I haven't seen this problem discussed here before, so I thought I would take a stab at it. You all know that one shouldn't leave anything in a Bonaire rental vehicle while diving, but that presents special problems for those of us with glasses. One pretty much has to use some sort of dry box to protect them and take them with you. I haven't really seen anything for this which looks good, however. Either the box is way too big and hard to stick in a BC somewhere, or it not really designed for diving and will probably leak. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions here? Thanks a bunch. Woody

Woody, Dry boxes all leak at one time or another. Get yourself a plastic case for your spec's and tuck it inside your wetsuit or skin when diving. Wet is better then gone! leave abottle of water in your truck and rinse your hair and glasses of sea water. It works quite well.... Ron

Hi Woody,
I actually use a dry box to hold two pairs of glasses, I'm sorry I don't know the name of it but I got it at my LDS it is kind of triangular and is made to fit one pair of curved sunglasses but it fits both of our sets of glasses.. I have not had a problem with it leaking and it fits right into my pocket in my BCD. I even use it up here as sometimes I forget to take my glasses off during a beach dive and by the time I get to the entry point it is too long a walk back to the car so I put them in the box and they are safe.. Good Luck.. I will try to find out the name brand. I also think there was a thread about this a while ago and there are possibly links to the products.. Let me see if I can find it..

here is the thread... the post I was talking about is about 12 down Shore diving

Woody. My story agrees with Ron. One year I found myself out of contacts only a couple of hours before leaving and my prescription expired. My optometrist gave me a thick plastic hinged glasses case. I’d wear my glasses to water’s edge, put them in the case, and then stow them in the band of my dive shorts inside my wetsuit (I have the front zip kind) before getting in. Once back to the truck I’d rinse glasses and case from the bottles of fresh water we always had along.

after having my perscription sunglasses stolen from the minivan one year, I took to putting my glasses into an eyeglass case that zips closed, has a hook on it that I cable tied into the inside of my BC pocket..give yourself enuff room to get in and out of pocket..it is neophrene with a hard plastic liner.I think I got it at EMS....works perfect, and just rinse the glasses off after you get to the vehicle..it had never hurt the glasses (rust?)in all the dives I've done ..credit card and some wet bills can go into this too if needed

What I do is use a eyeglass case that is made of plastic and put my glasses in that and then put them in my dry "bag". The "dry bad" is a soft vinyl case that straps around your waist and also keep my drivers license and some cash there too. I have to keep some freshwater somewhere though because the glasses do get saltwater on them regardless that the dry bag is supposed to be waterproof and the eyeglasses are plastic lens which will scratch if you don't rinse the salt off first before wiping dry.

The cases you all speak of are the Lens Locker made by Witz Products. Can do a search on the web, or go to their website (www.witzprod.com). Available at various places online and elsewhere. I have used them for several years, and find they all leak (sometimes fully flooded) below about 60 ft. Come in various sizes including sizes for eyeglasses, credit cards, etc. Big advantage is they include a lanyard to go around your neck in addition to tucking them into your wetsuit/skin. I try to minimize the soak effect by inserting glasses / drivers license etc. into zip-type plastic bags, but plan on anything you have as getting wet.

Same here, just any kind of hard case will do. Mine also is a slightly leaky "waterproof" case.

Regarding your driver's license. I either never carried it (left it in the room safe) or just carried a photo copy. All local merchants of food or drink seem to accept moist money without much complaint.

Another travel tip is to make several photocopies of ALL your important documents and leave them in the safe. Before my two trips out of the country I scanned them and sent them to myself as an e-mail as a further backup in case everything else got lost or stolen.

In Bonaire, I was able to fit my glasses inside the gas cap compartment of the rental vehicle along with some cash in a small plastic bag. The car key goes on a lanyard around my neck and tucked into my dive skin.

If your lenses have any special coating, as many do, sea water may not be the best thing for them. While diving and snorkeling in the USVI, I had an old pair of prescription sunglasses on a "nerd strap" around my neck. This worked fine. But after I got back to the US, I left the glasses on the dashboard of my car for a few weeks and found that the sea water had destroyed/fogged the plastic coating on one of the lenses. They'd been living on the dashboard for 3-4 years and survived Chicago summers and winters with no problem. Sea water apparently did them in or the combination of sea water followed by cold temperatures.

The gas cap place is just like checking the coin return on a payphone. You have just been lucky. And now you let the cat out of the bag on your secret hidding place. ;-)

Woody, there are some good suggestions here but you will have to find what works for you. I always found the hard cases too bulky. I have a small neoprene pouch with a zipper and a clip.
When I'm teaching, I have to have my glasses close, so I clip the pouch to my wetsuit zipper tab then zip it in against my upper chest (boobs are good for something besides good buoyancy). When I dive, I sometimes clip the pouch inside my BC pocket and I always use an older pair of glasses for diving and leave my good ones back at the hotel.

I bought my husband a dry box before our trip to Bonaire last month. He likes to take his good sunglasses, I take very cheap ones. Although he thought it was too big we finally found a place on his BC that didn't bother him too much. It worked great, glasses stayed perfectly dry. That is until we did the Hooker. The case had about a 2 inch crack in it when we surfaced. I guess they aren't all meant to go to that deep.

John W,
Not really interested in what you tuck in your shorts. Just want to know if we'll be enjoying your company on Mike's trip to the island 10/08. I heard nasty rumors your "mommy" wouldn't let you come play with the guys this year. Tell me it isn't so. Bon won't be the same without you.
Marty

Marty. Glad you’re not interested and good to get your note. Unfortunately for me I will not be making the trip. It seems my “mommy” believes I’ve been too extravagant in the trip taking department. Bonaire would have been my fifth trip this year. There’s always hope for next year.

John,
Sorry to hear that. I know your pain. The groveling and begging I had to do to get to go was probably unparalleled in human history. I'll try to have enough fun for both of us this time and look forward to another time with you there.
Marty

Woody, I have expensive sunglasses that go diving with me and I used an otter dry box on all my 40 dives I did in Bonaire and it didn't leak not once. My husband uses an otter dry box too (a smaller one) for his prescription glasses and it keeps them dry. Just do some internet searching on otter boxes...there are several places on the internet that sell them.

Just a question: Why do sunglasses need to be dry while taking them with you on a dive? I used my regular hard case for storage of my expensive glasses. Worked great for me.

For any divers who run out of money check gas cap covers on all rental units! Might find enough for a drink with a twist of lime :>)

jimini®

Hi Gerrit! Sorry no one answered your question. I can from personal experience. I had a pair of good/prescription sunglasses get ruined from the salt water. I know, I should have rinsed them immediately. I also should have rinsed my long hair to prevent the transfer of salt. However, I did not and the metal on my glasses corroded. I would guess if you have plastic frames and lenses, all you would need to worry about would be the screws. I'm sure someone in BT land sells glasses and could confirm or deny my assertion on the plastic frames....