NAS Pensacola Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR) SCM Skippers Card Safety Manual Practice Test

Bright sun and glare off the water create vision hazards on a boat, so protecting the eyes beyond a life jacket is a practical safety addition. Sunglasses help by blocking harmful UV rays and reducing glare, which improves visibility, reduces eye strain, and helps you move around the deck safely when handling lines, operating equipment, or navigating in bright conditions. That universal protection against light-related hazards makes sunglasses the most broadly applicable extra PPE beyond life jackets.

Other PPE like non-slip footwear, gloves, eye or hearing protection, and hard hats are important in specific tasks or environments, but sunglasses address a common, everyday risk sailors face in daylight. Flotation devices are already covered by the life jacket requirement, so adding sunglasses complements eye safety without duplicating equipment unless a particular task demands more—such as a hard hat for overhead hazards.