I found Banana Boat 30 plus(black tube) great I use it surfing ,kiting ,skydiving ,sailing ect it lasts for ages good water resist also zinc on the face always works a treat! Hope this helps as i have tried nearly every brand!!

Yup I'm a Banana Boat man myself. Haven't been sunburnt ever since I've been using it.

Amazing - just what i was gonna say.
Black or Orange are long lasting & no sting. Both have titanium.
Silly name but you cant confuse it with any other.

THe Black tube banana boat defs works really well - doesnt come off for days !!

I have two young girls and have used the aerosol version and it works exceptionally well - really nice for getting a good even coverage without getting it all over your hands and having slippery bar issues

I'll second the cancer council +30, if you can find it Head Hunter is really good as well but I haven't seen it over here yet.

not sure which brand but this stuff called

Clear Zinke

Ben switched me on to it as he needs it for all day sessions in fiji and stuff. Zinc that rubs in so u dont look like a cricketer out on the water and last ages

quiksilver zinc - comes in light brown (my choice) or shane warne white...sticky as ****, gets all over everything, stains your bar and wettie and everything else, but is the only thing that works at all and doesn't sting your eyes. And I am a ginga as well, so I know a thing or two about sunburn...

ALOE GATOR ....its SPF 40 plus total sun block gel....lasts 8hrs and super waterproof.....its non greasy,invisible and doesn't sting your eyes.

www.aloegatorsuncare.com

This stuff is excellent

cheers
col

Col,

Where did you find the Aloe Gator?

IanR said...

The bestest sunscreen I've Used is AloeGator SFP 40+ Gel.
Jonesey Brings it in from the US. It looks like vasiline and can be hard to rub in But it is waterproof for Eight hours. I'm a Red head and uses it as a sunblock It feels a bit tacky when first rubbed in but is fine in 15 min when it soaks in. Only available in US but can be bought over the Net About $10US per tube + freight

100% agree-I've been using it since I 'found' it in Hawaii in the late 80's-many times I've gone straight from our winter to Indo and used it for HOURS in the surf and not been burnt at all.

The other on I've found that is about as good is an Aloe Up gel-very similar to the Aloe Gator product.

The below appears to be an Aussie site where you can order the "Aloe UP" products which were mentioned above as being on par with the "Aloe Gator";

www.sunprotection.com.au/pages/products/aloeup.html

I tried to do a google search for a site in australia where I could get Aloe Gator and all I ended up with was a page where I could buy the cinematic masterpiece "Son of the Mask"

I have used both, IMHO Aloe Gator is vastly superior.

Hoping someone can find it as I have drawn a blank since coming back from Maui a few years ago and trying to get it.

Cheers Andrew

This is an area I've looked into a bit lately. The sad truth is many sunscreens aren't nearly as good as you might think from their SPF rating. Many sunscreen ingredients break down in the sun, in a matter of minutes or hours, and then let UV radiation through to the skin

There are two different types of UV rays in sunlight: UVB light causes surface sunburn, while UVA light penetrates and causes deeper connective tissue damage -- even when the skin surface feels cool.

SPF 15 blocks 93% of rays, while SPF 30 blocks 97%. Experts say that SPF ratings higher than 30 don't offer any further UV protection, and let the same 3% of UV rays through as SPF 30. Furthermore, SPF only applies to UVB rays. For that reason, it's just as important to look specifically for UVA protection, ie broad spectrum.

Be wary of using just one application of AloeGator if you're in the sun for a long time. I couldnt find an ingredient list for it, so you can't be sure how photostable the active ingredients are. You could still be getting a good dose of UVA without getting burnt. If anyone has a tube of it can they post the active ingredients please. The thick gel formula sounds good for long water sessions.

The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) did a big review of 889 name-brand sunscreens (see www.ewg.org/skindeep/). They found that 83% of the products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns. Only 17% of the products on the market are both safe and effective, blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards.

The best of the tested products are here www.cosmeticdatabase.com/browse.php?sunscreens=1&best=1 This would be a good list to choose a sunscreen from.

Half of the banana boat sunscreens got a poor score in the EWG review so check which one yours is here www.cosmeticdatabase.com/browse.php?sunscreens=1&spf=&brand_id=679&ai=&query=search+terms

Heres what they say about a couple common sunscreen ingredients:

OCTINOXATE (OCTYL METHOXYCINNAMATE) - Estrogenic effects noted in laboratory animals at concentrations close to those experienced by sunscreen users.
PADIMATE O (OCTYL DIMETHYL PABA) - A derivative of the once-popular PABA sunscreen ingredient, research shows this chemical releases free radicals, damages DNA, has estrogenic activity, and still causes allergic reactions in some people.

More here www.cosmeticdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/active.php

The sunscreen I use now when kiting is from an Australian company.
mistore.mionegroup.com/product/13430
disclaimer - thats my online shop. Hope the info in this post makes up for the pimpin
The SPF15 rating is due to not yet meeting some Theraputical Goods Administration red tape to be able to claim more than that. Its been independantly lab tested much higher. Its ingredient list is pretty similar to one of the top rated sunscreens (www.cosmeticdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=92830) I dont find it too stingy when it gets in my eyes. It goes on well and smells so good I want to eat it. Its in an oil base, which is good for water resistance, and has lots of natural antioxidants to protect the skin.

pintofpale said...

I once saw a guy surfing in a full lycra suit with a hood and only holes for his eyes and mouth. Scary looking dude..... Kind of like a cross between the phantom and a gimp..Is it coming to this?

If you want to kite all day long then it could a good idea, but alot of people are Vitamin D deficient, which actually increases the risk of cancer. (Its estimated 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient).

You dont want to slap on sunscreen with undesirable chemicals every short moment your in the sun. The high SPF suncreams block the UVB which is what causes the body to create vitamin D.

This next link gives the other perspective to the usual sunscreen dogma. A key point is eating food high in antioxidants will give an internal sunscreen.
http://www.newstarget.com/021903.html

elizabethb said...

Yeap I'm with the ZINC....

However instead of wearing the tan coloured one and people thinking I can't put makeup on, I go the 'white' zinc. =] Works a charm.

Otherwise sunscreen Banana Boat -or- I use the Cancer Council 30+

The Cancer Council one is awesome and it also comes in a clear non-greasy gel too