all day long.
The World Cup is available with the Maui HT or Bronze lenses, so select whichever ones are right for you and your surf fishing needs!
Regarding frames, the World Cups are meant to fit a size large, but individuals who wear mediums will also find these to be a comfortable fit.
The frames come in five colors:
- Matte Black Rubber
- Marlin (Like the marlin fish, these glasses are a blend of a bright blue and brown)
- Chocolate Stripe Fade
- Redfish
- Matte Green Stripe Rubber
A great feature of these glasses is their anti-corrosive spring hinges. This technology protects your hinges from freezing up whenever they are exposed to water.
Conclusion
When you are in need of polarized sunglasses for surf fishing, look for sunglasses that provide 100% UV protection, full coverage, and a variety of lens choices so you can select the ones best for you and your surf fishing needs.
As far as lenses go, typically selecting the company’s shallow-water lens option will do the trick. Some of the best sunglass brands for surf fishing have these features (and more), including Costa Del Mar, Oakley, and Maui Jim.