Reef Safe Sunscreen - Do You Need It?

Consider for a moment how many people may be in the ocean at this very moment?  Winter here but summer elsewhere. Sunblock or suntan lotion on my one body (even as big as it is) probably doesn't impact the reef all that much. Will it make a difference if I pay the little extra and buy the reef safe stuff?

Estimated that 14,000 tons of the stuff enters the sea annually.  Tons! That is a lot of chemical added to the sea.  Most have harmful chemicals in them such as,  oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor, all of which have been shown to cause coral bleaching even at low levels.  Read the ingredients because it might say "reef safe" on the bottle but if it has these in it then it isn't.

Buying the good stuff is just a little step in the right direction.