Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Technology Against Privacy

There are a variety of technologies that are having an impact, or will soon have an impact, on the privacy of nudists. In photography, it is illegal to take (or at least publish) someones picture if they have a 'reasonable expectation of privacy'. (See this site, 'Private Facts' section.) Nudists have that expectation, but technology has been creeping closer and closer to show private things to the world. Presented here is a list of technologies that you should know about, what impact it may have, and what you can do about it.


World Brain
Some people call it the 'world brain', but it is commonly called Google. The apparent idea behind Google is to collect all of the world's information and make it searchable and accessible. They like to collect and cache the entire web, including blogs, finance info, images, news, patents, products, business info, academic publications, videos, code, and physical books that aren't even online to begin with. Google willingly offers to collect and host your email, events, conversations, photos, videos, groups, RSS feeds, documents, notes, blog posts, web site, custom homepage, and even your medical records. They'll gladly proxy your internet connection and crawl through your computer for you. In fact, it knows just about everything on earth (and beyond). I like the fact that my entire life is archived and searchable, I'd just prefer that it wasn't online and accessible to others! Google isn't the only one doing this, but they are the biggest example.


Impact: You have an identity online, and if you participate in nudist websites or groups using that identity, others might be able to find out.


What you can do: Keep multiple identities and keep things separate. It's difficult! Or, just be an open nudist and let others find out.

Google Maps / Earth
(Click all images for full-resolution. Pictured is the Terra Cotta Inn.) As you know, Google offers a map service that includes Satellite images. The resolution (pictured) is pretty good for cities and some other areas, but is horrible for most rural areas. Even in the best images people can't be seen and cars can't be identified.

Impact: None, yet. Future images will likely be higher resolution.

Windows Live Maps
They aren't actually 'live' as the name implies, but they have good-resolution imagery for all of the US and some other countries. People still can't be identified, but cars might be. (Pictured is the Mazo beach parking lot.)

Impact: None, yet. Future images will likely be higher resolution.

Webcams
The world is full of webcams -- just take a look at the EarthCam index. There are many cruise ships that have webcams on them as well. Luckily, Bare Necessities hasn't booked any cruises on ships with webcams so far, and there are no known webcams at nudist venues or nude beaches.

Impact: None yet, but new ones pop up all the time.

Google Street View

Since the satellite pictures can't get close enough, Google decided to take pictures from the street. Pictured here is the entrance to Sun Ray Hills. Most roads are covered in the US, especially around bigger cities. Luckily, most nudist venues seclude themselves from street view, and most nude beaches are far enough from the road where people can't be identified. However, the street view might clearly show you or your car in the parking lot of a venue or beach. By chance, it may also capture you as you enter the door.

Impact: Street view might indicate that you are entering or at a nudist venue or beach.

What you can do: See what Google shows, and file a complaint or lawsuit if it shows you at a nudist venue. This infringes on our reasonable expectation of privacy, and Google should not show that you attend a nudist venue without your permission.

Windows Live, Bird's Eye View.

Now is when things get questionable... To compete with Google's street view, Microsoft decided to fly planes and capture a "bird's eye view" with pretty good resolution. (Click the images -- first is VVRC, second is Cyprus Cove.) You can see people, and you can easily identify campers and cars. Plus, this doesn't stop at the street -- it's a close view into private property! This view covers a surprising amount of the US.

Impact: People can clearly see your car, and RV/camper, even when inside nudist venues.

What you can do: Same as with Google street view, if you think your car or camper can be identified by others. Try a take-down notice first.

Cameras
They have always been a problem for nudists, and many venues do a pretty good job of keeping them out. But it's shifting to more of a trust-based system, because cameras are getting tiny. Cell phones now have cameras that are higher resolution than my SLR, and the functionality of the phone almost requires them to slip past the gates so people don't miss important phone calls.

Because of the tiny size, spycams can be placed anywhere. This is a big threat to nudist venues! Don't believe me? Then check out this baseball cap with an embedded video camera. Everything is in the cap, and is wirelessly beamed far enough to reach your backpack. Luckily, it's still well beyond the budget of most perverts, but give it time...

For something more in-budget, PDA's and cell phones connect wirelessly to the internet or to each-other and have integrated cameras. Software has been made to turn them into remotely accessible webcams. If someone leaves their cell phone sitting somewhere, it might be doing more than just sitting!

Another problem is GPS integration into cameras and cell phones. Images that are taken are automatically geotagged with the GPS data showing exactly where the picture was taken. (You'll see why this is an issue next...)

