There’s so much to do at the marina! Whether bird and wildlife watching, fishing, boating, or just touring across the coastland in your kayak, a set of binoculars can help you enjoy it to the fullest. When you sight that flash in the distance, no need to worry if it’s the rare animal you’ve been looking for or if the fish are biting ‘round the creek bend. Pull out your binoculars and take casual marina fun to amazing experiences and lifelong memories.

Waterproofing may not be something you think of if you’re not boating, but it is certainly a great idea no matter what you do there, and also protects from humidity, fog, and rain. Several sets are also made to float, and may contain bright armor so they are easily seen if they are dropped into the waves. Armor can make all the difference, and with ergonomically designed, easy-to-hold grips, your binoculars will be used more often. Compact models or built-in straps allow you to stow your set in your tackle box, life jacket, or hiking pack.

Magnification and Lens Sizes

As far as recommended specifications, lower magnification works great around the marina. This allows you to see a wider range across the water or sand. 7x to 10x magnification makes it easy to see things at a distance or fairly close, and ensures the widest field of view, meaning you can keep your eyes over more area of water at one time.

For most marine use during the day, you'll find standard objective lenses around 25mm and up are fine. Above that size, you may find the binoculars are too heavy to hold comfortably. Bigger lenses work better at dawn and dusk, while you need giant binoculars at about 70mm and up for serious star-gazing on the beach. Regardless of size, BAK-4 glass binoculars are higher quality, but also higher price, while BK-7 signifies binoculars that work pretty well.

Focus On Features

When choosing marine binoculars, take the time to check out focusing mechanisms. This is a matter of personal preference. Center focus binoculars are quicker to adjust most of the time, whereas individual eye focus allows you to independently alter each barrel and do more precise focusing. Individual eye focusing is easier to waterproof. On the other hand, at that crucial moment you see a distant flash, you don’t want to lose time focusing each barrel to see whether it’s a dolphin.

There are extra goodies that may or may not be worth your investment, depending on whether you feel you need them. Built-in compasses are handy if you don't already have a favorite compass and want to go exploring. Sometimes a light is built in as well for night sailing. If you're going on a yachting trip, it can make all the difference to have night vision so you can keep land in sight and identify objects.

In addition, image stabilization (IS) is a key function for marina use. When the boat is swaying in gentle waves, image stabilization helps keep the image clear, sharp, and in focus. This top-notch feature is worth the investment at the marina. While it may not keep your image perfect during a raging storm, it does make quite a difference most of the time, taking your marina experience from good to unbelievable.