Nudist Travel Guide is an educational guide to the world of nudist travel

  >>Home

Cheering the Sun God at a Nude Canada Beach

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Wreck Beach and the Sun God

As the warm sunny day ends, you lie naked on a nude beach with your spouse. Fellow nudists are nearby. Everyone is relaxing as a cool evening breeze blows in.

As the sun starts to make it’s final descent towards the horizon, there are faint sounds of cheering muffled by the wind.

It grows louder and louder, surrounding you. Someone nearby screams “Goodbye Sun God, Goodbye!” An energy flows around you as everyone excitedly watches the Sun God.

The edge of the sun is seconds from hitting the mountain in the distance. The cheering grows louder and louder as the Sun God then slowly disappears behind the mountain.

Then the Sun God is gone. You know its the end of a great day at the beach.

This is one of the more magical moments in life, being at one with the people around you and Mother Nature and not a care in the world.

(Photo credit: Wreck Beach Preservation Society)

It was Wreck Beach in Vancouver, Canada where this happened on a day when the weather and people were in harmony, a common experience during the short Vancouver nudist season.

Maybe this is why many nudists call Wreck Beach one of the top 10 clothing-optional beaches in the world.

But there’s a lot more to Wreck Beach than the occasional beautiful sunset. During the day, we experienced most of its several mile-long beach and visited both ends of the beach.

Taking the long climb down the steps of Trail 6, we first arrived in the southern part of the beach. This is the popular part of the beach you see in pictures in my previous Wreck Beach post.

This main part of the beach has soft, unique brown sand and is covered with driftwood logs from a nearby logging operation. The logs give the place a one-of-a-kind character. They also provide a good place to rest your head while protecting you from the wind.

While resting your head, the view is of mountains in the distance. Behind you is a dense forest covering a steep hill.

We were lucky to have perfect weather. The weather drew out lots of people. Probably 70-80 percent of the beach goers were nude in the sandy beach area that day - a good number for a clothing-optional beach.

The atmosphere was friendly and respectful. Vendors offered food and drinks and other wares. A group of people played nude volleyball. Wreck Beach regulars seemed to keep guard of the place and kept it safe and comfortable. Later, they would clean the litter left by the more careless.

We also visited the other end of the beach north of the sandy area. The northern part is rocky (see second to last picture here) and when the tide is high, there’s not much room. Finding a soft spot in the sand without having a rock in your back is challenging.

The northern rocky area also has a lot less people. Being less crowded means that it lacks the protection you have when surrounded by many fellow nudists. We just didn’t feel comfortable with the rocks or some of the people who seemed suspicious or staring (not a nudist behavior).

The main beach is so much better and returning there for the evening turned out to be a great experience.

If you are ever in Vancouver, a great tourist destination in itself, be sure to visit Wreck Beach if the weather is nice.

----

Wreck Beach is a direct result of the ongoing efforts of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society and other supporters. They prove that when like-minded people get together, great things can be accomplished in the face of adversity.

(Photo credit: Wreck Beach Preservation Society)

Labels: , , , , ,

Nudists Need the Internet and Food

Friday, July 20, 2007

I just returned from a great trip that had the famous clothing-optional beach in Vancouver, Wreck Beach, on the itinerary (trip report coming soon). While traveling, I missed my chance to participate in the latest "Great Naked Debate" on Nudist Day. I lacked a good Internet connection.

The debate was entitled "What can be done to attract younger people to the nudist lifestyle?". Check it out. You may not agree with every last detail, but the contributors covered a lot of angles.

Some similar viewpoints were in "What are the Real Problems with Young People and Nudist Resorts?" here where some readers chimed in with more good feedback on this important topic.

The answer seems to boil down to one central idea:
  • creating something worthwhile that satisfies the needs of the customers.
Potential nudist destination customers in the younger age groups have a million ways to have their entertainment needs met. Any tourist/travel destination, be it clothed or nudist, free beach or paid resort, competes with the many forms of entertainment. To win the competition, the destination must meet the needs of customers.

A tourist destination has to be more worthwhile than such things as:
  • watching TV
  • surfing the Internet
  • going to concerts
  • going to the movies
  • ...and all the other things people do for fun
Think about it. A clothed hotel becomes worthwhile to you when it has a good location, a pool, restaurant and has the other amenities you want for the right price.

Food

Now, try to find breakfast at a nudist resort or campground. Not many serve breakfast. Some serve lunch or dinner. Very few serve 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. So you either need to bring food or leave. Either way, your basic human need for food is not met.

This is bad because Americans love food.

The ones that serve lots of food, like Caliente and Paradise Lakes, the 2 big resorts in Tampa, offer a destination that is a complete experience. You don't have to leave if you are hungry. In my last trip report about Sun Ridge Resort, I mentioned how I did leave because my food needs were not met.

The Internet

One other way clothed hotels have adjusted to modern customer needs is by proving some form of Internet connection. Most do. What about nudist destinations? Not so.

I'm in the under-35 age bracket and I want my Internet no matter where I am. Is that so much to ask? This is a more common statement of my generation but slowly becoming typical of all generations (see Internet age trends). Even baby-boomers are spending a lot more time online nowadays too.

Why aren't most nudist resorts adapting to something so basic as an Internet connection?

The Internet and food are among the lifelines of today's potential nudist customer.

If you are at a nudist destination that doesn't meet these needs, speak up and make your opinion known.

Labels: , , , ,