How Can I Tell If A Sunscreen Is OK For The Ocean? 

Check the active ingredients – 

• • Better for the ocean: non-nano zinc oxide, non-nano titanium oxide 
  • Potentially harmful: Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), Octinoxate (ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), Octocrylene, Homosalate, 4-MBC, PABA, Benzophenone-4 (If you see the harmful ones in the “active ingredients” list, it’s best to avoid.)
  • Here’s a great summary of the chemicals commonly used in sunscreen, and what to avoid.

Look for “non-nano” – Nano-sized mineral particles can be more easily ingested by marine organisms. “Non-nano” zinc oxide/titanium dioxide is generally considered safer.

Marketing terms – Terms like “reef safe” or “ocean friendly” aren’t regulated. They can be helpful hints but shouldn’t be trusted alone—always check the ingredients.

Choose lotions instead of sprays – Sprays create more airborne particles that fall onto sand and wash into the ocean. Lotions reduce this.

Check for certifications – Some third-party labels (e.g., Protect Land + Sea Certified) test products for harmful chemicals. These are more reliable than generic “reef safe” claims. Some sunscreens also offer bonuses like plastic free or palm oil free certifications. 

Making the switch to an ocean friendly sunscreen, and encouraging others to do the same, is a great pledge you can make to help protect our oceans and their inhabitants. 

At first, bees and the ocean might not seem connected — but they’re part of the same web of life. Healthy pollinators on land play a surprisingly important role in protecting the ocean too.

Here’s how saving the bees, helps save the seas:

1. Bees Support Plant Diversity — and Reduce Pollution
Bees help pollinate wild plants and crops. Diverse, healthy plant life reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which are major sources of water pollution. When it rains, those chemicals can wash off land and flow into rivers and oceans, harming marine life.

2. Less Chemicals = Healthier Waterways
By supporting pollinators and choosing organic, bee-friendly foods, we help cut down the demand for chemical-intensive agriculture. That means fewer pollutants ending up in streams, estuaries, and eventually the sea.

3. Bees Support Regenerative Farming
Bees are vital to many regenerative farming practices, which focus on building healthy soils and ecosystems. These practices reduce runoff, protect waterways, and even help store carbon — which slows climate change and protects the ocean.

4. A Healthy Planet is a Connected One
When we protect pollinators, we’re protecting biodiversity, food systems, and the balance of nature. That balance stretches from mountaintops to mangroves — including the oceans.

Bees Need Help!

However, the current state of most bee populations are experiencing significant declines.

This is due to a number of contributing factors including parasites and diseases, pesticide exposure, monoculture farming, habitat loss, air pollution and climate change.

Here’s What You Can Do:

• Rewild Your Backyard – Plant bee-friendly native flowers

• Avoid chemical pesticides and herbicides

• Support local, organic, or regenerative farms

• Educate others about the land–sea connection

A thriving planet starts on land but flows all the way to the sea. By saving the bees, you’re helping build a healthier Earth — from the garden to the coral reef.

Here’s how to be a coastal-conscious Ocean Champion:

Support Sustainable Coastal Planning
Get involved in local planning decisions – keep a lookout for development proposals and applications. These are published by the local councils and government agencies on their websites and newspapers. Advocate for smart development that protects natural shorelines, limits construction in sensitive areas, and prioritizes ecosystem health.

Protect and Restore Natural Buffers
Support efforts to conserve or restore mangroves, dunes, wetlands, and seagrass beds. These natural buffers absorb storm surges, filter runoff, and provide habitat for marine life. Many local organisations have habitat regeneration and planting programs and often need more helping hands.

Reduce Runoff from Your Property
Use native plants in your garden, avoid chemical fertilizers, and install rain gardens or permeable surfaces to prevent polluted runoff from reaching the sea.

Say No to Beach Destruction
Avoid developments that involve dredging, seawall construction, or sand mining. These practices can severely damage marine ecosystems. Support eco-friendly alternatives instead.

Choose Eco-Friendly Tourism
When visiting the coast, choose accommodations and tour operators that follow environmentally responsible practices. Leave no trace and respect wildlife habitats.

Raise Awareness in Your Community
Host or join clean-up days, educate others about the value of coastal habitats, and help your community understand how everyday actions can protect the shoreline.

Healthy coasts mean healthy oceans. By making informed choices and speaking up for sustainable development, you’re helping safeguard marine life for future generations.

Here’s how you can be a climate-friendly Ocean Champion:

Choose Greener Travel
Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transport when you can. Even swapping one car trip a week helps cut emissions.

Save Energy at Home
Turn off lights and electronics when not in use. Switch to LED bulbs, use energy-efficient appliances, and insulate your home to reduce energy waste.

Support & Choose Clean Energy
If possible, switch to a renewable energy provider, or ask your local leaders to invest in clean energy projects in your area.

Use Your Voice
Vote for leaders and policies that prioritize climate action and ocean protection. Every vote and conversation counts.

Protect Blue Carbon
Support the conservation of seagrasses, mangroves, and salt marshes. These “blue carbon” habitats store massive amounts of carbon and are essential to ocean health.

Eat More Plant-Based Meals
Shifting toward plant-based foods just a few times a week reduces emissions from livestock and farming, helping to protect the planet and our seas.

