The Big Island is located south of the Tropic of Cancer. The sun’s rays, this close to the equator are much more intense than many Hawaii visitors are used to. It only takes a matter of 20 minutes to get a sunburn and the likelihood of getting a burn at one of the Big Island Beaches is even greater. The sun is intensified at the beach because the sun rays are not only beating down on you once, but they are reflected off the water and the sand to zap you with a second dose. In most cases you might not even realize the full extent of your sunburn for about 24 hours and by that time the damage to your skin will have already occurred and be irreversible. Sunburn and skin damage are particularly dangerous to children and young adults. Severe sunburn often occurs on the beaches of the Big Island and first and second degree burns are not uncommon. In addition to the burn, people also may come down with a fever, chills and a headache and if so a hospital visit is warranted. The steps needed to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful effects are much easier to deal with than the damage that is caused by it.
The following are some of the things you can do to protect yourself from the sun on the Big Island beaches:
Visit the beach prior to 11am or after 3pm.
Try to get a base tan at home prior to arrival on the Big Island.
Visit the beach prior to 11am or after 3pm.
Many people think you are safe from the harmful effects of the sun on a cloudy day. This is not true and you can still get severe a sunburn.
Protective eye wear is essential to protect from glare. A hat should also be worn to protect the skull and face.
It is important to apply sun block that has a SPF of 30 or over. It should be waterproof and applied over the entire body. The sun block should be reapplied over the entire body once every two hours and again each time you come out of the water.
Some areas of your body are more susceptible to sun burn and extra sun block should be applied. These areas are the tops of your feet, the tip of your nose, your shoulders and your ears.
Use special lip protection, not regular body sun block, to protect your lips.
Children are particularly susceptible to sun burn and special precautions should be used in seeing that they do not get too much sun.
Because of the sun’s reflection off both the water and the sand, don’t be deluded into thinking that an umbrella alone is going to provide you with adequate protection from the sun.