Like many Australians, you probably find that spending time in your backyard pool is a great way to stay cool and beat the heat this summer. Unfortunately, spending more time in the pool also means spending more time in the sun. Sun exposure is the leading cause of skin cancer, and the more time you spend being exposed to the sun's harmful UV rays, the higher your chances are of developing this insidious and far too common form of cancer.

Fortunately, it's possible to limit the amount of sun you're exposed to when using your pool. Here are two simple ways to make your backyard pool more sun safe.

1. Install a shade sail 

Shade sails are large sheets of UV resistant material that can provide a large area of shade to outdoor spaces. They're typically found in places such as public playgrounds, day care centres, and schools. They're also perfect to use as a shade cover for your backyard pool.

Shade sails come in a large variety of colours and sizes, so it's easy to find one that will suit the area you wish to shade. You can also have them custom made to perfectly meet your needs. The positioning of the shade sail is important in order to achieve maximum coverage at all times of the day. Your local shade sail manufacturer and installer will be able to advise you on the correct installation location.

2. Choose sun smart materials for pool surrounds

Even with a great shade cover, you can still be exposed to UV that is reflected off the surfaces around your pool.  You can minimise this type of UV exposure by using materials that have low UV reflection properties. As a rule, light coloured, shiny, and smooth surfaces will reflect the largest amount of harmful UV rays.

Grass reflects the least amount of UV out of all the commonly used garden surfaces, so having a large lawn is a great idea. Timber is also a great low UV reflective choice to use for your pool surrounds. Staining it so that it's a darker hue can further reduce the percentage of UV rays that are reflected.

These two simple, inexpensive, and readily available additions to your backyard pool will help to create a far more sun safe environment for you and your family when you're cooling down this summer. It's important to remember that even with a more sun safe pool, you still need to remember to regularly apply a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor and wear good quality UV resistant swimwear.