Plant Trees & Native Plants
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and help cool our planet. Planting native trees and plants in your community supports biodiversity and strengthens local ecosystems.

Check out the United Nations Act Now App which has great prompts and connects to a community of people all taking action for a healthier planet.

Remember, every small action adds up. By making mindful choices, you’re helping protect marine life and the planet we all depend on.

If you’re out snorkelling and spot a manta ray or a sea turtle, or walking a headland and see some dolphins, or strolling on the beach and spy some birds, or even scrutinising some mangroves on your way to the market, all of these are opportunities to be a citizen scientist! 

What is Citizen Science? 

Citizen science is basically when everyday people help scientists by sharing their own sightings and observations. Whether it’s spotting wildlife, noticing changes in the environment, or logging what you see while you’re out and about, those on-the-ground observations become valuable data for researchers. It’s an easy way for anyone to support real science just by paying attention to the world around them.

How can you get involved? 

There are so many ways to be a citizen scientist! Here’s just a few of the projects operating locally to get you started – most of these just require you to snap and upload a photo via an app or website, but there’s also workshops, walks and events where you can learn more. Head to the relevant websites to learn more or get more involved, and sign up for our newsletter to make sure you hear about our citizen science events: 

Byron Bird Buddies – join a bird survey (newcomers welcome) to enjoy one of Australia’s best bird regions and participate in citizen science conservation, monitoring and education. The full program of dates and locations you can join in is on their website. 

Coral Watch – monitor local coral health while snorkelling or diving using the CoralWatch survey method. You can learn how and apply to get all the necessary tools (the Coral Health Chart & datasheet) through their website. 

Dolphin Watch – submit your dolphin sightings or join a training workshop or community survey to to assist in understanding the long-term status, ecology and protection of local dolphin populations. This can be done by yourself anytime just by spotting dolphins and recording the details, or join an event to learn more and be part of the community. 

Happy Whale – submit your photos of whales to the website to add to our knowledge of their migration, life history and more. The underside of the humpback whale’s tail is like a fingerprint, so your photo will be matched to known individuals and used for research, you can also track those whales movements in the future. 

iNaturalist – help monitor the species and habitats in the region by logging sightings of marine and coastal fauna and flora, providing a record of biodiversity over time. All you need is a camera (phone cameras are fine) and the iNaturalist app or website, then join our Byron Bay Hope Spot project. 

Project Manta – submit your photos, videos and observations of manta rays to the database to gather critical knowledge to support the long-term conservation of manta rays and their relatives. This can be done anytime you’re snorkelling or diving – you just need the date, location and photos or videos. 

Sharkbook – upload your shark photos or videos to help scientists identify individual leopard sharks, grey nurse sharks, even wobbegongs, moray eels and other species, building a clearer picture of their movements, health and population trends. Any time you’re out snorkelling, diving or even on a boat, you can contribute simply by noting the date and location and capturing clear images of the shark’s markings (like spot patterns or fin shapes). Your sighting becomes a valuable data point that directly supports research and the long-term protection of these vulnerable animals.

TurtleWatch – walk your local beaches from November to March, looking for the presence or absence of sea turtle tracks and nests. Learn more at the website and download the app to get started. 

Want to get more involved? We have a list of some of the opportunities for citizen science and volunteering in the Northern Rivers on our Volunteer Hub page. Do you have your own citizen science project you’d like us to share, or a cool local project we’ve missed? Just get in touch, we’d love to keep adding to our list! 

• You can help by reducing your single-use plastic use. Choose products with minimal or no plastic packaging
• Use reusable bottles, bags, straws, cutlery and containers
• Reuse and look after plastic products
• Find plastic alternatives when planning your party, meeting, conference and event
• Choose plastic-free produce
• Support sustainable businesses
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products
• Pick up rubbish along the creeks, beaches, drains, parks and paths
• Leave nothing behind
• Support community initiatives that are taking positive sustainable steps e.g. repair cafes, responsible cafes and restaurants, initiatives that support a circular economy.
• Encourage business owners to transition to environmentally responsible practices.
• Support changes in policy and legislation that is moving away from a single-use products to a reusable and circular economy.

Take An Ocean Champion Pledge to Reduce Ocean Pollution

Join the global movement to create positive change by taking a simple everyday action. Take a pledge and share with your friends and community on social media. Choose an action and pledge to make a change to help reduce your footprint and ocean pollution. Simply write on a piece of paper or digitally and take a photograph and share on your social media. Don’t forget to tag us @ocean_education_conservation  and @dolphin_research_australia !    

We’ve put together a list of volunteer opportunities here in our region that we hope will inspire more people to get involved with whatever time, skills and resources you have. We’re so lucky to have a community with many organisations working to protect and regenerate marine wildlife, habitats and biodiversity, so there’s loads of different ways to get involved. It could involve regularly assisting in hands-on wildlife rescue, turning up to a beach clean or joining in large scale citizen science projects. There’s something for everyone! 

Check out some of the volunteer opportunities in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales on our Volunteer Hub page. 

It is important that all cases of injured, distress or deceased marine animals are reported and not interfered with.

Whether it is a turtle, seabird, shark, sea snake or marine mammal, there are a number of specialist agencies in each state to call.

Here’s the relevant emergency contacts.