How to ask, How to say, It's OK

I'm writing this from an apartment we're renting in Oregon.  It's a VRBO, detached from the host's house on 40 acres of hilly, heavily wooded property.  Very secluded and private, accessible only by a long winding driveway through the woods.  I can image the hosts not bothering wearing anything, anywhere on the property on warm days when they don't have guests.  If so, renting out the apartment on nice days like this would be a real drag.  They're usually gone during the day on weekdays, but they sometimes show up out of the blue.  So other than sunning myself on the upstairs deck where I wouldn't be seen and being able to hear them when they come up the drive, we've kept ourselves covered up.

Poking around the VRBO and AirBnB sites you'll find very few references to naturist friendly offerings.  I suspect that more owners would welcome such use, if only so they didn't have to remain clothed themselves.  But it's probably a turn-off to many potential guests if it was even hinted that the option was available.  And it would probably be a turn-off to the majority of owners if guests outright asked "can we be nude here"?".

I suppose I could kid around with the hosts and say something along the lines:  "Your property is so secluded that it must be hard to wear clothes on warm days around here".  That would probably be taken as a bit odd, yet not direct enough to trigger a give and take about whether they really use it that way, and whether we'd be welcome to do the same.

Thinking about that, how would I hint that the option was available without turning off other guests, assuming I couldn't afford to rent to just naturists?  Perhaps I'd just mention in the paperwork at the time of rental that the property is completely private and though we'd normally be casual about being undressed, that we'd remain clothed unless we were told it's OK for us not to be.  But that you, of course, are free to dress or undress to the level of your comfort here, anytime.  I suspect some guests would tell the owners that it's OK if they're nude, but would stay clothed themselves  While others might try being nude, but they'd prefer the owners not be.

At home, we have a whimsical sign posted on our patio about skinny-dipping.  It sometimes triggers guests to halfheartedly ask if we actually did that ourselves. When it does, we simply say yes.  That when we don't have guests over, we don't wear anything in the pool or hot tub, and leave it at that. A few guests have asked if they could join us that way, and they have.  Likewise, if a family comes over, the kids want to go swimming, but drat, they didn't bring their swimsuits, we say it's OK that don't wear anything and leave it at that.  Sometimes the kids get to skinny-dip, but most of the time their parents don't let them.  Probably because they don't want their kids to even think that's a legitimate option.

I'm usually more direct and usually have a "Clothing Optional Zone" sign posed.  But my wife usually puts it away when we know we're having guests.  My sister-in-law often comes by the house to look in on things when we're away.  She knows we only use the pool and tub that way, and that I love to lay out in the back yard naked.  So when we leave, I remind her that she's free to use the pool and be out in the yard anytime, but that it would be a shame if she didn't take advantage of being naked there when we're gone.  I don't know if she's ever taken advantage of that, but I know the kids have when we were away,.  At least individually, until they left the nest.

Dealing with Guests

Whenever we have house guests, I'm reminded how much work it is for those who hide themselves in their own homes all the time.  Doors have to be closed when one is changing, sleeping, or getting in or out of the shower, you have to be "properly" dressed all the times, and don't get me started on having to wear a bathing suit in the pool and hot tub with them :(  What a drag!

My wife is much more likely to "out" me when people unexpectedly drop in, than I am with her.  She'll just say I'm out back, naked, sunning himself, working in the yard, or swimming.  She'll then come get me (meaning she'll ask that I at least put a towel around myself before I come in).  I'm pretty sure that if they were to say it wouldn't bother them, she'd just let them come out and I'd be perfectly fine with it.

On the rare occasion that a neighbor or delivery person has gone through the fence and run into me naked, I've acted no differently than if I were clothed and let it be on them for coming in unannounced.

One of my wife's sisters lives nearby and stops by often.  I expect that one of these times she'll intentionally go out back, knowing I'm naked.  She'll try to make fun of me, and I'll stop getting dressed when she's around.  So there.

We have had a few guests who when told that we normally would be nude in the pool or tub, have asked if they could join us that way.  Likewise, once that's over with, them being nude and us being nude is OK thereafter.

