By Jay S., SCNA member

Picture this: A 3/4 mile stretch of beautiful, white sanded beach; plenty of cheap ($4) parking; bathroom facilities; lifeguard stations; refreshments -- even chair and umbrella rentals -- all within the limits of the city and easily accessible.

Well, it isn’t a dream at all. It’s Haulover Beach, a legal nude beach in North Miami Beach. What the farsighted folks in Miami did was take a stretch of their famous beach that had been sparsely utilized, put up a small wooden fence on either end with signs warning ominously: “Nude Bathers may Be Encountered Beyond This Point,” and turn it into a little piece of naturist heaven right here on earth.

I went to Haulover four times during my ten-day visit to South Florida in mid September. The weather cooperated as the hurricane missed Florida and actually brought in less humid weather than typical at that time of year.

Seven years ago, when I last visited, the group that got the beach legalized (I forgot its name) had a little tent with literature on nudism and other info on their efforts, along with guidelines on how to act properly on a nude beach. Well, I guess it’s a sign of just how routine and accepted this beach has become that they were nowhere to be seen this time.

I had forgotten just how beautiful and convenient it is to visit. I had become all too used to procrastinating about going to nude beaches in Southern California, because we in Los Angeles can choose only a monstrous drive down the 5 or 405 some 80 miles to San Onofre, or an even longer trip to More Mesa north of Santa Barbara. But here it’s really easy to get naked on a beach; one that is so accessible that no procrastination is necessary.

All you have to do is head out (either North or South) on I- 95, get off and go east on Route 826 (163rd Street), turn right onto famous Collins Avenue (a.k.a. Route A1A) and look for the hard-to-see sign on the right a few streets south –and there you are– at a convenient, clean nude beach in the heart of civilization, with no harrowing climb down steps carved-in to a mountain. What a pleasure! On weekdays, the beach obviously has less people than on weekends and you can arrive at any time of the day (people were arriving a 6 p.m. as I was leaving) and still be assured of a parking spot. But on weekends, you better get there by 11 a.m. or you may have to walk a ways from another lot. There are regulars and many people seemed to know each other. Yet everyone seemed friendly. As I waded into the 88-degree water, a woman noticing my very white body yelled out that she hoped I was using high SPF suntan lotion. I responded that I was, except on my back, which I couldn’t reach. She promptly offered to apply some lotion to my back as we exited the water, an offer I gratefully accepted. How much friendlier can you get?

I also met people from all over the U.S. who were visiting. Most were nudists, but others were just there because they had heard about it and wanted to give it a try. As for gawkers, there were some in evidence, walking back and forth. But to me this seems a lot less intrusive that those who perch out on the cliffs here in California, often with binoculars in hand. As you can probably tell from the tone of the article, I highly recommend a visit to Haulover if you are going to be in South Florida.