Impact: Has always been a big issue, but geotagged high-resolution pics from tiny cameras that everyone has make things worse. Spycams are small enough to hide anywhere, and even an innocent cell phone can become one.

What you can do: Venue owners should have a no-cameras policy, or have a dedicated area where cell phones can be used (check messages, make calls, etc.) Everyone needs to be very careful about people taking pictures. Approach them if they are taking pics, and ask them to delete them and leave. If photos are published without your permission, take legal action. For spycams, devices exist that detect the wireless transmission, or that find cameras by looking for the reflection of the lens. Check into any conspicuous PDA's or cell phones laying around.

Flickr Maps


You may think that pictures can get lost in the shuffle, but then a new tool comes along to sort them out. Flickr is somewhat aggressive in figuring out where pictures were taken. They look at tags, comments, the title, and geotag data embedded in the image from the camera. Then, of course, people can search by location. Zoom in to your local nudist venues to see what pictures were taken there. Google's street view and Microsoft's bird's eye view get close to the action, but Flickr gives you a high-resolution look at private property and private situations.

Impact: Pictures can no longer get lost in the shuffle -- any that were ever taken at a location (and are on Flickr with location-specific information) are shown.

What you can do: Same as with cameras. Check the Flickr Map to see if any have been taken of you in the places you've been.

Polar Rose
You may not know about this one, but it's certainly another big privacy-busting service. This service is a Firefox plugin that detects people in pictures. If people know the person in the picture, they can tag a name to them. Then, Polar Rose uses face recognition technology to identify that person in all future photos. For example, someone tags John Smith in their family reunion picture. Later on, someone else cruising Flickr maps sees that picture of four people in the nudist hot tub, and Polar Rose happily points out John Smith. That's not good!

Going a step further, entering "John Smith" in the search box at Polar Rose's website results in showing every picture on the web in which John Smith has been recognized. Your work or family might not stumble upon your nude pictures and recognize you, but Polar Rose will, and it's only a search-box away.

Impact: Currently not much since it's still being developed, but will get much bigger over time. Search your name from time to time to see what comes up.

What you can do: Unless your an open nudist, don't post photos of yourself online. Polar Rose claims that it will have privacy functions and an adult content filter, but I wouldn't trust them. Another big concern is photos being taken of you. A wide shot at the beach, or the Google street view image could still show you well enough for Polar Rose to figure out who you are.

Update: This functionality is being rolled into Google's Picasa and Facebook. As I said before, it's getting bigger all the time!


There are lots of neat things going on, but sometimes they unknowingly intrude on our privacy. It's better to know about these advances, and prepare for them, than discover them when it's too late. It's quickly becoming more and more difficult to hide our nudist side (if we choose to) from family, friends, and work. If you'd like to continue, be very careful. Otherwise technology might make your nudism public. It would be nice to continue having the option of privacy, but we're slowly losing it to things beyond our control.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Australia Story (p10), FBA Recap

Below is the email that I sent to the FBA (Free Beaches Australia) just before I left Australia in December 2006. I resent it again during the summer of 2007 to a different address of theirs. I don't know if anyone read it, and if they did they never replied. Cruising their website shows that they didn't change anything based on what I said. It's a shame really, because it's good feedback. It might not've inspired them, but it inspired me. Not long after I got back, I started this blog and worked towards the WWNCW idea.

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FBA
,

Since I used your site as an excellent source of information, I figure I should do my part to help out and provide feedback and advice regarding the beaches I have visited. Please read this write-up, since it ends with some very good recommendations that could change the future for the better.

I am from the USA, and I've spent the last 5 months as a student in Townsville. During my stay, I wanted to visit as many nude beaches as I could, since my home area climate limits these activities to only a few months. Besides, the beaches here are far nicer than anything I have at home! However, to my disappointment, I found that there are no legal nude beaches in Queensland. (There aren't any at home either, and I was hoping to finally get to visit a legal one.)

Here are the beaches I visited, and my impression (or review) of them. Lastly, I conclude with recommendations for safer beaches and to perhaps finally get some declared as legal. Feel free to add this information to the site, or forward it to anyone else who may be interested.

Townsville Area -- Shelly Beach:
This certainly is an ideal secluded nude beach. At the time of my visit it was all men, and a small group of them were beginning a sexual act. It's a large beach, and also appears somewhat popular. Everyone there at the time was nude, and no tourists seem to make it out that far. This one is a keeper (see below).