Florida

Dave Barry wrote a fun article about Florida in the Wall Street Journal last Friday (Sept 2, 2016).  It's behind their paywall, but I'll share a snippet:

"Almost any day of the year, I could walk out my front door naked and be perfectly physically comfortable until the police Taser me.  Granted, sometimes in the summer (defined as June through the following June), it gets a little too warm down here, but too warm beats the hell out of too
cold. Too cold means if you stay outside too long you will die. Too warm means you might have to have another beer...."

I spent the day yesterday power washing and bleaching the patio, working on the pool, and doing all sorts of other messy sweaty things in the back yard in the heat, and sometimes in the rain.  Being and staying nude throughout the day was much more practical and comfortable.  I would have spent the day in dirty, gritty, wet, chafing, ruined clothing, sweating like a pig.   Instead, I simply jumped into the pool whenever I felt like it or whenever I got the bleach on me.  Jump out, continue.

But to Dave Barry's point, nine times out of ten, I do it just as easily and just as comfortably in mid January here.  The only difference is it would be 75F and sunny, instead of 95F and mixed.

People think of "natives" here as being the Seminole tribe, when in reality they were refugees from the north just as most Floridians here are.  I'm considered a "Florida native" only because I was born here and my father side has been in the state for several generations.  Maybe when the influx of northern invaders dies down, people will start working and enjoying the parks and beaches naked.  Until then, at least I have my own private oasis.

Degrees of Being a Nudist

Saying it that way makes it sound like "degrees of deviant behavior" instead of looking at it from my prospective of "degrees of being free of clothing compulsiveness", which challenges the alternative as being the unhealthy behavior.

Be that as it may, I was listening recently to the latest episode of the excellent Naturist Living Show podcast, Architecture of Nudism and Naturism, and it got me thinking as to what are the levels of involvement different people have with nudism and naturism?  Thinking about it, I came up with the following levels.  Many of them overlap and you might find yourself more in one category or the other, depending on your situation.  Either way, where do you see yourself?  And what "levels" would you define?

Intolerant of Nudity:  Unfortunately this is the position of many state and local governments here in the US to the point that they pass laws that define in excruciating detail what's acceptable and what's illegal.  Sometimes to the point of making you register as a sex offender if you're convicted of such a heinous crime.  Very few people are as personally intolerant about nudity as these laws are.  Even so, some people call the police when they see someone skinny-dipping, even in the remotest location.  They see what their own species looks like as being fundamentally immoral and it's their duty to report any transgression.  They object to any full display of the human form in art, movies, and TV, and consider any such display as being pornographic and obscene.  Those people need to get a life. Fortunately, though many people assume more people are that strict about it, very few people actually are.

Nude Averse:  These people actively avoid nudity whenever possible.   When they run into people skinny-dipping, stumble onto a nude beach, or go to a gym where people are too casual about nudity in the gym locker rooms or showers, they leave and they don't come back.  They avoid visiting family members who are casual about the nudity of their children.   They change the channel and cover the eyes of their children when nudity is depicted on the TV or in movies.  These people probably don't sleep naked , they get dressed right after they bathe, and they close and lock the door to prevent their kids from walking in when they're not dressed.  And they teach their kids to do likewise.  They've probably never skinny-dipped, or at least they'd never admit that they had.
  
Nude Tolerant:  Most Americans probably fall into this category today.  While they wouldn't visit a nude beach or nudist resort themselves, it's OK with them if others do.  They don't mind changing and showering at the gym.  Showering, that is, in a stall, not communally.  They don't mind too much if others in the sauna are sitting on their towels instead of sitting with the towel around them, like they do.   They don't mind their friend's kids running around naked in their house, but they wouldn't let their kids do that.  They sleep naked if they want to and they don't scream at their kids if they walk in on them when they aren't dressed.  But they're careful to not have that happen too often.  They've probably skinny-dipped and don't mind saying they have as a "youthful indiscretion", but it's not something they'd do now.  They ignore nudity on in the media and don't go out of their way to shield their kids from it, but they think it's unnecessary and they wish there wasn't so much of it.  They think they're more liberal about it than they think most good people are.  So out of respect for them, they don't object and might even vote for restrictive ordinances.

