Myrtle Beach newspaper article on Skinnydip

[Cheri]

The Nekkid Truth
Clothing not an option as local skinny dippers try to break record
BY Chris Knauss - For Weekly Surge


• The art of skinny dipping
Want to learn more about Whispering Pines?
The Nudist Resort is at 1114 Sun Street in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.,
about 15 miles north of North Myrtle Beach. For more information, call
(910) 287-6404 or visit www.whisperingpinesnudistresort.com
Another skinny dip road trip:
Whispering Pines isn't the only nudist resort within driving distance
of the Grand Strand. Cedar Creek Resort, located near the rural
Lexington County town of Pelion in the Midlands, will also be hosting
an open house and skinny-dip on Saturday. This park also hosts a
nudist music festival in September known as (what else?) Nudestock.
www.cedarcreekpark.com.
Skinny dipping is a time-honored tradition of summer.
For generations, people have escaped from the blazing heat by shedding
clothes and inhibitions and jumping into the nearest convenient body
of water completely naked.
Or, to use the more down-home spelling, nekkid.
In most places, including the Grand Strand, you can't legally skinny
dip in public because it's against the law, so people who want the
nekkid-swimming experience have to either do it in private or get the
minor thrill of hitting the ocean or the pool in the buff after dark,
hoping nobody calls Johnny Law.
For one day only, however, the general public is being invited to take
it all off and jump in the pool.
On Saturday, the Whispering Pines Nudist Resort in Ocean Isle Beach,
N.C., about 25 miles north of Myrtle Beach, will host its second
annual World Record Skinny Dip event.
The resort participated in the inaugural event, held in 2009, when
13,648 people at locations around the United States simultaneously
stripped down and hit the water for an event sponsored by the American
Association for Nude Recreation (www.aanr.com/skinny-dip.html). The
event was officially recognized by Guinness World Records. This year,
organizers are hoping to break that record, and folks who want to try
skinny-dipping for themselves are invited to Whispering Pines for the
attempt. The event coincides with National Nude Recreation Week (July
5-11), and is billed as an effort to promote "wholesome, happy skinny
dipping as an American tradition."
The rules for enjoying the world-record dip are simple.
"You have to bring a towel because you need something to sit on and
something to dry off with, some sunscreen, and other than that a
smile," said Whispering Pines owner John Frick, who is also a full-
time resident at the resort.
The 2009 event drew more than 260 dippers to Whispering Pines, which
has been open for more than 35 years.
Just like last year, the resort is also hosting an open house on the
day of the record dip. Visitors can come through the gates without
paying a fee starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, meet members, and enjoy
activities including volleyball, horseshoes, shuffleboard and walking
trails.
Just because it's a nudist resort doesn't mean visitors have to shed
their clothes as soon as they enter, Frick said. They can stay clothed
all day if they prefer, unless they want to take part in the skinny-
dip itself, which takes place at 3 p.m.
Even then, shy people can jump into the pool with swimsuits on.
However, once the dip itself takes place, they'll need to shed the
suit and hold it over their heads to prove they are really and truly
skinny-dipping.
In order to certify the record, everyone who participates has to
register and be counted. The numbers are what count. Photographs will
be taken, but camera-shy people can turn their backs if they don't
want their face shown.
Last year's event drew dippers from around the Carolinas and
Southeast, and from as far away as Pennsylvania and Florida, Frick
said. He noted ages ranged from young adults in their early 20s to
retirees in their 70s, and he estimated more than half of participants
were first-time visitors to the resort. More than a few have been back
for repeat visits, he said. The resort is open year-round and offers
rental RVs, plus RV hookups and campsites.
"The skinny dip event is a fun idea to get people to come out and
learn there's a great way to relax, de-stress and get back to
innocence, and it's right here in your backyard," said Cheri
Alexander, a Columbia resident who participated in the 2009 event.
The draw of the dip
What is it about skinny-dipping that is so exciting - or even taboo?
For people who never strip all the way down unless they're stepping
into the shower, there is, of course, the thrill of the forbidden. For
others who make skinny dipping a regular part of their life, however,
it's simply a great way to relieve stress.
Alexander first skinny-dipped on a vacation to Martinique. The trip
included a visit to a "clothing-optional" beach.
"I initially said I'll go, but I won't disrobe," Alexander said. "I
was the last person to disrobe and the last person to put my clothes
back on, and ended up thinking 'Why didn't I know about this a long
time ago?'"
That experience changed Alexander's life. She now is a proud nudist
who lives her life according to the mantra "nude when possible,
clothed when practical."
Alexander is also the founder, owner and coordinator of Travelites, a
"non-landed" social nudist club based in Columbia, with a membership
of more than 100 people from around the state and the U.S. Members
regularly meet up for outings, recreation and special events, and many
will be at Whispering Pines for Saturday's event. (The club's name is
a play on the phrase "traveling light," Alexander said.)
You don't have to be a nudist to enjoy skinny-dipping, Alexander said,
although she said there are some people who might attend the event and
decide to become "real card-carrying nudists."
An event like the world record skinny-dip can simply be a way for
