Author: Lori Robertson
Source: The BBC [1]
August 7, 2012

Travellers who want to swim with migrating whale sharks near Cancun are often told by tour operators that only biodegradable sunscreen is permitted.

And those visiting the nearby Mayan-themed nature parks Xcaret and Xel-Ha face similar rules, lest travellers leave behind an oily trail when they snorkel or swim with dolphins. In its 2011 annual report, Xcaret said that its parks handed out 152,506 samples of “chemical-free” sunscreen and invested 354,238 pesos  in the program.

So should ocean-bound vacationers pack only the biodegradable stuff? Travellers certainly can do that, but experts say sunscreen is not a big contributor to the destruction of reefs worldwide.

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