Swim Dandies

It’s not quite fashion-meets-the-Loch Ness monster, but close enough.

Hologram goggles are giving swimmers a weird out-of-water look. The goggles, made by TYR Sport of Huntington Beach, are showing up on the faces of some Olympic hopefuls.

Bobby Brewer, 24, is one. He’ll swim in the U.S. Open in Texas next month. And, while he’s not prepared to compete in the wacky goggles, he has no problem training in them at Irvine’s Heritage Park.

Getting Brewer and others to don the goggles was a struggle at first, TYR’s Matt Zimmer admits.

“Goggles are a pretty personal thing for swimmers, like a racquet is to a tennis player,” Zimmer says. “Once you tune into [a pair of goggles], you don’t want to change because you rely so much on them.”

Earlier this year, TYR expanded its line of goggles to include ones with holograms. The images etched on the wide-angle, optical-grade lenses range from a smiley face to a Chihuahua, with the words “Me gusta nadar!” (Spanish for “I like to swim”).

“The draw is they are a lot of fun,” Zimmer says. “We have a good name in goggles, and people trust that they will perform well, fit well and won’t leak.”

Zimmer says the goggles ($8.50) have side clips that adjust easily, latex head straps and UV protection. They come in a soft comp foam gasket of neoprene and comp gasket with an airtight seal. The goggles are available at swim specialty stores and sporting goods store, or by calling (714) 897-0799.