Save The Reefs From Sunscreen....

[mi000ke]

there is evidence that sunscreen may damage reefs. A new safer version is available:

Sunscreen Can Damage Coral Reefs. This One Doesn’t.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

While its an interesting concept, the most recent DAN magazine indicates that there are no reliable studies showing that the "reef safe" sunscreens are actually safer. Nor have I seen any real-world studies showing divers using sunscreen are actually harming reefs, which seems highly, highly unlikely given the few divers, the huge ocean, currents and dilution of any sunscreen that might be on your skin in the water. DAN suggests (and I agree) that wearing sunblock clothing, and only applying lotion to the face, neck, back of hands and top of feet can reduce sunscreen use by 90% which would be far more beneficial. There is also no evidence about how effective these new sunscreens are as sunscreens. That is no small deal for me, I am fair skinned and have skin cancer in the family, and I use 50 or 100 SPF.

So, can't hurt, but no real proof it helps or how effective it is as a sunscreen.

The various ones I have seen are also pretty expensive.

 

[The Chairman]

I'm really conflicted about this. I choose boats with covers over them and I wear a hat diving. I never wear sunscreen into the ocean.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Although I make an effort to choose products wisely, out of concern for the side-effects of pollution, sunscreen does far less to damage the life in the coastal areas we play in than other things that we contribute to ... such as the effects of development (stormwater runoff, effluent, etc), or the packaging of our food and bottled water. As divers we should always consider the consequences of the purchasing choices we make. They have cumulative effects that often result in "loving our reefs to death".

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TMHeimer]

Although I make an effort to choose products wisely, out of concern for the side-effects of pollution, sunscreen does far less to damage the life in the coastal areas we play in than other things that we contribute to ... such as the effects of development (stormwater runoff, effluent, etc), or the packaging of our food and bottled water. As divers we should always consider the consequences of the purchasing choices we make. They have cumulative effects that often result in "loving our reefs to death".

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Agree completely. Some will say that every little bit hurts. The link says there is increasing evidence that sunscreen can damage reefs. Need to know what the evidence is, not just that this particular brand has been tested and does no damage. If sunscreen is doing any significant reef damage I would assume it is in areas of very high scuba traffic. Perhaps expanding the dive site locations would help with that. I would tend to agree that there is so much water movement in the ocean that it gets pretty dispersed, as mentioned. You're not supposed to be so close to coral that you may accidently bump into it anyway, so the sunscreen shouldn't be right up close to the coral.

 

[CapNemo]

Good article. Personally I don't see the need to apply sunscreen while diving under most circumstances. There should be shade available on the majority of dive boats and UV resistant clothing can be worn otherwise. Of course it's important to protect yourself against the sun, however there are many ways to do this without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. The majority of sunscreen will wash straight off your skin anyway upon contact with the water, and UV rays do not penetrate water to any significant depth. I chose not to apply sunscreen at all, however if you find it essential I'd suggest applying it at least an hour before entering the water, and try not to lather up too much when diving coral rich dive sites.

 

[The Chairman]

Reef Safe from DEMA 2015

 

[letterboy]

So basically she says it is really safe a bunch of times?

I can see how near shore may be effected by Beach goers slathering on tons of goop,if the goop does in fact harm reefs.

The largest concentrations of sun screen "runoff" would be right off the beach.

Sounds sorts like the nuclear leak that is 1*10^-12 ppm when normal levels are 1*10^-13 ppm.

Noye: the nuke numbers may not be accurate, using them for demonstration purpose only.

 

[Wookie]

Actually, the ingredients in most sunscreens are quite deadly to corals. I happen to be privy to all of the testing Mote has done on many of the sunscreens out there. 2 types of tests are performed, one for mortality to live corals and another that tests sunscreen on any changes to the viability of coral gametes. Of course, coral spawns once or twice a year for 3 or 4 days, so a sunscreen that isn't toxic to gametes is a good thing, and very effective for 8 days a year. The second test is the toxicity to live coral that is already colonized. Sunscreen that contains oxybenzone, for example, can lead directly to coral bleaching and then disease. The 2 tricks are, don't let the sunscreen wash off, and don't touch the reef. Most waterproof sunscreens don't wash off, and we are trained from wee ocean divers not to touch the reef. After all, it's icky.

There are some sunscreens out there that pass both the coral gamete mortality test as well as the coral mortality test. But any good waterproof sunscreen should be good for being healthy for the reef. I know personally of one such test that tested the viability of sunscreen on coral gametes. One of the reef safe sunscreens had no impact on gamete mortality at all. One killed the gametes like it was it's job, and the control for the test was No-Ad, the industrial waterproof sunscreen you buy in bulk at Walgreens and Costco. The No-ad fared far better in the test than did one of the so called reef safe products.

 

[SeaHorse81]

Thanks for the info, Frank. It helps to have facts.