people to have fun, relax and maybe become more comfortable with who
they are, she said.
"A lot of people regularly swim naked in their own pools or in a creek
somewhere and think nothing of it," she said. "This event is just a
way to let Americans know it's OK to swim naked. They can have fun
once they realize they're OK with their body."
Steve (who is proud of being a nudist, but asked not to use his last
name because some members of his family disapprove) a Travelites
member from Holden Beach, N.C., said last year's world record dip was
the first such event he's ever attended, although he's been interested
in nudism since he was a young man growing up in the Midwest.
He said skinny-dipping with the crowd at Whispering Pines was a way
for him to do something he'd often thought about, but might never have
dared if it wasn't for the friendliness of other people who showed up.
Seeing others "take the plunge," literally, is what leads many people
to finally try it.
"It's so utterly pleasant," he said. "I was surprised how comfortable
I felt."
Bare naked and busted
Want to swim naked but don't have the time or the bravery to head up
to Whispering Pines? If you want the skinny dipping experience
anywhere along the Grand Strand, you've got to do it in private. Your
own swimming pool or hot tub, on private property, is the best way to
go.
Virtually every municipality in Horry and Georgetown counties, and in
Brunswick County, N.C., has public nudity laws that, in essence, state
that any area usually covered by a bathing suit can't be displayed in
public.
The City of Myrtle Beach, for instance, bans public nudity "on any of
the streets, avenues, alleys, parks, beaches, or any other part of the
pubic property within the corporate limits." The city's indecent
exposure law forbids any person from "intentionally" appearing in any
public place "in such a state of dress or undress so as to expose to
the view of others the human male or female genitals, pubic area,
pubic hair, buttocks, anus, vulva or any portion of the female breast
at or below the areola thereof." The public nudity laws in North
Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Conway, Horry and Georgetown counties,
Pawleys Island and Georgetown contain pretty much the same wording.
These laws, of course, are frequently disobeyed by fun-loving tourists
and locals alike, usually fueled by some sort of adult beverage. Most
public skinny dippers wait until nightfall to hit the ocean or the
hotel pool. If they get caught, they face a Class C misdemeanor and
will generally have to appear in court and pay a fine.
Either most people don't skinny-dip in Myrtle Beach, or they're really
good at not getting caught. Between June 30, 2009, and June 30 of this
year, seven people were cited for indecent exposure by the city. Six
of them were wearing swimsuits that were too small, according to Mark
Kruea, public information officer for the City of Myrtle Beach.
Shedding misconceptions, along with clothes
Whether people shed their clothes for the Whispering Pines event or
just for a quick dip in the backyard pool, they're most likely looking
for fun, relaxation and a little freedom, enthusiasts say. An innocent
dip does not automatically lead to activities more suitable for
Penthouse magazine, despite what critics might think.
The biggest misconception about nudists, according to Frick and other
skinny-dip veterans, is that just because they don't wear clothes,
they must spend all their time engaged in some sort of Roman orgy.
"Some people mistakenly think it's like a swingers club, with hanky-
panky going on, but that's not it at all," Frick said. "That's
definitely not what we're about. People who come here believe in
family. On a weekend, you'll see people watching fireworks, playing
volleyball. People here do all same activities they'd do at any other
park, except they're naked while they do it."
Visitors to Whispering Pines also won't have to worry about people
staring at them, making lewd comments or inappropriate advances, Frick
said. That kind of conduct goes against all the rules of the nudist
culture, and will get you kicked out before you can get a foot in the
water.
Many people who feel the urge to skinny dip somehow feel they're doing
something illicit and dirty because American culture has a twisted
concept of nudity, enthusiasts say. Images of scantily clad actresses
and pop stars are everywhere, sex is advertised everywhere, but the
idea of someone not wearing clothes while they swim or hang out around
the house somehow becomes a taboo.
"Most people in general link nudity to sex, and that is the most
widely held misconception," Alexander said. "At events like the skinny
dip, profanity and inappropriate touching are not welcome. You should
act just like you would at your church picnic." That would surely be
an interesting church picnic.
Some people may also be reluctant to shed their clothes and take a dip
because of body image issues. Regular dippers agree across the board
that wash-board abs are not the norm for the folks who show up at
Whispering Pines, and a few scars, stretch marks or love handles won't
be noticed and won't be criticized.
Alexander said the freedom of skinny-dipping often makes people,
especially women, feel better about their bodies.
"It's not about looking and being looked at," she said. "You will find
people of all sizes, shapes and colors."
Conway resident Art Johnson, who participated in the 2009 event, said
he first skinny-dipped on "a deserted beach in Okinawa" 45 years ago,
and said he'd never wear a bathing suit again.
"Many people have distorted feelings of body awareness, and the
general public might think that people who participate in nudism have
perfect bodies, but something like the skinny dip is for people of all
ages and all walks of life," Johnson said. "The best advice I can give
to people is try it, you might like it!"


http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/07/08/1574518/cover-story.html#ixzz0t7SYTzOR