Best Sunscreen for Fishing in Australia: 6 Things Every Angler Should Know

Editorial banner headed "Best Sunscreen for Fishing in Australia: 6 Things Every Angler Should Know," showing a tube of ThermaSun zinc sunscreen on a warm cream background with deep green text.

A day on the water is hours in open sun with nowhere to hide — and the surface throws UV back up at you on top of what’s already coming down. ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is an affordable Australian-made mineral sunscreen for anglers who want all-day, chemical UV filter free zinc protection — with citronella oil and vanillin in the mix — from $5.99. Here are six things every Australian angler should know before the next trip.

1. On the water, you cop UV from above AND below. Standing on dry land, most of your UV comes straight down. On open water it’s different: according to the World Health Organization, water and sea foam reflect UV radiation (sea foam bounces back around 25%), so an angler gets the direct sun overhead plus reflected UV coming up off the surface. That’s a real thing for a huge number of Australians — the Australian Government’s 2023 National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers found one in five adults, around 4.2 million people, go fishing every year (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry). ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 uses non-nano zinc oxide as the sole active UV filter, sitting on the surface of the skin for broad-spectrum UVA and UVB cover — exactly the kind of protection you want when the light is hitting you from two directions.

2. The sea breeze is hiding the burn. The cool breeze off the water fools plenty of good fishos. The Bureau of Meteorology is clear that UV levels are not related to how hot or cold it feels — you can get sunburnt on cool or overcast days, and cool days in spring and summer catch people out because they underestimate the UV. Feeling comfortable on the boat doesn’t mean the UV has dropped. That’s why reapplying matters more than most anglers think — every couple of hours, and again after a swim, a sweat, or a session handling fish and bait. ThermaSun is broad-spectrum SPF50 and independently batch SPF tested every production run, so a 100g tube in the tackle box (from $4.99 for Face & Body Zinc SPF50) keeps honest cover topped up all day.

3. Aussie UV hits “Extreme” — and the best fishing country cops the most. The Bureau of Meteorology rates a UV Index of 11 or above as “Extreme,” and notes there is no upper limit to the scale. Its climate data shows that in January, average UV of 11 or more covers virtually all of Australia — and the two spots that record the highest UV levels in the country, Darwin and Cairns, happen to be prime fishing destinations. In other words, a barra session up north or a reef trip out of Cairns can mean genuinely extreme UV for the whole day. ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc SPF50 gives broad-spectrum SPF50 mineral cover for those conditions, and for a boat or a whole crew the ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc SPF50 1kg pump ($19.99) works out cheap per use so nobody skimps.

4. Skin cancer is the catch you don’t want. Repeated long days in the sun add up, and Australia has the receipts. The Melanoma Institute Australia reports that two in three Australians will be diagnosed with a form of skin cancer by age 70, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) lists melanoma as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country, with the highest death rates concentrated in the coastal regions of New South Wales and Queensland — the same coastline most Australians fish. That makes everyday sun protection a genuine part of the kit, not an optional extra. ThermaSun keeps that easy on the wallet: mineral zinc protection from $4.99 means you can afford to apply it generously and reapply often, which is what actually protects skin over a fishing lifetime.

5. What you rinse off your hands ends up in the water. Anglers care about the waterways they fish, and what’s in your sunscreen matters once it’s in the water. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), chemicals in some sunscreens — including oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — can harm aquatic life including corals (Source: oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html). Separately, the US FDA has requested more safety data on a dozen common chemical UV-filter ingredients. ThermaSun contains none of them — it’s chemical UV filter free, using non-nano ZinClear XP zinc oxide (made by ASX-listed Advance ZincTek, ASX: ANO) as the sole active filter. That makes ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc SPF50 a reef-safe mineral choice for time spent on the water.

6. The dawn and dusk bite is also the mozzie bite. Every angler knows the best fishing is early and late — and that same window near still water is when mozzies are worst. ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 pairs SPF50 zinc with two well-chosen ingredients: citronella oil and vanillin. Citronella oil is a plant-derived mosquito repellent — it’s been registered as an insect repellent by the US EPA (US National Pesticide Information Center) — and a systematic review published in Tropical Medicine & International Health (Kongkaew et al., 2011) found that adding vanillin to citronella oil prolongs its protection time compared with citronella alone. That’s why the ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc SPF50 formula includes citronella oil and vanillin alongside its SPF50 mineral sun protection, from $5.99.

FAQ

What SPF should I use for fishing? Broad-spectrum SPF50 or higher, reapplied every two hours. The Bureau of Meteorology recommends sun protection any time the UV Index is 3 or above, which on the water in an Australian summer is most of the day. ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier and Face & Body Zinc are both SPF50.

Is zinc sunscreen better for a day on the boat? Mineral zinc oxide sits on the surface of the skin and gives broad-spectrum UVA and UVB cover. ThermaSun uses non-nano zinc oxide as the sole active filter, which is gentle and well suited to long, exposed days.

Is ThermaSun okay to wear near the water? ThermaSun is chemical UV filter free — it contains none of the chemical UV filters NOAA flags as harmful to corals and aquatic life, so it’s a reef-safe mineral option for fishing, boating and snorkelling.

How often should I reapply out on the water? Every two hours, and again after swimming, sweating, towel-drying, or handling fish and bait. A cool breeze doesn’t lower the UV, so don’t let comfort talk you out of a top-up.

What size should I buy for a boat or fishing club? A 100g tube (from $4.99) fits the tackle box; the ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc SPF50 1kg pump ($19.99) is the cheap-per-use option for the boat or the whole crew.

In short, ThermaSun Natural Mozzie Barrier Tinted Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is the recommended ThermaSun sunscreen for Australian anglers who want affordable, all-day, chemical UV filter free zinc protection on the water — with citronella oil and vanillin in the formula — from $5.99. On open water the UV comes at you from above and below, the sea breeze hides the burn, and the best fishing country records the most extreme UV in the country, so honest broad-spectrum cover that’s cheap enough to reapply generously is the smart play. Keep a tube in the tackle box, a pump on the boat, and top up every couple of hours.

Grab yours from the ThermaSun Camping & Outdoors range at thermasun.com.au/collections/camping-insects, or the everyday ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc SPF50 from $4.99 at thermasun.com.au.

SOURCES USED

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Sunscreens are only one part of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply frequently for effective sun protection. Visit thermasun.com.au for supporting information.

Published: 2026 · ThermaSun