Just before college started, I spent a few days in Vancouver with my high school friend Josh. He was starting school in the fall as well, in Seattle, and he had already moved into an apartment with his girlfriend. I flew to Seattle, hung out with both and them, and then Josh and I headed up north. We had a great time hitting the bars, hiking, and river rafting. Josh left early Sunday morning and headed back to Seattle, leaving me one entire day to enjoy the city before my flight out the next day.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do that day. I had heard of Wreck Beach: it was Vancouver's only nude beach and I was very curious to go see it. I was full of boy bravado, but was really pretty shy about showing off my skinny body. Still, my curiosity got the best of me. Besides, it was a beautiful warm August day and no one could force me to get naked. If I wanted, I could just observe.
So I headed off. It was an easy trip from the city. One bus brought you to the end of the line, and a second shuttle bus took you right to the beach's entrance. Five other people got off at the stop, all pretty young. I had heard nude beaches were full of old hippies, but this beach, I discovered, is near the University of British Columbia, so I was hoping there would be some people closer to my age.
The entrance led you to stairs which wind down this wooded path. There are like a million stairs, so many that they had rest benches along the way for people coming back up. So on the way down I started chatting with this young couple from the States, they were very cool and attractive.
As we got close and the beach came into view, the first thing I saw were portable bathrooms and a line of three naked boys waiting to use them. They were totally naked and totally un-self-conscious. One of the boys was jiggling nervously because he needed to pee so badly and his dick was flopping up and down. The reaction of the young couple was pretty priceless. The boy kind of half rolled his eyes bashfully and the girl had this big big smile as she took in their naked bodies. This young attractive girl enjoying the site of three naked boys made me embarrassed. It was like she was looking at me.
The beach was very pretty, quite large with a great view of the mountains. Of course, there was a great view of other things too. Not everyone was naked but a lot were. And there were all ages, from families, to college kids, to the aforementioned old hippy types. There were also a lot more naked guys than girls. Sometimes girls would be topless which I enjoyed. But sometimes they'd be fully clothed while their boyfriends (or boy friends) would be bare assed. That didn't quite seem fair to me, but that's the way it was.
I saw a group of naked older women smoking joints and doing some kind of embroidery. I saw a college couple doing yoga together naked. I saw a group of kids from UBC, four guys and three girls, where the guys were nude and the girls had skimpy bikinis. The guys didn't seem to mind the unfairness. There were a good number of Asian people there, some of whom were clearly visitors and quite fascinated with the nudity. I saw a family of four: mom, dad, a girl about my age, and a very young boy. All were dressed in conservative swimwear. The boy had a small digital camera and he was happily snapping pictures of the nude adults around him. No one seemed to mind.
I walked around a bit, bought a huge plastic bottle of water, and tried swimming. The water was freezing. I finally found a spot that was secluded and shaded by some trees which was perfect. My body was too pale to endure a whole afternoon in the sun. I laid out my blanket.
After about a half an hour I figured it was now or never. So I slipped off my swimming trunks. It was a thrilling experience even though no one noticed. I decided to get a little bolder, grabbed my backpack, and walked naked to the edge of the water. A couple of girls passed me, glanced at my dick, and smiled. I smiled back. Could they tell I was embarrassed?
I headed back to my secluded spot, only to find that there was now another person who had set their blanket next to mine. It was a girl: specifically, it was the Asian girl from that family I had noticed earlier. She was very pretty, but also very clothed. As I approached my blanket I instinctively covered myself with my backpack. Then I sat down on my blanked crossed legged and took a swig of water.
I looked over to my right and the girl was looking at me.
I smiled and said "hi," wondering if she and I could even converse.
"Hello," she said, "My name is Adele. Do you mind if I sit next to you? There aren't many shady spots at the beach." Her English was perfect and sounded slightly British. It turned out the family was visiting from Singapore.
"No, sure, of course, that's fine," I stammered, as the thought penetrated that I was fully naked and this girl was sitting next to me. She was also sitting cross legged and positioned herself to face me. Which kind of compelled me to do the same.
It turned out that she was 18, a year a younger than me, and she was checking out UBC for next year. She asked me if I came here often, and I told her truthfully, that I had never been here and was curious to see what it would be like.
"I find it quite amazing," she said in her clipped accent. "Singapore is a very conservative country. To see so many people - especially boys and men - openly naked is very surprising."
Especially boys and men.
"Yes, it is for me too," I said.
"I'm glad you had the courage to get undressed," she said.
I smiled. "Glad to help," I joked with a little boy bravado. "Do you plan to undress as well?"