Magnetic Island -- Horseshoe Bay:
A few people of both genders were there at the time of my visit. A few clothed tourists make it out that far as well. About half of the people in the area were clothed. In addition, it is along the route for "Bluey's Horseriding". The area is in a great location, and you can drive almost all the way to it. I believe this one is slowly being lost to the tourists.

Magnetic Island -- Balding Bay:
With all the hype in the tourist guides, the tourists seem to be flooding to this one. There was only one couple at the side of the beach that were nude, and the rest were all clothed tourists. I can imagine that this one used to be great, but is quickly fading.

Magnetic Island -- Rocky Bay:
This one is absolutely great! It is the only one I've seen that has a sign declaring it as an unofficial nude beach. No tourists go there, because they go to the popular easy-access beaches instead. (Plus, if they do hike down, they get the warning before they make it into the beach.) It is mostly used by the locals, which are people of both sexes and any age that are just looking to relax comfortably. In other words, it's not corrupted by gay men. It is not a busy beach either. Lastly, there are two sections separated by rocks, so it's easier to have a piece of beach to yourself. This one is certainly a keeper!

Fitzroy Island -- Nudey Beach:
This is perhaps the most legal you can get in Queensland, where is island is privately owned and the beach is declared as a nude beach. There is no way you could get arrested for nudity unless the owner personally calls in the police. Despite the clear indication that people may be nude there, many tourists went (including families with kids) and nobody was nude. This is sad really, because it's a great beach and in a great location. Perhaps it will be used more as a nude beach when people are able to spend the night there. (Currently, accommodation is closed due to cyclone damage.)

Cairns -- Buchans Point:
This one may be popular and busy, but it's very corrupt with gay man. I spent a couple hours there, and would guess that there were 3 women and about 30 men, almost all of which were nude. Come to find out, the part closer to the rock (the symbolic start of he nude area) is considered the non-gay area. Despite my location, during my visit I was hit on by 5 guys and attracted a peeping tom who was hiding in the bushes behind me. I also heard from a local that sex was common as well, and is perhaps the reason for occasional police action. This beach needs help!

Recommendations:
In my opinion, there are two very important parts to a successful nude beach: Signage and Responsibility.

Signs, either legally posted signs or graffiti, do two very important things. They declare a beach to be a nude beach (or clothing-optional). And, they act as a warning to people who accidentally get there. If somebody isn't comfortable with nudity, they will leave before getting to the beach instead of complaining about others being nude. (If there is no warning, they feel that they belong there and that the nudies are in the wrong for being like that.)
Case in point:
http://www.ballofdirt.com/entries/10654/206348.html
They went to Balding Bay and were disturbed by seeing nudity, and they didn't know that they had stumbled upon a nude beach. Signs could've prevented (or at least warned about) this scenario. My suggestion is to post and maintain signs for the nude beaches that you would like to keep or save. The one at Rocky Bay is great, and I wish all the beaches had one like that.

Responsibility is important to keep the beach clean. Corruption occurs in a simple process: Good people go there and get nude, perverts go there to see or "hook up with" good people, good people don't like it and leave...and the perverts are all that's left. The sad truth is that good people leave instead of telling the perverts to go away, because they don't feel responsible for the condition of the beach. I told the peeping tom at Buchans Point to go away, and he did -- he left the beach entirely.

For legal nude beaches, the owners or the police are the ones responsible, and they keep the beaches clean of perverts. Sometimes not though, such as with this case:
[link broken now -- was a news story about two girls who went to the legal nude beach at Darwin. They were constantly hit on, witness a sexual act on the beach, were stalked while in the showers, and finally caught people having sex on the hood of their car! Of course, they had an extremely bad experience and made sure to tell everyone about it!]
This is horrible publicity, and could've been avoided if someone responsible would've stepped in and told those perverts to go away. Also, this will hurt the beach's reputation and may cause it to lose it's legal status.

My suggestion for this is a little more complex. The goal is to have someone (or some group) feel responsible for maintaining the purity of the beach. On your website, under "threat of closure", one of them you say:

"Some of the regulars are forming a group called the MAN group 'Maslin Association of Naturists'. They are looking for volunteers to help patrol the beach to control inappropriate behaviour."

This is a great way to clean up a beach! However, why do they have to do the work of organizing and calling for volunteers themselves? This is a very positive form of teamwork that *you* should be providing the framework for!

