Splash About Items Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Deborah Banasko
My 8-year-old son loves being in the water, ideally below the surface, so letting him choose some swimming items from Splash About was a treat. The company operate online and specialize in swimwear and accessories for babies, kids and adults. The website is user friendly, and worth a good browse as there are some fantastic little extras such as ponchos, beach shoes, toys and even kids swim hats.
Looking at their range of goggles, there are plenty of colours and sizes to suit all preferences, but we chose the Marlin Sport Junior age 6-14 in the yellow/blue combination. They arrived well packaged with a protective films over the lenses. The blue/yellow is vibrant and my son felt super cool with the mirrored lenses. The design is really cute and quite neat in size. The clasp is easy to adjust, but firmer and slightly chunkier than the type we usually opt for so it just feels more secure and less likely to slip or wear away.
In the pool my son felt that the mirrored lenses really helped to reduce the glare from the water and the harsh bright lights in the pool area. Our local pool has under water lights which can be overwhelming; he felt that these goggles helped him to see much better and squint less as it was “like wearing sunglasses indoors”. This isn’t a feature I had given a lot of thought to but I think they will really benefit him during his lessons and on holidays abroad as he won’t be squinting and have the same degree of eye strain.
He found the soft silicone really comfortable, less tight yet they kept the water completely out of his eyes. In the words of an 8-year-old, “These goggles aren’t tight on my brain like the other ones, and they were soft like a teddy bear”.
In comparison, his usual brand are slightly lower in price than this pair, at £8 compared with £13. He swims weekly and loves it, so paying a little extra for a better-quality pair of goggles to improve his experience is more than worth it. We really love this pair and would highly recommend.
The second item sent to try were the boys swim shorts. We chose the forest green design from a range of six options in size 10-11. My son generally wears age 9 so I did take a risk ordering a size up, and I do we wish we had opted for the 8-9 as they were a little large. The sizing is therefore accurate and I would suggest ordering based on that.
We loved the colour contrast between the darker and lime green, and felt that the material was really soft as sometimes swim shorts can have a slightly stiff feel. The shorts sit a couple of inches above the knee so are great for swimming as they don’t get in the way at all. The inner lining is a meshwork of the tiniest holes, and it sits really loose and unrestrictive. The cute little pocket detail at the back of the shorts is a nice little touch too.
They washed well and the colour remained bright, and it is worth noting that they are made from recycled materials which is a real selling point. They retail at £15 which is a reasonable price point for quality swim shorts. These shorts worked well with the goggles that we chose as the colours compliment one-another well.
The final item was the super cute shark dive ring, which comes in lime green, purple, pink or orange. We opted for the latter. The colour is really vibrant making it easy to spot when my son dives in. The ring is weighted at the bottom so that it sinks, but stands upright for easy retrieval. The “grab” portion at the top is lovely and squishy, but I would definitely stick with the recommended age suitability of 3 years plus as otherwise it will become a teething toy (which is certainly is not)! It’s light and flat so will take up barely any space in your swim bag or holiday suitcase. In terms of size it measures 20 x 15 x 0.5cm.
My son recently learned to dive on holiday so this is a great toy to help perfect his skills and build his confidence without getting bored, and I fully expect races with his siblings to see who can reach the ring first. The £7 price tag is more than worth the money.
The price-point of these items is ideal for Christmas, if you have a little one in the family who loves their swimming lessons or has a holiday coming up then these would be a great gift- especially in a little bundle. I do think a pair of goggles which aren’t “tight on the brains” of my other two children would be a nice little extra from Santa this year too!
RRP:
Swim goggles £13
Boys swim shorts £15
Shark Dive Ring £7
I would award the Splash About items 5 stars out of 5.
Rating: 5/5
For more information or to buy, visit www.splashabout.com