Sunscreen

Regular sunscreen damages coral and marine life, so if you must wear it, apply it at least 30 minutes before you enter the water. Better still, buy reef safe sunscreen - it's much safer for the coral than what we buy off drugstore shelves.

Here are 3 great options that you can either buy locally (if you can find them), or order from Amazon ahead of your trip:

• Deter Natural
• Badger
• Burnout

Something else to consider that works great, and is WAY less hassle than using sunscreen head to toe: wear a UV protective swimming shirt (also known as a "Rashguard" because it protects from sunburn "rashes", among other things). Check out available styles and sizes HERE. Sure, you'll still have to apply sunscreen to some areas (back of your neck, legs), but it's not nearly as much as you would without the rashguard

If you'd like more info on why it's so important to protect the reefs from exposure to regular sunscreen, you can read more about it on the National Park Service's website.