My suggestion is that you start a collaboration environment for this purpose. Either a wiki, web forum, or at least a simple webpage. (I could help with this if needed, but any tech savvy person could do it.) List all of the beaches that are clothing-optional, and ask for volunteers or regulars to take responsibility for patrolling a beach. List the volunteers (probably using nicknames), and have them submit feedback about the beach (or update the wiki) every few months. That way, you have an up-to-date status about the condition of each beach, and know that people are actually there and keeping an eye on it. This will help *greatly* with keeping legal beaches clean, and cleaning up the more problematic beaches.

If you accept and implement my recommendations, I anticipate that there will be less negative publicity, less complaints, and more good people showing up to enjoy the beaches. If coordinated volunteers can maintain clean beaches, I expect that that government will have a better opinion about nude beaches and perhaps might even declare more as legal. (Remember that they are influenced the most by the complaints and bad publicity, and why should they declare a problematic beach as legal?)

Thank you for reading all this! :-) Feel free to ask me lots of questions, and I will help out as much as I can.

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There you have it, the conclusion of my long Australia Story series. There's a lot that I learned while I was over there, and each experience had a value all to it's own. The story acts as a manual for keeping beaches clean, and acts as a warning of what happens if we don't. I hope that all you readers have gotten some inspiration, or at least some laughs, out of the story I have shared.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Australia Story (p9), Rocky Bay Revisited


The end of my five month Australia 'vacation' was right around the corner, and I had time for one more trip as long as it was close. I also had a tent and sleeping bag by this time. The sleeping bag was a good blanket where I lived, so it had plenty of use. The $18 tent hadn't been used yet. I knew of the perfect place to get some use out of it.

The plan was simple: Camp out at my favorite beach -- Rocky Bay. It was the first nude beach I went to, and the only one with a sign to warn the textilers. It stays windy enough to blow away all the creepy crawlies, and wasn't far from civilization. With my first visit, I had already scoped out the perfect spot for a tent. It was sheltered by a tree and a large rock right at the back of the beach. (See image below...)


I loaded up my backpack for a night of camping, and took the bus to the ferry terminal. Once on the island, I walked to Picnic Bay which is next to Rocky Bay. On the way I noticed that there was a man sunning himself, probably uncomfortably, on the little rock in the first picture. Good, I thought, I'll have someone to talk to.

I had a big meal at Picnic Bay since I only had a few granola bars in my backpack to hold me over for the night. I hiked out to the beach, and found that I was alone there. I stripped down and laid on my towel for a while under the tree. I didn't want to be too overt, since the ferry was going through twice hourly and there was an occasional observer at the lookout point. Despite all that, this place was paradise! The cool sea breeze canceled out the blazing heat of the sun, and there were no insects or people around to bother me.

Camping is illegal in Australia, but is rarely enforced because the beaches are rarely patrolled. Camping here was a bit risky since the tent was visible from the ferry, assuming that they noticed it and cared enough to call the cops, and that the cops felt like hiking down the hill.

About an hour before sunset, I cleared fallen branches and pitched my tent under the tree and behind the big rock. I put rocks in all four corners of the tent and had my backpack in the corner where the wind was blowing from. I put on my clothes (just in case something happened, and to stay warmer) and crawled in after the sun went down.

The night sucked! The wind picked up and I was questioning the stability of my tent for the entire 11 hours of darkness. If I got any sleep that night, I didn't notice. The moon was bright and the scenery was beautiful, if only I wasn't getting sand-blasted. Tenting is always rough at night, so I didn't let it get me down. I was eagerly awaiting sunrise.

The first signs of light came when the wind died down. I already had my clothes off when I unzipped my tent. While putting on my shoes, half-way out of my tent, there was a thump about six feet in front of me. I looked up, startled, and saw a rock wallaby staring me in the face. We gazed at each-other for a moment, and it turned and hopped away. Wow! The wallaby was in the tree right above me, and I was just face-to-face with it. Nevermind the claws that it could've attacked me with -- I was amazed!

After I stood up, I looked around and could see wallaby tracks around in the sand all over the beach. I also looked around for people, before realizing that it was 6 in the morning. There probably wasn't anyone awake yet. So, I had fun with this.

I wondered all around the beach taking pictures. It was warm enough to be nude, but not too hot to stay out of the sun. I really enjoyed climbing around on the rocks that separated the halves of the beach. I've always enjoyed this, but doing it nude was so much more fun. Nobody was around to see me in this wide-open spot, and nobody could be offended by my liberal use of the camera. I only covered up and hid a bit as the ferry was going past. Once it was light enough, I took down the tent so I wouldn't risk getting in trouble.