Casual about Nudity:  These people don't mind using communal showers and they're the ones sitting on their towel in the sauna.  If friends want to skinny-dip in a remote location or in a private pool or hot tub, they'll go along with it.  They probably swim naked in their own pool when the kids aren't around.  They don't give sleeping naked a second thought and they probably air dry after bathing or swimming and do light chores naked without feeling any need to hurry to get dressed.  They don't mind if their kids run around naked for a while after their bath.  They have an open door policy and behave no differently when their kids walk in on them naked than if they were clothed.  They can be talked into going to a nude beach or a nudist resort with a close friend, but they don't want others to know if they went.  They'll probably just check that off their bucket list and not come back on their own.  That describes how I was raised.

Home Nudist:  This person prefers being nude whenever they can be.  Like anyone else, when they're home for the night and not going anywhere, they like getting comfortable.  But they've discovered that removing ALL of their clothes is even more comfortable than just removing some of them, and they don't see any reason not to be nude at home.  They've skinny-dipped and been to nude beaches often enough that they hate wearing swim suits.  They do chores and projects around the house nude, and if their back yard is private enough, they'll garden, sunbathe, and swim nude if they own a pool.  They don't mind if their neighbors and family know, but they respect other people's discomfort with it and are careful not to expose them to it.  That describes me most days.

Recreational/Social Nudist:  This person enjoys going to nude beaches and nudist clubs and resorts not only to enjoy the expanded opportunities to be nude, but to make friends and to meet people.  They're friendly, engage in volleyball and other group sports there, and other people like being around them.  But unless they live nearby, you don't see them there that often.  They don't let it interfere with the rest of their life.  That describes me.

Philosophical Naturist:   Someone who thinks being nude and accepting others who are nude helps one to be a better person.  That society demonizing nudity has psychologically and sociologically damaged us, and that we'd all be better off if we'd take a healthier attitude. They may or may not be naked as often as others are.  They don't see themselves as just being a nudist (as in one who just likes being naked).  Which is why I prefer the term "naturist" for myself.

Card Carrying/Activist Nudist:  This person is a member of clubs and organizations not just for the discounts.  They come to meetings, participate in outreach, write blogs, do volunteer work at their club, and aren't afraid to tell others all about.   That used to describe me, but distance and the other distractions of life have limited me to this blog and answering questions on Yahoo and Quora.

Living It:  These people live and often work 24/7 nude as much as they can.  Either they live alone and don't have a lot of visitors, or they live in a nudist community and are rarely clothed unless they have to go into town.  Visiting friends and family have to put with their host being nude.  They dress at home for no one.

Time to launch this.  I'll check back later and clean it up.  Comment if you like.  Look for a poll on this subject on the page.

The Unkindest Cut

I had a very close relationship with my mother.  She had a way of spontaneously starting and causally handling what would have been awkward conversations, making them easy.  I don't remember how it happened, but I was pretty young when somehow the subject of circumcision came up.  Likely, she out of the blue just brought it up so she could get it off her chest and explain why they did that to me.  The reason, and only reason, they did it was so that I'd look like the other boys.

OK, warm up the time machine and let's go back to the 60's and let's see how that worked.  At face value, she was right.   Back then, boys grew up seeing each other naked almost every day using open locker rooms and showers associated with PE.  We didn't give it much thought and my friends and I easily changed in front of each other and we even skinny-dipped together a few times without it being a big deal.  We did that even as we developed while playing high school sports and as young adults at gyms.

Until high school, the schools I went to were mostly white.  But there was a wide ethnic variety which only expanded when the schools were integrated and our high school became almost 50/50 white to black overnight.  Even so, most boys were circumcised for the same reason I was.  I only knew a couple of Jewish boys and I never put two plus two together there.

