When I was sixgroup one of my mates, Tony, suggested we go and have a look at the local nude beach. Not having seen a real live naked woman before I quickly agreed and we set off.
When we got there we took up a position where we could see everyone on the beach, but we were hidden by trees. I was not comfortable with this and said we should go down onto the beach and sit in the crowd. Tony said that would be 'too weird' so we stayed hidden for about twenty minutes, and I saw my first naked woman (and my fiftieth, all on the one day).
Walking home Tony asked, 'What do you think makes people want to go nude on a beach?'
I said I wasn't sure, but there must be something to it otherwise why would there be so many people on an out of the way beach. However, in the back of my mind was a thought that maybe I would like to try, but would I have the nerve.
The thought continued to grow and like most novices I started sleeping nude when possible, and wondering around the house nude when the opportunity arose. This had me becoming more comfortable nude, but the thought had grown to a desire to try the nude beach.
So, six weeks after my first visit I was back at the beach determined that I would be nude in the sunshine. I laid out my towel, took off my shirt and shorts, but could not go any further. I could not tell myself to take off my Speedo's - so I sat there hoping for inspiration.
Over an hour later I still had not progressed, when three females, only a few years older than me, laid out their towels next to me and moments later were naked. After a few minutes, one of the females turned to me and said, 'This a nude beach - only the perverts sit down here in their Speedo's.'
'I'm sorry,' I said. 'This is a new experience for me and I'm nervous about being nude.'
'Get over it,' she said. 'There is probably a 120 penises on this beach, why would yours be special. If you are not going to be nude you probably shouldn't be here.'
Her friends where nodding in approval, so I got up and went for a swim hopeful of finding courage to drop my swimmers. It didn't come - I packed up my things and headed home.
Later that afternoon my femalefriend, Anna, asked me where I had been during the day. I told her roughly where I had been when she asked, 'Have you been down there with Tony perving on the nude females again?'
'No, I was trying to find out what it is like being nude on the beach?'
'What? Were you down there nude?' she asked.
'No, I not could convince myself to drop my pants.'
'Well, maybe we can try again tomorrow,' she said.
'What?'
'Tomorrow morning you, and I, go to the beach and try for an all over tan. Maybe if you have some support you will be a brave guy.'
So the next morning the two of us walked around the pathway to the beach, as with every step the butterflies grew in my stomach. We climbed down onto the beach and took up position near the middle at the high tide mark.
The beach is small by any standards at about 40 metres long, and five metres of sand at high tide. With the 20 or so naked people, it suddenly seemed very crowded. We laid out our towels and dressed down until I was in my swimming costume and Anna in her pink bikini.
'Are you going to take those off?' she said.
'I'm going wait awhile, I'm a bit unsure at the moment.'
'OK, we can lie here and talk.'
Anna then laid face down and we chatted about all the things groupagers wander over, discussing who of our friends were likely to become couples, which couples were breaking up and our plans for the rest of the summer holidays.
Anna then asked me to undo the ties of her bikini top and the conversation continued as it had before. Soon after she lifted onto her elbows revealing the profile of a lightly tanned breast, though the tan lines of her bikini stood in contrast.
We continued talking and people continued to file onto the beach, and a real crowd was starting to form. There were also a considerable number of yachts and motor boats taking up moorings in the bay. Some of these boats had only one man on board, while others had entire families on board, including some with adults the same age as Anna and I. The common theme was that nearly all on board were naked.
Anna suggested a swim and jumped to her feet leaving her bikini top lying on the towel. I must have shown my surprise, as she grabbed my hand and said, 'Come on slow poke, get into the water.' I had no choice and we were soon up to our belly buttons in the water.
'Peter, have you noticed we are the only two people on the beach wearing costumes?' she said.
'Yes, but...'
'Why don't we take them off in the water and swim around for a while and see how we feel?'
'Yes, but...'
There was no argument - Anna had her bikini bottom off in one motion and was then tugging at the side of my swimmers.
'It's OK I can do this myself'. So I did and for the first time, since I was two years old, I was naked in public.
We frolicked in the water, pushing each other under, hanging off the anchor lines of the moored boats, and diving for the bottom. The water was cool, as it always is in the weeks before Christmas but the heat of the day more than made up for the small chill getting in. Visibility under water, without mask and snorkel, was reasonable, but only really clear enough to see where rock and sand joined, we could not see any detail such as fish and coral that would have been evident with some equipment.
While swimming, I had hung our swimmers around my neck, so they did not accidentally disappear, and we always stayed in at least waist depth water. Anna appeared completely at ease in the water, flashing her bottom every time she glided underwater. I was not that comfortable, but the veil of water provided some security. Eventually we decided it was time to get out. I slipped my swimmers back on to leave the water and Anna gave me a look of pained despair, but she put her bottoms back on and we went and laid back on our towels.
I towelled off, and re-laid my towel to lie in the sun. Anna just dropped down on her towel, rung the water from her long blonde hair, and laid back.
'Are you comfortable? I mean, topless in front of all these people,' I mumbled.
'Yeah, why? Is it a problem?'
'No, not at all. Just asking, that's all'.
'Well relax a bit, topless on a nude beach is no big deal. It's not like keeping your swimmers on would be.'
'I'm not comfortable out of the water. Not just yet'.
'Don't worry about it, I'm just ribbing you. Can you get my water bottle out and hair brush out of my beach bag?' she asked.
I had to stand to get her stuff out and when I had found the drink bottle, I turned to find Anna slipping out of her bikini and stretching out on her beach towel.
'Are you comfortable? I mean, nude in front of all these people', I said.
'Yeah, why? Is it a problem?'
'No, not at all. Just asking, that's all'.
'Well relax a bit, nude on a nude beach is no big deal. It's not like keeping your swimmers on would be.'
'I'm getting the point,' I said
I looked up, I looked down, I looked all around, and I was the only person on the beach that was not nude. What where my options - I handed Anna her drink, sat down, slipped off my costume and immediately rolled onto my stomach.
Anna giggled and I said 'What's funny - I'm naked aren't I.'
'Yes, but I've never seen anyone with such a white bum!'
Then I noticed the area that had been covered by Anna's bikini bottom was the same light tan as her breasts, and the penny finally dropped.
'You've been here before haven't you!'
'Yes, with Mum, Dad and my sister many times, but I wouldn't come here on my own.'
'So you have an all over tan?'
'Yeh - we tend to not worry much about clothes around the house or around the pool.'
'So your adult would be nudists then?'
'Yes, they are and so are you now!'
And I have been ever since.