By about 10am, I decided to start my journey back. My backpack was hanging in the tree, and I had just put my pants on when I saw a group of high-schoolers (1 guy, 2 girls, textilers) coming down the path and taking pictures with their cell phone cameras. They didn't take pictures of me, but probably would've if I was still nude. I thought it was odd that they were here -- it's really a place that you have to want to get to. There isn't an easy path, and it's out of tourist radar. (I later found out that high-school was out, and thousands went to Maggie to party as I was leaving.)

Clothing was unpleasant because it was quickly filled with sweat when I was out of the wind. This wasn't a problem on the beach due to the wind and the lack of clothing. When walking home, I also realized that my life was changed again. My parents and friends noticed a seemingly unexplained new interest in camping and being out in nature after I returned. Australia was the first place where nature was truly fun to be in. I've been hiking and camping as much as I can ever since.

This camping trip was the perfect closure to my time in Australia. Finally, I was able to really enjoy nature, and enjoy a picture perfect nude beach.


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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Australia Story (p8), Shelley Beach: Nature Takes Its Course



So why, exactly, did I decide to go to another gay nude beach? My goal was to at least see all that I could, and this was one that I hadn't seen yet. I handled the other creeps pretty well, so I figured I wouldn't have much trouble here.

I rode my bike to Pallerenda as far north as I could get, and hiked out to Shelley Beach. I knew that Shelley Beach, at some point, was blocked from easy access when the tide was high. I checked the tide predictions before I left, and timed it so that I wouldn't have to wait to get on, or be stuck on the beach. The place that acted as the 'gateway' also had a geocache, which I found while waiting for the tide to go down a bit further. There were a few clothed people around up until this point. This was a very long stretch of beach with many sections and with a sparse population -- just the way I like it. (The picture above shows the size, click for a bigger view. There was quite a bit more beach behind me as well.)

I continued on down the beach and noticed a few guys here and there and a few sets of clothes along the back and on the beach, but didn't think anything of it. It was a beautiful beach, and I wanted to hike all the way to the end before I found a place to disrobe and lay down. Mostly, I wanted to see if there were more people towards the end since the population had been so sparse.

It's a long hike, but I made it. I took in the view for a moment, then noticed a couple of men in the bush behind me. (In fact, it's been all men thus far, probably about 10 of them in total and all naked.) One of the men was touching themselves, and they appeared to be getting ready for something sexual. This wasn't the place for me at the moment! I started back.

So, where should I get naked? I couldn't decide, because I had two conflicting thoughts. First was that the men were all gay and I didn't want to be in the same section as them. Second was that I didn't want to be alone while nude. I kept walking, since no spot seemed like a good one.

In a section not far from the 'gateway', I stopped. I was right by a single set of clothes that were on and around a rock. The clothes looked somewhat fresh, but not within the last couple hours fresh. They were blown around a bit and the shoes had sand around them. I looked around, and saw some other clothing towards the back. I looked towards the ocean. There was absolutely nobody around here, and I was pretty sure everyone else had their clothing with them further down the beach. This is the moment when I got creeped out... I bet that people were here, went for a swim in the dangerous ocean, and never came back. Nobody would call the cops to investigate, because the cops would arrest the other nudies and patrol the beach. I remembered seeing several other sets of clothing with nobody around them in other parts of the beach.

I try not to think about that.

No nudity today -- I just went home. Later on I did have some regrets that I didn't go nude for a while. I'm fairly certain that none of the men would've bugged me, because they all kept to themselves pretty well. And even going nude alone wouldn't be so bad, because there were no textilers in the area. This was certainly the most secluded beach that I have ever been to. If I ever go back, I'd love to walk the whole length of the beach (beyond the 'gateway') nude.

I had time for one last trip before leaving Australia, and I knew exactly where I wanted to go.

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Saturday, April 5, 2008

Australia Story (p7), Buchans Point: The *Other* Wrong Side

(No picture this time -- I didn't take any at this location. I'll make up for it next time.)

My last day in Cairns, and I was on the most popular nude beach in the area. I unknowingly picked a spot in gay territory (see previous post), but have moved to the 'straight side' of the beach for the rest of the afternoon. The guys were still eyeing me up as they walked past, though. Whatever, I thought, as long as they don't bug me.