I never gave any thought to it until I met my best friend at the time who had just immigrated from Australia.  Until then, I must have assumed it was a natural variation what went with other kids being different because they were of a different race.  My friend and I were around 7 or 8, and other than that one thing, he looked just like me.  It wasn't until my mother had that talk with me that I realized that, what the hell, I had been surgically altered just so I could look like the majority of other boys who had been surgically altered for no other reason than that.

That was entirely unnecessary.  We were different enough from each other anyway, that it didn't make any difference to us that we were altered in the same way so the one part of us would look more alike. Even though today's youth hardly ever see each other naked, let's stop doing that to our kids.

Swimming Naked

I've written about how wonderful it is to be at clothing optional beaches naked, but unfortunately, most people we never experience that for themselves.  Or they won't let themselves experience it.  Swimming naked is another matter.  Many, if not most people, have "skinny-dipped".  Either briefly in a lake, the ocean, or someone's pool.  Maybe in remote places.  Perhaps with their spouse.  Maybe even with friends.  The  problem is that most people never get to experience it worry and guilt free like I do every day.  It's not the same if you're worried about other people stumbling onto you, or that it's such a over the top dare that you'd never do it casually.

A few years after my wife and I married, I pushed for putting a pool in the back yard.   I had a few bonuses coming and we had already added a privacy fence to the back yard.  She didn't think the kids would use it much, but I knew that I would.

When I was young, my parents put in a small pool.  I learned to swim at a very early age and grew up just miles from the warm Gulf of Mexico here in Florida.  I took to the pool as if it were my second home.  I was a certified scuba diving and lifeguard at 16 and could hold my breath long enough to scare any adult.  Even now, I find myself darting back and forth underwater like a caged dolphin, loving it.  My mother used to refer to me as her "fish", an expression my wife also uses to describe me.

My parent's pool wasn't at all private.  They had a small lot, no fence, and neighbors on every side.  Even so, they made a point of going in together after dark, skinny-dipping.  We were invited, but we foolishly didn't join in.

In the meantime, our pool has always been completely private and neither my wife or I wear anything in either the hot tub or in the pool unless we have guests.  Even then, we don't make a secret of our preference, which anyone can guess reading the sign on the subject we have on the patio.  Some have taken up our invitation to try it, and sometimes we've joined them.

Our kids have always known that if my wife and I are in the water, that we're naked.  Our daughter (clothed) would join us (mother naked, me clothed), but they only swam naked themselves when we were out of sight.  Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends.  They're both adults now and  as with other guests that use the house while we're gone, they're encouraged to take advantage of the privacy and to continue the tradition.

There is not starker difference between clothed and nude than in the water.  I swim laps every day most of the year and I so hate wearing a swimsuit, that I avoid swimming when I have to wear a suit.  I hate the drag and the rubbing of the suit in the water, and I hate that heavy wet hanging on me afterwards that takes FOREVER to dry.  Swimming naked without a care in the world, any time I want to, is a luxury most people will never know.  I feel completely one with the water as it glides effortlessly over my skin and supports every part of me evenly.   When I get out, I air dry quickly and I'm ready to lay again in the sun, work on the patio, or go inside the house without having to wait to find some place to peel off that soppy nasty heavy thing around me, and to find some place to put the thing to dry, which it often doesn't before I need it again.  Oh, and the horror of putting on a still wet suit when you're dry and maybe even have to walk around with it on for a long time before being able to get in the water.

If you haven't skinny-dipped, find a way to do it.  It's much better if you can find a place to do it guilt and worry free, such as in a really remote location, at an accepted nude beach, or at a nudist club or resort.  If you have access to a pool, go in at night with the lights out.  Take off your suit once you're in and put it back on before you get out.  Unless you're at a hotel with people looking down from above, no one will see you.  That's what my parents always did.  Either way, give it a try and think about how wonderful it would be to not have to ever wear a swimsuit again.

Naked Ramblings

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted anything, mostly because I don't have much new to say that I haven't said before.  I still answer questions related to nudity and nudism on yahoo answers, figuring it's a better outreach than just having a blog sitting around waiting for someone to visit.  I don't have a whole lot to say today.  So if you don't mind, I'll just ramble a bit.

