When you hear “Hawai‘i”, what do you first think of? Sunshine, the beach, and the ocean, right?
Many travelers coming to the islands often look forward to jumping into our warm waters, whether to surf and swim, or snorkel and dive! Just as the views from above the surface of the water are beautiful, the life and landscape under the water is just as breathtaking! To the untrained eye, everything under the water tends to look the same, with little to no diversity…however when you take an even closer look, you begin to realize life under the water is more than just a few rocks, fish, and turtles! There is an amazingly complex, and delicate ecosystem, just waiting to be fully understood.
Here in Hawai‘i, we have amazing reef systems that are home to a wide variety of fish, such as our tongue-twister state fish: humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa (reef triggerfish, wedge-tail triggerfish, rectangular triggerfish; Rhinecanthus rectangulus)
Photo by Keoki Stender
Over the years, Climate Change has been something that has been getting more and more press, as the arctic sea ice has shrunk to all new lows, and coral reefs across the planet have begun to “bleach” and die. The idea of warming may not be something we, as humans, can physically detect with our own senses, but the coral and other marine organisms can; even if it is only a couple of degrees difference! One of the main sources of climate change, on the large scale, is increased levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. While it is difficult to stop all CO2 emissions, there is something that EVERYONE can do, on a small scale, to help the reefs. In addition to reducing the amount of driving we do and the plastics we use, another major help to the marine ecosystem includes using REEF SAFE Sunscreen! According to a study in 2015, up to 14,000 tons of sunscreen ends up in the ocean, annually! That is a lot of chemicals for very sensitive organisms to come in contact with! These chemicals, once in the water column, are so small that they are able to be siphoned or absorbed into marine life, poisoning them as concentrations increase.
How to recognize dying coral reef: Coral Bleaching is one of the biggest tell-tale signs of a dying reef. While you are snorkeling, if the reef has a lot of life floating around it, with many colors all over, it is safe to say that it is a pretty healthy reef.
If the coral is starting to turn bleach white, or some will become super bright neon colors, there is something that is causing the coral to release all of its polyps and is dying. It is still possible for the coral to recover if we act now!
However, once the coral has begun to grown any sort of algae, it has died, and at this point it is unlikely to ever recover.
>> Staff recommendation by B: Watch the film “Chasing Coral”…a Netflix Original Documentary
What has Hawai‘i done? Effective January 1, 2021, Hawai‘i has signed a bill into law, banning the sale of all sunscreens that are believed to have reef harming chemicals, such as Oxybenzone and Octinoxate.
What can you do? Avoid sunscreens that include chemicals, such as Oxybenzone and Octinoxate! Whether you are along a coastline, or landlocked, these chemicals can find their way into our coastal waters, and eventually harm our marine organisms! Instead, choose a non-aerosol mineral sunscreens that only contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Here are a list of some sunscreens that are reef safe!
- Badger Unscented Sunscreen Cream
- Raw Elements Certified Natural Sunscreen
- Stream2Sea Mineral Sunblock
- Mama Kuleana Waterproof Reef-safe Sunscreen
- Kokua Sun Care Hawaiian Natural Zinc Sunscreen
- Manda Organic Sun Paste
What ELSE can you do to help our coral reef and marine life? Avoid single use plastics! Use reusable containers, bags, and utensils! Tell your restaurant server “NO straw please!”
ALSO, be careful where you are stepping when getting into and out of the water, as well as while you are in the water! Avoid grabbing hold to delicate coral. Avoid stepping on loose rocks, as there may be many little creatures hiding under them!
Author: B. Fuemmeler
