Reef safe sunscreen
For those of us who wish to snorkel or dive on the Great Barrier Reef I suspect that we may need to use "reef safe sunscreen". I recently returned from a trip to Maui and the laws there only permit sale of that. Many companies sell it online and I was glad to purchase it while I was there to use and in anticipation of snorkeling the Reef in January. Just wanted to alert everyone.
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We snorkel there in September of 2019, and wore wetsuits, so not too much skin exposure.
At the Great Barrier Reef you snorkle in a full body Lycra suit, provided at the reef platform, to protect against possible stinging jellyfish. There were no prohibited sunscreens.
Wayside, rules about sunscreen have recently changed
The rules appear to have changed in states and island communities such as Hawaii, US Virgin Islands and Aruba, and there is a proposed federal ban in all US National Marine Sanctuaries containing coral reefs, but not Australia.
I could only find regulations in Australia (where over half the population does not use sunscreen, thinks it is bad for you, and where skin cancers are a problem) that address the SPF rating (protection from UVA and UVB), factors that affect that rating, and the health of your skin. There appears to be no "Reef Safe" standards (yet) in Australia, at least none that I could find. There could be some local regional restrictions covering all or parts of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and various other Australian states, but I couldn't find any.
Generally, true "Reef Safe" sunscreens accepted in countries an locations where there are regulations, do not have oxybenzone or Octinoxate. These ingredients can also be found in other cosmetics. See this article for a longer list: www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/your-guide-to-reef-friendly-sunscreens
Of interest, Australian beauty brand Bondi Sands, a major Australian manufacturer of so called "reef safe" sunscreens and cosmetics is the subject of a class action suit filed in May this year in California. The complaint alleges that Bondi Sands’ sunscreens contain harmful chemicals that can endanger coral reefs, despite marketing them as safe. Ingredients include avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Solution- wear a warm water or 'skin suit' that covers most of your skin or use certain sunscreens (also known as mineral or inorganic sunblocks) that use zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and are considered “safe” for use around coral reefs.* There is some new evidence suggesting that titanium dioxide may be safer for corals than zinc oxide. These are the best choice.
Thank you for this detailed report! Glad I bought the titanium dioxide sunscreens after all!