I'm still bothered by the "-ist" thing.  Why is my accepting my own form and accepting others simply as they are, an "-ist" thing, when the culture instead has developed a perverted self-loathing of what we are and what we look like?  As if compulsively hiding ourselves in shame from each other is a good thing.  It isn't.  Sorry.  No thank you.  I'm tired of playing that game.

Moving on to "Dating Naked" and "Naked and Afraid", both of which I find too contrived and awkward.  I dated a nudist girl for a while.  Being naked with her either at home or at her club wasn't any different than when we were out clothed.  We shared a few common interests, of which that was one, but it didn't work out and we parted friends.  I understand that the taboo of nudity (annoyingly blurred out as it may be) draws people to watch those programs.  But I think for most people the novelty quickly wears off and there's not enough left to keep them (or me) watching.  Dating is painful enough to do, much less watch.  Especially when they're being so weird about it.

"Naked and Afraid" is supposed to prey on the audience's conditioned feelings of vulnerability with regard to being naked.  I'm sorry, but I spent many decades hiking and camping in the wilderness and I don't see how putting people who don't know how to survive in the wild out there without any training or equipment is all that entertaining.  It's painful to watch them being so miserable at night when it invariably gets too chilly for them to be able to sleep without sufficient shelter and warmth (clothed or not).

In real life, even in the most primitive tribes people band together, sharing chores and building on what people have done before them.  I've done a lot of long distance solo wilderness backpacking in my day, but it takes a lot of equipment (modern or otherwise) to pull that off comfortably.  On hot days, it was nice to get out of my clothes, sometimes while hiking, but mostly at camp.  Skinny dipping at a stream or lake was much appreciated, and it was nice to be able to rinse my clothes off (all of them) and let them dry on a rock while I stayed naked and aired out late into the day until it got too chilly to stay that way.  The few people that ran into me undressed, didn't mind.  Nor did I mind when I stumbled onto them.  Being naked in the wild is a luxury that's frankly too nice to pass up on when it's warm out.  BTW, one quickly learns that you sleep a lot more comfortably naked in a warmer bag, than clothed in a colder bag.  Clothing traps one's moisture against you, leaving you feeling cold and wet.  Modern sleeping bags are designed to let the moisture escape, keeping you warm and dry if you don't sabotage it wearing nasty smelly, and invariably damp, clothing inside.

Enough for now.  Happy New (Nude) year!

The Politics of Social Nudity

My personal politics is "conservative".  I'm for limited government and maximum liberty.  I trend toward being a libertarian, but I just can't get my head wrapped around legalizing all drugs.  But I can and do embrace the concept that people should be free to express themselves in any manner that they like, as long as they don't infringe on the rights of others.  Where I disagree with many is that I don't see how someone being naked, which is after all just expressing themselves, as themselves, violates other people's "right" not to see or hear things they don't personally want to see or hear.  Too bad.  The price of freedom is mutual respect and tolerance.

So maybe people won't be allowed to wander the streets without any clothes on in most cities, but there should be enough places locally where people can go to be outdoors without their clothing, that it could be said that their rights were at least being respected.  Let the size and accessibility of those areas be proportional to the number of people who use them, and people will vote with their feet.  If no one comes, shrink the space allocated and give other uses the more prime locations.  But if many people come, expand and mainstream the places where people can be naked together.

The problem on the right side of the spectrum is we have too many people who really want a theocracy.  To me, that's just fascism by another name.  And on the left, they're all to quick to grant "harmless" freedoms as a means of distracting people from realizing that they really have no real freedoms whatsoever.  East Germany is a good example.  The government not only allowed, but encouraged nudism to flourish, all the while controlling almost every other aspect of the people's lives.  The guiding principle on the left is "we know what's good for you".  Those governments always start off with the "good of the people" in mind, later winding up with "what's good for the government" as their only concern.

Mazo Beach Revisited

Though I live in Florida, about 15 years ago I did a 5 year stint in the Midwest.  By then, I was already going to different nude beaches and resorts, so I looked up where to go there.  Mazo Beach in Wisconsin was about a 3 hour drive away from where I was working.  It was a long day trip or an easy overnighter, so I started going for several weekends over the summers I was there.

