Scuba friendly sunscreen?

[bhalah]

I had mask leakage once, and think it was due to sunscreen, so now I go the hat route. Anyone else figure they have a mask sealing problem from sunscreen?

It has happend to me too. Sunscreen residue builds up on the skirt of your mask and prevents a water tight seal. The sunscreen residue is more apparent on a back mask than on a clear silicone mask....

 

[E.C.Hansen]

I just got back from a vacation in Mexico a couple weeks ago, I used smartshield
Sunscreen and sun protection by SmartShield
the "Sunscreen for Faces" sweats into your eyes, pass on it, but the plain SPF30 is marine/eco friendly, doesn't have the nasty chemicals that environmental groups say are toxic to people, and most importantly it works great! Its aloe based so it absorbs really well, no greasy goo on your skin, no mask problems.

I don't work for them, not trying to sell it, just passing on what I tried after researching sunscreens. It worked great for me, 8 days in the Mexican sun and not a bit of burn.

 

[Garrobo]

Muddiver: Garrobo is bald, blue eyes and of Irish descent, previously having red hair. Garrobo is just a tough old man. You struck out completely.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Muddiver: Garrobo is bald, blue eyes and of Irish descent, previously having red hair. Garrobo is just a tough old man. You struck out completely.

I bet you're just being modest. You're probably a bronze God, like ONESPEED, who also doesn't wear sunscreen.

You can see a picture of ONESPEED in my profile

 

[EDGE245277]

I use Bullfrog quickgel BullFrog Sunblock the formula is alchohal based and dries instantly not greasy at all. I usually dive in a skin so I only usually apply to face and neck for boat rides and SI.

 

[Hoomi]

Having Irish heritage as well (which shows in me but not my brothers), I burn very easily. Floating at the water surface is a double-whammy, as not only do we get direct rays from the Sun, we also get reflected rays off the water. I have a full-length lycra skin for sun protection, along with gloves (regardless of how warm the water might be), and I wear a lycra hood to cover the neck and ears, as well as help keep the hair and beard out of the way while diving. Any exposed skin will get a sun screen, but I did buy the eco-friendly stuff from the LDS, after hearing of potential harm to marine life from normal sunscreens.

With skin cancer on the rise, and the very real potential for melanoma to metasticize into deadly internal tumors, awareness of our UV exposure is vital. According to the Mayo Clinic, the top 12 risk factors for skin cancer are:

Fair skin
History of sunburns
Excessive sun exposure
Sunny or high-altitude climates
Moles
Precancerous skin lesions
Family history of skin cancer
Personal history of skin cancer (as in, having had it before increases the odds of getting it again)
Weakened immune system
Fragile skin
Exposure to environmental hazards
Age

I have 9 of those. I watch my sun exposure very carefully. In fact, I get to see my dermatologist next week, for my twice a year check up and freezer burn.

 

[Hoomi]

Looking at the stuff I bought, I may have to rethink my choice. The label says it's "Fish friendly", in that it doesn't repel fish, but it does contain some of the ingredients listed as potentially harmful to reefs.

 

[drl]

I'm another fan of the bullfrog quickgel. It dries fast and lasts a long time. It's not biodegradable but it really doesn't rinse off in the water (it takes soap and scrubbing). I can burn in half an hour in Chicago, so I really have to be careful in the tropics.
Why are the biodegradable sunscreens so hard to find? I would have thought that Whole Foods would have them, but none of theirs explicitly say "biodegradable." It seems silly to pay as much for shipping as for the sunscreen.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't know about keeping it from running into your eyes, but you should use an eco-friendly one. Chemicals in sunscreen kill reefs. Swimmers' Sunscreen Killing Off Coral

The organic ones tend to be thicker, and harder to find, but it's worth the extra effort to know I'm not destroying the very reef that I'm admiring.

Thank you!

All my diving has been in the semi-tropics. I've never used sunscreen and didn't need it while diving. You're under water most of the time or in a wetsuit and most trips to the reefs or wrecks usually aren't long enough to warrant it's use unless you are super-sensitive to the sun.

Yep. I dab some bio-degradable on the tops on my ears and back of my neck as I prefer a cap to a hat on a breezy boat, maybe some more elsewhere if I am getting more sun, but just cover up between dives. I usually return from a dive trip having forgotten to tan.

Doing a Google search, it appears some places are now requiring eco-friendly sunscreen before entering the water:

Bio-degradable sunscreen information

Mexico is, and you can buy it in Cozumel supermarkets, but sadly it's not enforced. Responsible divers will abide I suppose.

Good thread; thanks for bringing this up.

 

[Uromastyx]

With skin cancer on the rise, and the very real potential for melanoma to metasticize into deadly internal tumors, awareness of our UV exposure is vital.

A timely reminder, Hoomi. I was diagnosed last week w/ malignant melanoma (it was just a small mole on my arm). I go back for the surgery consult next week, should know more after that. Although I'm of German descent, I'm rather dark complected and tan very deeply and easily, so I rarely used sunscreen (and when I did, it was only the spf 10 stuff). Now, all that's going to change.

Glad to find there are bio-friendly sunscreens out there. Let's be sure to use them kids; I pray that no one else has to go thru this, it's just not worth it.

Peace,
Johnny