Fishing is an exciting and adventurous activity. The outdoors provides a vast number of threats and protection from these potential threats are essential to a safe fishing experience. This website is for fishermen who want to know about the risks regarding overexposure to the sun and the various ways to defend against harmful ultraviolet rays that can damage your eyes and body.

Often, fishermen find sunglasses costly because the majority of companies manufacture expensive sunglasses, like Dolce & Gabbana. Affordable "fishing sunglasses" can be found at SeaSpecs, which cost $49.95 each and come standard with their patented, impact resistant polarized lenses which provide 100% protection from the Sun’s harmful UV rays, along with their secure strap which keep them on your head while fishing.

To get the most out of your fishing experience, always employ proper safety precautions. Always wear sunscreen on exposed areas like your face, neck, and hands. Fishing safety guidelines, such as checking the forecast for storms and wearing bodily protection, are essential for preventing injury. Shoes should always be worn whether fishing on shore, in a boat, or wading in the water. Stray hooks, glass, sharp rocks, and other objects on shore and in the water could cut your bare feet. Shoes designed to keep your feet from slipping in a wet boat could help prevent you from taking an unexpected dip into the water.

Polarized sunglasses protect your eyes from hooks, harmful ultraviolet rays, and allow you to see fish and objects below the surface of the water. Now the last thing a fisherman wants is to be blinded while enjoying the outdoors and wearing the right fishing sunglasses improves visibility while avoiding dangerous ultraviolet rays. Wearing a hat also improves safety by keeping the sun out of your eyes and keeping your head cool during the summer and warm during the winter.

Too much exposure to the sun can lead fishermen to experience sunburn, a burn to living tissue caused by UV rays. Fishermen can also encounter temporary blindness and blurred vision in the beginning. Too much exposure to UV rays in the end can lead to aging of the skin, where patches of skin become thin and less elastic, and develop blemishes, sun freckles, and wrinkles. Fishermen unaware of potential hazards also face corneal sunburn and growths on the surface of the eye which are thought to be related to overexposure.

Polarized sunglasses reduce reflected glare from the surrounding water.  Light reflected from the water is generally horizontally polarized. This horizontally polarized light is blocked by the vertically oriented polarizers in the lenses. Color or darkness of lenses does not indicate UV protection, which is an invisible chemical applied to lenses. Note that polarized lenses and mirror-coated lenses don’t necessarily reduce UV absorption unless specifically labeled.

In addition to protecting fisherman’s eyes from UV rays, wraparound sunglasses also provide further protection by keeping water spray out of fisherman’s eyes.

Therefore, always wear protective eyewear and clothing while fishing to protect yourself as much as possible.