I met with a friend recently and noticed he wasn’t wearing his usual sunglasses. Normally, he wears Ray Ban Wayfarers. Who can blame him? They are an iconic design. Apparently, he'd just had a sunglasses-related accident. Here’s what happened to his sunglasses, plus, how to stop it from happening to you.

From sunglasses to sunk-glasses

James explained that he lost his Wayfarers on a recent fishing trip. We live an an area surrounded by waterways of all kinds and fishing or angling is a very popular participator sport. Though I am not a fisherman myself, as soon as James told me his story, I recognized it. It’s one I have heard many, many times before.

Here’s what happened. 

James had set his equipment up on the canal bank, and he’d been fishing for around an hour, when a fly of some kind landed on his ear. Instinctively, James slapped the fly off his ear. Unfortunately for him (James not the fly), as well as getting rid of the fly, James also sent his expensive sunglasses crashing into the water. Although canal water isn’t deep, it is muddy. You can’t see more than a few inches down.

So, James’ Wayfarers were lost for ever.

Knowing that I have an interest in sunglasses, he asked me what I thought he should do, to stop this from happening again. I gave him two pieces of advice. I’m going to share them with you, in case you or someone you know finds the information useful.

1. Solid bamboo framed sunglasses

As James loves to wear high fashion sunglasses, I recommended he looked at investing in a pair of solid bamboo framed sunglasses. Bamboo floats. Had James been wearing a pair of solid bamboo framed sunglasses, he could have scooped them of the top if the water and no harm would have been done.

The reason I say solid bamboo frames, is that some sunglasses are sold as being bamboo, but only the arms of the sunglasses frames are bamboo. Such frames may not float.

Note: Bamboo frames are also very environmentally friendly. Even when bamboo is harvested, it grows back again.

2. Use sunglasses straps

A less expensive solution would be to simply buy some sunglasses straps. Sunglasses straps attach to the arms of your sunglasses and fit around your neck. Had James been wearing a strap when his accident happened, it’s highly unlikely he would have lost his sunglasses. 

The big caveat here is that straps are unsuitable, if you do any kind of activity (including certain types of fishing) where the straps could get caught in something. So make sure straps suit your scenario before you use them.

I hope you find this information useful.

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