Sex on the Beach

Sex Crap Investigates Nude Beaches

My first "encounter" with a nude beach freaked me out. It wasn't a bona fide nude beach, as known here in the states. It was a public beach on the southern coast of Spain, where topless sunbathing is a common occurrence. I was vacationing on the "Costa Del Sol" with an ex-boyfriend, and we had a morning to do some sun worshipping. This was my first foray into Europe, and I always knew that there were far fewer restrictions on nudity. Honestly, I did expect to encounter some topless sunbathing. But it was strange. First, women far outnumbered men on the beach. The majority were in their early 20's, model quality, with large chests. Where were we? Cannes? Puerto Banus? No, just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill public beach! Next, we observed a young couple playing frisbee (if it is even called frisbee in Europe). The guy kept his swim trunks on, of course. The young lady pranced around in her thong, while topless. She must have been a 42D, with absolutely no sag! Oh my, to have her body! While none of this freaked me out (I love to admire a beautiful woman as much as the next repressed sex columnist), what I saw next did. A family entered the beach and staked claim to a spot near us. As they began to drop their bags and baskets, I noticed it was a family of four. A father, mother, and two young daughters. The young daughters were perhaps 16-19 years old. As soon as everything was settled, they began to prepare for sunbathing. The daughters began to disrobe, and removed their tops. Right in front of their parents! Here they were, spreading suntan lotion all over their bare, and quite ample, breasts (something in Spain's water?) while literally standing right over their dad.

That was a few years ago, and when I started writing this column 15 months ago, I made an initial list of topics I wanted to cover at some point. I have covered most of that initial list, but nude beaches remained untapped. Earlier in the summer, a friend and I took a short road trip to the Jersey Shore, home of this website. We had a chance to spend some time with the E-Crap.com site owner, and to do some bar and beach hopping. Being the ultimate Shore aficionado, Bag himself directed us to Sandy Hook, while prodding me about that area containing the only local nude beach, known as Gunnison Beach. And off we went. Sandy Hook was nice, and we managed to find the Gunnison Beach parking lot rather easily. And yes, we were both prepared to bare it all. We crossed the road from the parking area, and followed the people down a part sandy, part boardwalk-like trail leading to the beach and ocean. The assortment of people was not what I expected from a nude beach. Singles, families, young, old... When we reached the beach, we noticed something interesting - everyone was clothed. Well, people were in their bathing suits and beachwear, but no women were even topless. We walked a little farther, and finally came upon a sign that read something like "Warning! If you go beyond this sign, you may encounter nude sunbathers!" At least we knew we were in the right place. But as we perused the area in closest proximity, we could not see anyone nude. Not that we were gawkers, but if we were going to get nude or at least topless, we didn't want to be the only ones. Especially being moderately attractive, 20-something women! Perhaps we did not know the protocol, or perhaps we needed to walk further, but this was not our idea of a nude beach, and our bikinis were staying on. We moved to the left of the sign, walked straight to the ocean, and fried for about four glorious hours.

Since that time, I have received several e-mails mentioning nude beaches as a topic, and knew the time was right. I wanted to know what I did wrong, and I wanted to know more about the lifestyle. I figured the best place to start was to learn about the proper protocol, or etiquette. According to the "Online California Guide to Nude Beaches," here are some basic guidelines...

• Gawking is impolite.  If you want to go to the nude beach for a thrill, do everyone a favor and buy a magazine instead.

• Ask for people's consent before taking their photograph nude.

• If you're sunbathing nude in a secluded area, leave a bathing suit on a rock to let others know they will be approaching an unclothed person. If you're uncomfortable having your suit out of reach, bring a spare.

• On a wide open beach, position yourself in the open so you can see people coming and put something on before they get there if you need to.

• Get dressed before you leave the clothing optional area.

• Be friendly, but respect others' rights to privacy.

• Avoid sexual activity. It's illegal and offensive.

• Be Prepared. Many nude beaches don't have any amenities. Be sure to bring water, food, sunscreen and anything else you need.

• Know what the law is.

I wondered how the general public felt about nude beaches and nude sunbathing, so I turned to the Internet to find some poll data. Not surprisingly, I found a good deal. Of the ones that seemed more credible, Glamour Magazine reported in 1998 that 34% of their female readers had sunbathed nude. According to CNN data in 1990, more than 80 million Americans would bare it all on a nude beach if they had access. And the acceptance of nude leisure recreational activities seems to be getting higher. A year 2000 Roper Organization finding stated that 80% approved of nude beaches and nude sunbathing, compared to a similar study by The Gallup Poll in 1983 which found a 73% acceptance rating.

Perhaps the strangest poll I found was copied from a copy of People Magazine (February 1986). The poll asked readers to tell how guilty they would feel if they engaged in any of 51 listed activities. Here are some of the results:

Just having nude sunbathing part of the same list containing guilt activities like murder tells a lot about how at least some people still view this activity. I'm glad to say that apparently the majority of Americans (80%) support it!

According to www.bare-necessities.com, there are three primary reasons for the popularity of nude recreation:

1. Body Acceptance

2. Social Interaction

3. Sensuality

They make it quite clear that a nude beach intensifies sensuality, regardless of what people say about the almost nude beaches (thongs, wet t-shirts) being perhaps more provocative. They also point out that part of the sensuality is the rush that people sometimes feel when they first disrobe in front of many people.

But with all this information I gathered, I needed more. I needed to know if people get aroused on nude beaches. I needed to know if people have sex on nude beaches. And I needed to know what else I was missing. I turned to my Internet friends, and as always, received some great feedback.

While most of the people I solicited comments from were men, these are the results that I take for the most truth. And the consensus feeling is that nude beaches are merely a gathering of people who partake in a sort of lifestyle. Many of those who disrobe may also be more sexually adventurous, but that is not displayed on the beach. There is an overabundance of courtesy, and regard for fellow nude sunbathers. It is a closely knit community of sorts. Actually, the three reasons listed above seemed very accurate. It seems people do feel good about having their bodies accepted among people they consider friends, and there is a great deal of social interaction (and again, acceptance). As far as sensuality goes, that seems more to be a state of mind. While most of the guys I asked said they do not become physically aroused on a nude beach, they also feel a great sense of sensuality being in the company of many nude women. It is the belief of my correspondents that the ones getting aroused on a nude beach are the ones with their clothes on (i.e. the gawkers). Also, it seems that the activity is shared more by people 35 and older, and a few of my friends noted a good deal of same sex couples, something the Internet information sources did not mention.

None of my friends have ever seen sexual activity occur on a nude beach. The closest reported have been various forms of blockage (tents, blankets, other borders) where some sexual activity might be happening but out of clear view. Interestingly, one of my best friends once saw a woman giving a man oral sex on a public beach in Maryland! Apparently, they were trying to keep it hidden, but she said they were not doing a good job of hiding it. Actually, she also said the woman was not doing a good job of orally pleasing him! :)

So there you have it, my report on nude beaches. I was hoping to uncover a bit more sex, but it looks like this was the wrong place to look for that. I guess I need to find twice the sex now for my next column! Any ideas? :)

© Jenn at e-crap.com