Why the same sun is a different problem on water
Reflection off a moving surface, wet skin, spray, glare and wind. The physical reasons a coastal session is not a day in a field, described without a single borrowed number.
Reflection off water, and why it changes the whole exposure picture
A UV forecast describes light arriving from the sky onto a flat surface. On the water you also receive light coming back up, and it reaches the parts of you that normally sit in shadow.
Environment · 12 min readWet skin, spray and the surface you actually present to the sun
Wet skin does not behave like dry skin under the sun, and salt spray on the face does more than sting. What is really happening on the surface across a three hour session.
Environment · 12 min readGlare, eyes and why eye protection matters more on water
Reflected light off a moving surface is the specific geometry that gets under a brim and into the eye. Why glare on water is a safety issue as well as a comfort one.
Environment · 12 min readWind, evaporative cooling and the heat load you cannot feel
Wind on wet skin removes the sensation people use as their only sun warning, and it hides heat strain in the other direction too. Why a cold feeling session is not a low exposure one.
Environment · 12 min readWhat happens to anything you apply, over hours of repeated immersion
Not a test protocol, a description of real conditions. Moving water, friction, wind, salt and your own hands, acting continuously on whatever you put on before you paddled out.
Environment · 12 min readThe tide line
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