A good swim can leave you with more than wet hair. Sometimes it brings a new friendship, a funny memory, or the discovery that water feels wonderful without a swimsuit getting in the way.
These stories celebrate those experiences, from a first tentative dip to a favorite afternoon with friends. Private backyard pools and local group swims are part of the picture, but a good swimming story can come from anywhere. What interests us is what happened, how it felt, and what you remember afterward.
If you’re curious but haven’t tried nude swimming, someone else’s experience may help you imagine your own. That doesn’t mean every story needs a life-changing conclusion. An awkward introduction, an unexpected laugh, or one thoroughly enjoyable swim can make a story worth telling.
Have an experience to share? We’d love to hear what surprised you, what made you comfortable, or what you wish you’d known beforehand. A few sentences or a couple of paragraphs are welcome, and photographs aren’t necessary. Tell it in your own words—sometimes the best story is simply about having a good time in the water.
My First Real Swim
As a kid, I never got to experience the simple joy of skinny dipping. My parents wouldn’t have allowed it; my mother barely let me go without a shirt unless I was swimming. Even then, I hated wearing swimsuits.
Somehow, though, she allowed me to start sleeping without pajamas or shorts. I’m still a little surprised by that, but I knew how much better it felt without fabric binding, pulling, or twisting around me while I tried to sleep. I suspected swimming would feel better without it, too. We didn’t have a pool, so I had no opportunity to find out until after I left home.
I joined the Air Force in 1981, and after finishing my training, I joined a nudist resort in the spring of 1982. I’d been curious for years, and the thing I most looked forward to was finally swimming without a swimsuit.
Naturally, my first visit happened to be pool-cleaning weekend. Instead of swimming nude, I helped clean the pool nude. It wasn’t quite the grand first swim I’d imagined, LOL!
The following weekend, I finally got into the water. After all that anticipation, what struck me was how simple it was. Nothing dramatic happened; there was no lightning bolt or grand ceremony. I was swimming, just without that little piece of cloth—and the difference amazed me. The water felt more direct, my body felt freer, and there was nothing to tug at or adjust. I could simply enjoy the swim.
Afterward, I never wanted to wear a swimsuit again, and I haven’t. More than forty years later, I still find it remarkable how much better swimming feels without something I was taught was necessary. For me, the swimsuit was never the best part of swimming. It was the thing in the way.
David