It all started back in the 1980's , with one man selling sunglasses on the beaches of Maui, Hawaii. As demand grew for glasses that protected from the severe glare and UV rays of the Hawaiian sun, yet wouldn't distort the wonderful colors of the island, Maui Jim was formed. The company developed is propietary technology PolarizedPlus, which was later patented and then enhanced to create PolarizedPlus2.
When Maui Jim started it had an original line of seven styles. Up until 1991 the glasses were exclusively sold in Maui , Hawaii. The company was purchased by Hester Enterprises in 1991, and three years later Hester enlisted RLI Vision Corp to be the mainlad distributor of Maui Jim. In 1996 Maui Jim Inc. was formed and acquired RLI Vision. Today Maui Jim sells more than 86 styles with 200 SKU's and is the fastest growing polarized sunglass make in the world.
Right now, you're probably wondering why am I giving you the history of Maui Jim Sunglasses. Simply put, if not for Maui Jim brand sunglasses, I would not be where I am today in the flyfishing industry. As you continue to read on , I think you'll see the light.
So why am I so excited about Maui Jim, well here are four really good reasons.
1.Glare Reduction
2.True Colors
3.Repels Water, Dirt , and Smudges
4.Choices of Lenses Depending on Use
So what does all this have to do with flyfishing? As fishermen, our goals while out are pretty simple... catch fish and enjoy our surroundings. The above listed reasons make it really easy to understand how Maui Jim helps us to meet and surpass those goals. Let me break the product down for you.
Maui's PolarizedPlus2 reduces 99.9% of harmful glare (healthy eyes) and is the most advanced polarization available to reduce glare from above, below, and behind each lense. This filter also blocks glare from any smooth or shiny surface (water) which makes it possible to see below the surface of water.
Now true colors, this is so true it's not even funny. Maui uses three rare earth elements on it's lenses and when combined with the glare protection colors are truer. And they weren't messing around with this. You won't recognize your favorite fishing spot the first time there with Maui Jim's on.
Repellents, not like bug spray. Think about it we are standing in water, catching fish that splash. Not sure about you but I hate water spots. But with Maui's I am not worried, also really easy to wipe away my fishy fingerprints at the end of the day.
And last but not least is lense choices. Maui literally has a lense that can work in any type of condition. My favorite is the HCL Bronze, these are great for fishing brackish water because they enhance contrast in murky or stained conditions.
Just recently, Maui has stepped it up again by never settling for anything but the best technology, they released the new MauiPure lenses. This lense offers the optical brilliance of superthin glass with excellent scratch and impact resistance. The 3 new styles with MauiPure are in stores now, so make sure to check them out.
Now as I said earlier, I told you I would explain why I am giving you the run down on Maui Jim. As some of you may or may not know I am one of the Maui Jim Brand Ambassadors for fly fishing. At this point you already have made the assumption I am only writing this because of the last statement. However there is more to it. Almost exactly a year ago today, after a local newspaper article was written on me, I got a weird social media message congratulating me on the article and wishing me luck for the Teva Mountain Games. I was intrigued that some stranger now where close to where I live read an articel on a no named fly fishing guide. So after some research I got the digits to call this person , and find out what was going on . This phone call lead to a conversation with the public relations guru for Maui Jim. After a good half hour, I asked if Maui was looking for any athletes to join their already spectacular ambassador team. With one word , my life changed quite a bit. That word was yes.
Beginning a week later I was officially a Maui Jim Ambassador. It wasn't until getting out to the Teva Games, did I really see that my life changed. I met up with the Maui crew at the tent in Vail Village. After 10 minutes of meeting everyone, I was introduced to Mary Osborne. For those that don't follow surfing Mary is a Pro Longboarder and was the winner of the MTV show Surf Girls. After speaking for a few minutes, she did an interview on camera with me, all on how and why I was competing and my background as a guide. It was like she knew me for years. Before that point the only interviews I had ever done were with newspaper reporters or for jobs. After the interview I met the tow other fly fishing ambassadors, which made me feel somewhat better, that I wasn't the only odd ball at the tent. We were then introduced to Pro Stand up paddle boarders Anthony Vela, Candice Appleby, and Slater Trout. The entire week every ambassador was treated like a rock star. We were cheered on by our new friends in all of our events, with cameras following us everywhere. To end my week, I was asked by Plum TV to do a live interview on their Sunday morning show, and we even did an autograph session for attendees of the games.
Remember I am not trying to , as they say toot my own horn here. But the entire reason I originally signed up for this blog account almost a year ago was so I could blog about this unbeleviable ride I have been on since last year. I mean come on a troutbum fishing guide from Northeast PA, I never saw this coming. Seriously who gets to teach a bunch of pro surfers how to cast a fly rod, or become the student and learn to paddle a SUP board by champion paddlers. And I definitely never saw myself signing autographs, I actually laughed at the first few I did because it looked like chicken scratch.
Maui has been a great company to be a part of, and this blog is my way of saying thank you. And I hope to be a part of the Maui family for years to come. This year has been off to a great start already. Watch future posts for some event dates in the near future.
Tight Lines
Greg G.
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