Kealakekua Bay sunscreen restrictions take effect

[RNCollins]

Kealakekua Bay sunscreen restrictions take effect

Kealakekua Bay sunscreen restrictions take effect

Next year, a statewide ban on sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate will take effect.

www.travelweekly.com

By Tovin Lapan / Hawaii / Travel Weekly / travelweekly.com / Jan 30, 2020

“As of the start of 2020, there are new regulations and restrictions governing sunscreen use for visitors to Kealakekua Bay on the Island of Hawaii.

Kealakekua Bay, an important harbor for early Hawaiians, the site of Captain James Cook's demise and a popular tourist attraction, is under special conservation management by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to protect the ecosystem....”

Kealakekua Bay, Island of Hawaii
Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority

 

[Luanne]

The statewide ban goes into effect in 2021.

When we visited Maui last year Costco was selling only the reef friendly sunscreen. But the other stuff was sold everywhere else.

 

[NTP66]

While on the subject, if anyone is looking for a good reef safe sunscreen, I highly recommend Thinksport Safe Sunscreen. I tried a number of products, and this was very easily the best of the bunch. Protected just as well as our old Hawaiian Tropics sunscreen, was significantly easier to apply - which is a major issue with zinc-based sunscreen in general - and more reasonably priced than others. Conversely, Blue Lizard sunscreen was the absolute worst. I had to scrape it off my leg with plastic utensils. I'm not kidding.

 

[JIMinNC]

We just did a Kealakekua Bay trip today with Fairwind II and they were stopping people on board from applying non-compliant sunscreen if they were planning to snorkel. They offered free compliant sunscreen on board for all passengers.

 

[NTP66]

Good - I hope all tour companies do that.