Nude Beach Etiquette

One of the coves in Cabo de Gata

Growing up, I learned a lot of etiquette. From my parents, from TV, in university, and at work. Traveling around I've been exposed to cultural differences with regards to etiquette. For example, in the states, people usually order their own meals, and eat from their own plates, however in many countries, communal dishes are ordered and shared, sometimes eating with the hands. In fact, it would be rude to want a plate for yourself. In the last few days, I have been made aware of my ignorance in a whole new area: nude beach etiquette.



Much of it is common sense, and the same things you would follow if you were on a clothed beach. Don't stare, no unauthorized photography, no sexual activity... But then there are things I'm not clear on. Like, how do you appropriately start a conversation with someone you haven't arrived with? Is it OK to ask someone to put sunscreen on your back while in the nude? When approaching a someone that is sitting, do you approach from the front, the side, or the rear, since they will be eye level with your gender-specific anatomy? If invited to sit, do you sit facing the person or sit sideways? What do you do when the sun gleams off of a non-traditional piercing? Do you comment on the choice of stud, or the color of the stone? These are things that I never would have thought of but in the past week, I have had to make decisions. Here's a quick story:

I was walking along a mountainous coast in the Cabo de Gata national park in the region of Almeria, Spain. There are a number of popular beaches that have lots of people, and many women are topless (a very common thing throughout Europe), and when you get down towards the end of the beach, people are starting to get nude. These are fairly standard beaches though, and I was looking for a nice secluded area to sleep, read, and write. I had heard there were a number of beautiful coves along the coast, so I  continued up the mountain. I went by one cove where there were probably 25 people, and crystal blue water. There were some kids playing, so I kept going, looking for something quiet. Up the mountain along it's rocky path I passed a tiny cove that seemed impossible to reach from my location. Around one peak, and beginning to descend, I saw my paradise. A nice sandy beach, stretching about 100m from end to end, in between two steep, rocky mountains, and crystal clear water. But wait, what's that? Three very attractive 20-somethings frolicking naked on the shoreline? Well, I wasn't about to let them stop me from enjoying my paradise. So I decided to go down and plant myself in the sand.

My paradise for a day in Cabo de Gata

When I got down there, I saw another couple tucked close to the cliff-side also in the nude. Well, what's a man to do? I stripped down and went for a swim. After taking sun for about 30 minutes, I decided to put on sunscreen. Last week I had forgotten to do so and got fairly burned, this time, I was prepared. The only problem is, it's kind of hard to put sunscreen on your own back. What's a man to do? I had already made eye contact with the girls, and they hadn't seemed threatened at all, so I walked over, sunscreen in hand and an apologetic look on my face (a tactic that has worked time and again since I am usually alone at the beach!)  and asked if one of them would put sunscreen on my back. With a smile they said sure, made space for me on the blanket and with a gentle expertise one of them applied sunscreen on my whole back. We ended up chatting for about 10 minutes before I broke contact to go sunbathe.

In the end, it was a very natural encounter, that had no sexual underpinnings or innuendos - things that often come up when people are clothed. I'm not turning into a nudist or anything, but I have a new found respect for the practice. Now for the 70 year old man that goes around cleaning up the beach: kudos for being a good Samaritan, but please don't bend over so close to where we sit, that's just bad etiquette!