Diving with glasses or contact lenses

Diving with glasses or contact lenses — what works underwater

In one paragraph

Three options work underwater: (1) soft contact lenses worn under a standard mask — works for ~80% of divers, just close your eyes during mask-clear drills; (2) a prescription dive mask with corrective lenses bonded in — best for moderate to strong prescriptions; (3) stick-on bifocal inserts for reading dive computers — for divers needing reading-correction only. We stock prescription masks in common diopters at the centre — tell us your script in advance.

Contact lenses — practical reality

Soft contacts are the most common choice. Bring **daily disposables** if you can — saltwater can contaminate reusables. The one situation that requires care: mask-clearing drills (deliberately flooding the mask to practice clearing it). Close your eyes when water enters, blow air out through your nose to clear, then re-open. A lost lens during a dive is rare but recoverable — most divers carry one spare in their dry bag. Hard contacts are not recommended; pressure can cause discomfort.

Prescription masks — the cleaner long-term solution

For prescriptions stronger than ~-2.5 or for divers who don't want to think about lenses, a prescription mask is worth it. Bonded lenses can be ordered for any common diopter (-1.0 to -10.0 typically); we keep -1.5, -2.0, -3.0, -4.0, -5.0 on hand for spot-fitting. Custom prescription bonds take 2-3 days. Bifocal inserts for reading-only correction stick to the bottom of any mask and let you read your computer without affecting distance vision. Plan ahead by 1 week if your prescription is unusual.

Common questions

Will saltwater damage my contact lenses?

Saltwater on the lens itself can dry it out and irritate the eye. Daily disposables are the safest play — toss them after the dive. For reusables, keep your eyes closed during mask-clearing and rinse thoroughly with fresh contact solution between dives. Never rinse contacts with tap water or saltwater.

How early should I tell you about my prescription?

A week if it's unusual (above -6.0 or astigmatism-heavy), a day or two if it's common (-1.5 to -5.0). We stock the common diopters; the unusual ones we order in from a Lombok optician. Bifocal inserts ship from Bali in 2-3 days. WhatsApp us your script when you book.