I loved the place and the people, but life once again intervened and I was back in Florida and rarely had a chance to be back up that way for any length of time.  Except this weekend.  I had to be up there on Monday, so I came up on Friday and spent the weekend touring Wisconsin and spending today (Sunday) at Mazo.

It used to be that you could park at the end or along the road if the lot was full (which it usually was unless you got there very early).  Now the only people who can use that lot are the disabled who have requested and received keys to the gate.d  For everyone else, it's a 20 minute walk from a thankfully large parking lot.

I got there around 9 AM, driving up from Madison, wanting to spend a full day there.  It was sunny and in the 70's (it was pushing 100 a lot the weeks before).  People started to arrive slowly, spreading out and not talking to each other much.  But as the day wore on, there were easily over 200 people there and things got pretty lively.  The volleyball net was strung up and a long string of spirited games began.  The mix started off mostly male, but by afternoon, there was a good mix of couples, including a few families with young kids.  A very nice happy crowd.

I used to be painfully shy, but these days I make it a point to start up casual conversations, which I did with several people.  There was a young couple on the fringe who came in on kayaks scoping the place out.  They were there the whole afternoon.  Him clothed, her only topless.  I stopped by welcoming them and encourage them to walk around, clothed being fine, and just listen.  Others came by and were also very friendly to them.  Maybe next time they'll take the plunge.

By 3 PM, it was getting cloudy with some sprinkles, and I had a long drive back to where I had to be on Monday.  Even though some had already left, the disabled lot was crammed full of bicycles, the large parking lot at the end of the long walk was full, and outside the reserve, there were calls parked up and down the street on both sides for some distance.

I'm glad to see Mazo is still much the same.  Wonderful!

Nude Beaches

Nude Beaches are strange and wonderful places.  Mythical to people who have never been to one, but mentioned often enough in the media and in hush tones by people who have heard something about them (but would never go there themselves, mind you!).

I'm here to tell you that yes Virginia, they do exist.  In many countries, a large percentage of public beaches have clothing optional sections, or are simply just mixed.  In some places, nude use is allowed except where it's posted that it isn't.  Otherwise, relax, get comfortable, and enjoy.

Here in the US, it's a mixed bag.  "Officially" the culture is wary to even hostile to them.  But in many places, the locals take a live and let live attitude, sometimes even defending the beaches.  In some states, counties, and communities, it's technically illegal to be naked in public.  But even in many of those places, the authorities often just look the other way as it's just too much trouble to police them.  In other areas, they're technically legal and they're often accepted by the majority of people in the area.

Most are in out of the way primitive areas.  Lousy parking, long walks, no facilities, no water.  If you don't know where to go, you're not going to find them.  Out of sight, out of mind as far as the locals and the authorities are concerned.  Others are well known and not at all difficult to get to.  For others, just follow the signs (by name, not by reference to them being nude beaches).  One, Haulover Beach north of Miami Beach, is right off the main drag, has food vendors, police patrol, lifeguards, and hotels within walking distance.  All the amenities you'd expect for a county run park, without a large and official clothing optional section (where most the people go, of course).

Some of the smaller ones aren't that friendly (I'll leave you alone and you leave me alone).  But most of the larger ones have a core of regulars who are usually friendly and are easy to approach.  As with any beach, the vibe varies depending on the mix of people there and how accepted the beach is.  Wreck Beach on the outskirts of the University of British Columbia (Canada) has a festive college crowd, wild scenery, and in short, is wonderful.  Mazo Beach (Wisconsin) is my favorite.  Many college kids, but also long tradition of use by people and families from all over the state.  Along a nice river and the people I've met there are very friendly and fun loving.

I live near the Canaveral National Seashore in central Florida.  The southern half is in a county with an anti-nudity ordinance (not enforced much), and the northern half is in a county that doesn't have an ordinance.  In either county, if you stay in the unofficial clothing optional section, they'll leave you alone.  Some years ago in the southern county (Brevard) the supervisor of the park had it out for the nudies and tried to make us feel very unwelcome.  I tried to strike up a conversation with a ranger there one time and he wouldn't even face me, saying only that he'd answer my question after I got dressed.

