Benefits and Disadvantages of socket goggles vs. wide view goggles?

[Anonymous]

Is there any advantage to the socket style vs. wide set? In competitive swimming are wide view styles not allowed?

[Anonymous]

The wide goggles are allowed in USA swimming races. Some younger swimmers wear them. At a certain level, swimmers all wear race goggles because they create less drag than a huge mask on your face.

[Anonymous]

I've never seen wide goggles even in summer league, except on 8Us at B meets. I think it's important both to do what is most comfortable for a very young swimmer and to understand the peer pressure that might affect choices for the slightly older ones. So unfortunately this might mean twice as many goggles!

[Anonymous]

Never seen anyone wear the wide ones.

[Anonymous]

For preteens and older, I would expect only open water swimmers to be wearing wideset goggles. For anyone younger (and probably including the vast majority of preteens), goggle-style choice won't have a meaningful race-day effect.

[Anonymous]

Put your kid in whatever is most comfortable for them. My kids wore the junior version of the top set of googles for years. Then one switched to tyr and the other switched another model of speedo. As long as they don’t lose them for young kids it doesn’t make much of a difference.