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Bald and Burned While Snorkeling
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:46 am
by tonyadams
Hi - pretty new here and wondered if I could tap in to the collective wisdom. My wife and I will be going to St. John in early April (yea!) and we will be snorkeling daily. I wear a shirt to snorkle but am afraid that any sunscreen I use on my head will not be effective after 30 minutes or so. We plan to snorkel 2-3 hours a day. Does anyone know of:
1) sunscreen that will last through snorkeling
2) a hat designed for snorkeling
Thank you for your help and this great forum.
Bob
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:47 am
by augie
A bandana tied "do-rag" style should work...
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:52 am
by lark22
Also, people have recommended buffs....
http://www.buffusa.com/index.html
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:05 pm
by Jumbiegirl
My husband is bald and he'll snorkel over an hour at a time using 30 SPF Sport and doesn't get too burned.
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:06 pm
by augie
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:28 pm
by Ron_L
This question came up when we were discussing the Buffs a couple of weeks ago. Several folks suggested using a good waterproof sunscreen and reapplying often. For me, i still have a little hair up there, so getting sunscreen onto the skin is tough. I decided to order a couple of Dee Rags from the site that Augie linked above. I may end up looking like an aging yuppie biker, but my head should remain burn free!
My Dee Rags haven't arrived yet, but they should be here in a couple of days. I'll let you know what I think.
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:32 pm
by augie
I bought one for my wife a couple of years ago to keep her hair manageable when scuba diving.
My wife is a huge manta ray fan. Dee didn't have any material with mantas, but I was able to find a bolt for sale that did on ebay. Bought it, sent it to Dee, presto! - custom made birthday gift!
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:52 pm
by CariBert
Here's another one to throw in the mix.
http://www.scubadorag.com/coco/scuba.asp
I got one the other day, fits well, your masks actually helps hold in in place, and everybody thinks I ride a motorcycle now. Helps my "bad boy" image, ya know...
-Bert
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:41 pm
by tonyadams
Excellent! Of course, a doo rag. Thanks all
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:03 pm
by waterguy
I'm hair challanged I use face sunscreen it is fps 45 and is more of a cream the a lotion
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:18 pm
by lpowmacback
My husband has the same situation - so for our next trip I've explored some solutions.
I'd looked into the do-rag option but that urban-biker-dude look is not for him and some of them seem to have too much material to swirl around in the water and get in the way. I came upon a swim cap made of Nylon & Spandex (we got the Nike one).It is very comfortable and needs no ties.
We found them locally at Sports Authority but they are everywhere on the internet... here's a link with a picture:
http://www.highpointswim.com/?p=product&pid=485
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:40 pm
by Bob & Anita
Bob is fairly bald.

He uses Coppertone Sport SPF 45 and will snorkel a good hour and a half at a time and doesn't get burned. He will reapply between snorkels.
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:34 pm
by Jost Kidding
Last year on our trip I used the same kind of swim cap Lisa mentioned and it worked great. My wife especially enjoyed the opportunity to make fun of me.
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:00 am
by California Girl
A friend of mine who is a surfer recommended "Banana Boat Surf" to me. It's SPF 50, waterproof and it lasts for 8 hours. Also, you can put it on just before you enter the water, not a half hour in advance.
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:26 pm
by MrsCARolph
These ideas have been helpful--thanks everyone. My finace is not bald (yet) but has fine blonde hair and he always comes home with a red scalp. Thanks for the ideas!