Marine Binoculars

Abstract

On the hot, sunny afternoon of August 8 2022, our family took a boat trip around Ramsey Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast, Wales. It was not my first boat trip, far from it, but it was my first-time carrying binoculars to spot birdlife, porpoises, dolphins and seals. I brought along my trusty Opticron SR.GA 8×32 Porros. Visibility was perfect that day, allowing me to enjoy wonderful views of the coastline beautifully illumined in late afternoon sunshine. But even on this relatively calm day, the sea could be quite choppy and the reflection of intense sunlight off the water made glare a real problem. Indeed, every time I turned my binoculars anywhere near the Sun, glare became a real issue, drowning out details of the cliffs above. And while I got my very first sighting of a number of new bird species that day, including Kittywakes, Razorbills and Choughs gliding on the summer thermals above the cliffs, it gradually dawned on me that a slightly lower power might have served me better. Normally 8× provided ample stability for me, but on the rolling seas, the same magnification proved a little too unstable.