Costa Del Mar

<h2>Founding and History</h2>
<p>Costa Del Mar was founded by Ray Ferguson in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1983. Within just a few years the brand had gained considerable recognition and popularity, becoming <strong>one of the most popular sunglass brands among surfers and recreational anglers</strong>. In 2013, Costa Del Mar was acquired by French company Essilor for 270 million dollars. In 2018, Essilor merged with Italian company Luxottica to form EssilorLuxottica - the global market leader in eyewear and sunglasses, with an enormous portfolio of brands including Oakley, Ray Ban and many more. Costa Del Mar benefits from this combined expertise and continues to be one of the <strong>most popular and highly regarded brands for polarised sunglasses in angling</strong>.</p>

<h2>Costa 580 Lenses</h2>
<p>The designations <em>580G and 580R</em> refer to the Costa 580 lenses. Developed by Costa Del Mar's in-house experts, these lenses are designed <strong>to filter out harmful radiation including UVA and UVB, as well as harsh yellow sunlight</strong>. By blocking yellow wavelengths at 580 nm, the lenses <strong>enhance red, green and the harmless blue wavelengths</strong>, resulting in <strong>more vivid colours and greater contrast</strong>. The distinction between 580G and 580P relates to the material the lenses are made from. 580G lenses are glass, while 580P lenses are polycarbonate. Glass lenses are <strong>more scratch-resistant</strong> and deliver the <strong>highest level of filtering performance and the best optical results</strong>, though they are heavier and can shatter on hard impact. Polycarbonate is <strong>more robust and lighter</strong> with still very high optical performance, though it is more susceptible to scratching.</p>

<h2>C-Wall: a Special Coating</h2>
<p>With <em>C-Wall technology</em>, Costa Del Mar has developed a <strong>particularly high-grade coating for polycarbonate lenses</strong>. This coating is <strong>highly scratch-resistant and forms a barrier</strong> against dirt particles, oil, sweat and water. In the Bayer Abrasion Test, which measures abrasion and scratch resistance, lenses with C-Wall coating achieve a rating of 7+, well above the industry average of 3 to 5. Because the coating prevents water droplets from flattening out - keeping them round instead - they are easier to remove, along with dirt and any other unwanted particles. Lenses with C-Wall coating are <strong>easier to clean and more resistant to scratches at the same time</strong>. And let's be honest - for us anglers, that is genuinely useful. When your glasses get covered in water droplets, the usual instinct is to wipe them quickly on a cloth or even on your clothing. Carefully blowing away dust and particles first is something almost none of us actually do. So a bit of extra scratch resistance goes a long way.</p>

<h2>A Wide Range of Frame Materials</h2>
<p>Costa Del Mar frames are made from a variety of materials - nylon, titanium and acetate, to name the most important.</p>

<h2>A Deep Connection to the Sea</h2>
<p>Costa Del Mar is Spanish for coast of the sea. The name already hints at the connection to the ocean that runs through the entire company. Costa Del Mar supports <strong>a range of projects dedicated to protecting our seas:</strong></p>

<h2>Cooperation with Ocearch</h2>
<p>Ocearch is a team of scientists and researchers who undertake expeditions to study our oceans. Their focus is particularly on advancing the protection of sharks - a group of species, many of which are severely endangered and, sadly, some on the verge of extinction. Costa Del Mar drew inspiration from great white sharks and tiger sharks for the design of the Ocearch series. <strong>A portion of the proceeds goes to Ocearch</strong> to support their valuable work. Ocearch catches great white sharks and tiger sharks, takes measurements and blood and tissue samples, then fits them with a tracker to study their migratory behaviour. One of the great white sharks caught was named Miss Costa after the brand, in recognition of their support. You can look up the tracker data that Ocearch makes publicly available on the Ocearch website - we can only recommend taking a look. It is genuinely fascinating research.</p>

<h2>Untangled Collection</h2>
<p>The <em>Untangled Collection of Costa Del Mar glasses</em> is made from fishing nets. Yes, you read that correctly. Costa Del Mar partners with Bureo, who <strong>process discarded fishing nets into plastic pellets</strong> that Costa Del Mar then uses to produce the frames for their Untangled Collection. Polarised sunglasses made from fishing nets - for anglers.</p>

<h2>Many Further Projects and Initiatives</h2>
<p>Costa Del Mar supports initiatives such as <em>Kick Plastic</em> and <em>#OneCoast</em>. All of these projects share the <strong>goal of protecting our seas and coastlines</strong> and stand as a symbol of Costa Del Mar's deep connection to the ocean. Taken together, it is clear that Costa Del Mar produces <strong>very high-quality, polarised sunglasses</strong> and <em>supports projects dedicated to protecting our oceans</em>.</p>