{"id":1847,"date":"2026-05-30T12:41:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/?p=1847"},"modified":"2026-05-30T12:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:41:37","slug":"choosing-ocean-friendly-sun-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/30\/choosing-ocean-friendly-sun-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing Ocean Friendly Sun Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surf Rider is the main advocate for this, As beach season approaches, sunscreen becomes an essential part of spending time outdoors. But not all sunscreens have the same impact on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many conventional sunscreen products contain chemical UV filters that can wash off into oceans, lakes, and rivers during swimming, surfing, and other water activities. Research has linked several commonly used sunscreen ingredients to coral stress, bleaching, and broader impacts on marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Makes a Sunscreen Reef Friendly?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite popular marketing claims, terms like \u201creef friendly\u201d and \u201creef safe\u201d are not currently regulated. The most reliable way to evaluate a sunscreen is by reading the active ingredients list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Generally, mineral-based sunscreens that use non-nano zinc oxide and\/or titanium dioxide are considered the preferred option for reducing harm to marine environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients Commonly Flagged by Marine Scientists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When shopping for sunscreen, consider avoiding products containing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oxybenzone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Octinoxate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Octocrylene<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avobenzone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PABA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parabens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Triclosan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nanoparticles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These ingredients have been associated with negative effects on coral reefs, fish populations, and other marine organisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coral reefs support an incredible diversity of marine life and provide important benefits to coastal communities, including shoreline protection, fisheries habitat, and tourism opportunities. However, reefs around the world are already facing pressure from climate change, warming oceans, pollution, and habitat degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While sunscreen pollution is only one piece of a much larger environmental challenge, choosing lower-impact products can help reduce an additional source of stress on vulnerable marine ecosystems. Combined with actions like wearing rash guards, seeking shade, and supporting ocean conservation efforts, small choices can contribute to healthier oceans over time. Please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surfrider.org\/hubfs\/Reef-Friendly-Sunscreen-Guide.pdf\">https:\/\/www.surfrider.org\/hubfs\/Reef-Friendly-Sunscreen-Guide.pdf <\/a> for more information <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surf Rider is the main advocate for this, As beach season approaches, sunscreen becomes an essential part of spending time outdoors. But not all sunscreens have the same impact on the environment. Many conventional sunscreen products contain chemical UV filters that can wash off into oceans, lakes, and rivers during swimming, surfing, and other water [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,235,232,1,20],"tags":[310,227,328,222,326,325,223,259],"class_list":["post-1847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","category-home","category-news","category-uncategorized","category-wildlife","tag-canada","tag-canadasurf","tag-canadian-waters","tag-ocean","tag-safety","tag-sunscreen","tag-surf","tag-waves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1849,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847\/revisions\/1849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}