The back of the beach was divided up into sections by trees and brush. It's a slightly skinny beach, so most would walk along the ocean part and lay in the back part. To the right of me was some empty space and a group of men and one woman. To the left of me was the tree and some brush, some empty space, an attractive couple around my age, and some other groups beyond them. I couldn't help but glance over and see what they were up to from time to time. At one point, the woman went for a dip. This was the first time I had seen anything like this in real life, and it was truly a beautiful sight. It was the type of beauty that artists have been trying to capture for centuries.

After a few more men passed by there was a fully clothed woman, probably in her upper 20's, walking her dog. She had on a hat and sunglasses, and had a very unique grin on her face! After she walked by, I couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that she was checking out all the naked guys sprawled out along the beach.

Not long after, I noticed an older fully-clothed man approaching my area. He was short, wrinkled, and had a small hat and thick glasses. He looked up towards me and stopped before he got to my section. He wandered around as-if he didn't want to go past the brush and continue down the beach, and he eventually walked towards the back of the beach and into the brush after several minutes. He stood behind the tree and brush that separated the sections next to me. Strange, I thought... Wanting to keep an eye on him, I looked towards the couple and groups beyond without actually paying much attention to them, and would glance back every so often. When I did, he would often look towards the couple as well.

The man was a true voyeur! His face looked like a stereotypical voyeur, and he was dodgy and quiet like a voyeur! He was hiding in the bushes somewhat and was watching the attractive girl in the next section, but was also paying attention to me since I was closer to him. What a bastard -- I certainly wasn't going to ignore him.

I turned to the side and began watching him intently, with a small look of anger on my face. He was already looking at me when I started this. I watched him for a couple minutes, most of which he was looking back at me. I didn't see a camera, but was convinced that he might have one. He was over half hidden by the bushes. It was his move, and I was hoping that he would take the hint and leave.

He batted his eyebrows, and my world was turned upside-down. My eyes widened, and a chill went down my spine. I turned to face the ocean again, mostly to turn my back to him. I had suddenly realized that he wasn't voyeuring her -- he was voyeuring ME!

Take a moment and consider this situation... You're naked, and there's an old clothed guy hiding in the bushes behind you who's soul purpose is to watch you. He might be taking pictures -- or he might be masturbating -- but you are certainly the object of his desire. Does it make you uncomfortable? Heck yeah it does! This situation was deeply disturbing, even for me. Now what should you do about it? Put on your clothes and leave? Most women probably would (hence only three at the beach perhaps?), but I had a different approach.

First was to stay naked. He is obviously somewhat mesmerized by me, so I probably had more control over him while nude. Second was to destroy the film or memory on any camera -- I'm not mean enough to toss the whole camera into the water. (Besides, photos survive that, although the camera may not.) Third was to get backup, who just happened to be coming my way at that moment.

A big, tough, tattooed guy was walking past. Risky, I know, but I also know that most people are genuinely good. I got up to meet him, and said "Can you help me get rid of a voyeur?" He looked back and knew who I was talking about. He said, "sure, I'll tell him to piss off." I said, "I'll go with," which he replied "well just tell him yourself then" and continued walking. Thanks, man! I wanted to outnumber him when I approached him, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. I was standing anyway, so I might as well get it done with. I walked around the brush and back to where he was, and stopped about 15 feet away. He seemed delighted that I was approaching, and giving him a good view.

"Are you watching the lady over there or are you watching me?" I knew the answer, but wanted time to evaluate the situation. I didn't see a camera, and he didn't appear to be masturbating -- good! He didn't say a word, but brought up his hand and pointed at me with a smile. He was sitting on a log, and then patted an open seat next to him. "No thanks," there was no way that I'd get any closer. Sometimes I'm just too nice, "Can I ask you to buzz off?" He looked down for a moment, disappointed, and then nodded. I went back to my towel, hoping that he would leave. He did -- he completely left the beach, probably to return another day.

A heavy-set (clothed) man must've seen us talking as he was going down the beach. He asked "did he have a nice cock?" This was certainly an unexpected question, but I answered "I don't know, I didn't look." He said "oh, I thought he was wanking off back there" and kept walking. Despite my emotional stress of the last couple hours, the shock of his question almost made me laugh.

The rest of my evening was quiet. I was still completely disturbed and couldn't get the events out of my head, but I at least didn't get hit on anymore. I was still there and enjoying the beautiful day. As the sun got lower, I put on my clothes and started my hike back to the bus depot. By the end of that day, I thought the events were at least a little humorous. I survived a truly corrupt beach, and had to deal with some scummy people.

Next on my agenda is Shelley Beach, a close-to-home nude beach that is also known to be a gay beach. I apparently didn't learn anything today.

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