Bridget Green, 12, of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, pretty much lives in her Oakley sunglasses during Optimist class race season. Well, she did, until she participated in this product review.

Bridget tried on a pair of Costa sunglasses during the USODA nationals this week and saw a very clear difference that switched her allegiance.

“They’re soooo clear,” Bridget gasped. “Wow. They’re amazing.”

Bridget’s mom, Michelle, wore a pair to watch from the shore. Bridget took the same pair out on the water for some of her practice races.

Among the many volunteers who tested the glasses were other racers and event volunteers, all of whom had long stretches staring intently at the glistening waters of the Elizabeth River in the Glare of the Norfolk sun.

Waterway Guide News chose Costas for review after seeing that the brand won the “Best in Category” award for Eyewear last week at ICAST in Orlando. Costa won for the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror Lens, which offers a glass lens coating that helps the wearer during lower-light conditions.  

A week before Bridget and her mom got to try a pair of Costas I took the plunge and asked my hardcore sailing husband, who hates fancy sunglasses, to test a pair for a week.

Robert Suhay, Guinness World Record breaker for the Longest Distance Sailed in a Dinghy (a Laser) doesn’t believe in spending money on sunglasses. He has NEVER met a pricey pair that impressed him. Many have tried. All have ended their lives in the pile marked “Meh.”

I asked him because he sails long distance and has had some dangerous moments in low light when his sunglasses utterly failed him.

After I asked him to try these sunglasses his rant began on how sunglasses are “never worth their high price tags” and “a pair from Walgreens are just as good.” Mid-rant, I slipped a pair of the silver mirror, award winners onto his face. He stopped speaking. I held my breath.

It was late in the day, in low light, when he was about to head out on his bike to go to work on the night shift at The Virginian-Pilot Newspaper.

“Whoa. O.K.,” he finally said. “I’m shutting up now because…wow. They’re so clear. The yellow is really filtered out. I can see!”

I think he loves those sunglasses more than he loves me.

Then I took four pairs of Costa 580P and 580G lenses (men's and women's styles) and passed them around the USODA event.

Other testers included, Waterway Guide staff members, as well as News Editor Lisa Suhay’s husband and their son, Zoltan Suhay, who is both a Masters crew competitor and Virginia Commonwealth University Assistant Women’s Crew Team Coach.

Basically, we pulled out all the stops to get these glasses on the faces of those we know whose eyes are consistently hammered by the sun on the water.

Our condolences go out to Oakley brand because the vast majority of those who tried the Costas compared them to their current pair of Oakley sunglasses and Costa was the clear winner.

Specs on these specs:

Priced from $145-$256 they are high-end. However, this isn't a stretch for the quality and lifetime service guarantee.

Beyond Polarized: Costa 580 lenses were designed by in-house light spectrum experts to enhance colors because standard sunglass lenses fell short.

The lens’ multi-patented technology manages light by:

Absorbing Harmful High-Energy Blue Light (HEV) Cuts haze and blur for greater clarity. In addition to 100% protection from UV light, 580 technology also absorbs HEV light known to cause macular degeneration, pterygium, cataracts and other eye diseases.

Enhancing Reds, Greens, and Blues - Blocking harsh yellow light at 580 nm on the visible light spectrum boosts the amounts of red, greens and blues naturally, enhancing colors and contrast.

Filtering Out Harsh Yellow - For enhanced color, sharper contrast and higher definition.

Our Rating System:

Burgee ratings: We demonstrate the products we test for a minimum of five testers, plus our News Editor, Lisa Suhay. Each person rates the product by either giving a Burgee to pass, or no Burgee to fail.

A product must gain at least three Burgees to get a full Welcome Aboard rating as highly recommended. Two Burgees gets a medium rating. One Burgee low rating.

Whistle Blow = A product not up-to-snuff, meaning it got zero burgees out of a possible six (5 testers, plus our editor).

Not a single whistle was blown on Costa sunglasses. That gives Costa a perfect score - Six Burgees.