But on the north side I was there one time when a young ranger intern approached me.  She must have drawn the short straw and was not at all comfortable being there.  She had the unpopular task to clear the beach due to an approaching hurricane (several days out) of hundreds of naked people who weren't going to be happy to be told that they had to leave.

I had a nice chat with her trying to put her mind at ease, then I told her that I would help.  I went up and down the beach explaining to everyone the unpopular order, pointing to her at a distance without dragging her into it.  Everyone left, and I got the feeling that the ranger left leave her internship there with fond memories and a better understanding that yes, we are people too.

If you spend much time some of the better beaches, you'll see a lot of magic.  Church groups canoeing by, then turning around to play several games of volleyball with the naked people (Mazo).  Long naked hikes on endless miles of undeveloped beach, smiling and waving at clothed people passing by on horseback (Canaveral).  Listening to an elderly couple trying it for the first time, overhearing them say that they hadn't felt that young in years and how wonderful it was there (Haulover).  Kids playing.  People surfing.  People fishing.  Gays, straights, young, old, regulars, and first timers.  Everyone having a great time.

It is what you make of it.  Smile, be friendly, help others.  Make some magic.

What should you do if someone sees you when you are naked?

Nothing.  Do absolutely nothing different than you would do if you were clothed.  Normally, it goes like this...  They see you and realize that you're not wearing anything.  Until they know that you see them, their initial reaction is just one of curiosity.  Why is that person naked?   Should I leave before that person sees me and is distressed.   Then you see them and behave in a distressed manner.  They see your distress and either are distressed themselves for being in that situation, are distressed for you, or in some cases, delight in your distress and attempt to further it.

It works out much better for both of you if they see that you see them, and you make it obvious that you don't care.  That leaves them with the curiosity and maybe some worry that you might be weird, but if you don't act weird, it puts them at ease.  Continue doing what you were doing, showing that it doesn't bother you in the least that you're naked or that they are seeing you naked.

This works great when you're caught skinny-dipping or camping in a remote area which turned out to not be remote enough.  If you're in an area where nudity is technically not illegal, you aren't doing anything wrong and you should behave as if you have a right to be there in the nude.  If you're not supposed to be nude there, appear harmless and oblivious to your nudity, hoping for ignorance on their part, or at least some forgiveness.  Besides, if you're out in a remote area, it's too much trouble for them to report you, and by then you could be long gone.

Smile, wave, and go about your business.  You'll be surprised at how many people just smile, wave back, and continue on.

Swimming Naked (aka "skinny-dipping")

Next to sleeping naked, this is something a lot of people have done at least once.  Whether as a practical matter on a hot day in a remote area, or on a dare.  I used to go backcountry camping a lot, hiking for days, carrying everything I needed in a backpack.  It's hot sweaty work, and going for days without a bath gets old (not to mention, smelly).  In many places, there's plenty of opportunities to slip into a lake or stream without anyone else being around.  Doing it naked is a matter of practicality... No wet clothing to have to wait around until it's dry.  Plus, it's much colder to be in wet clothing, than to be naked.  And it's nice to just "air dry" and move on, without carrying anything wet.

On a dare, alone or with others, there's way too much anxiety attached.  It's an uncomfortable situation with others around (until you get used to it), and when alone, you're worried that others might see you.

But if you give it a chance, the first thing you notice how nicely you just glide through the water without the drag of wearing a swim suit.  And it's really really nice to not have that heavy wet nasty clingy wad of clothing around you when you get out.    The water just sheds off you and you dry much quicker and more evenly than if you're wearing something.

We have completely private back yard with a pool and a hot tub.  Needless to say, neither my wife or I wear a stitch using them if we can at all help it.  It's wonderful to just jump in without having to change into a swim suit or change out of that wet nasty thing each time.  All of which makes going for a dip more spontaneous on a hot day or when doing chores.  You don't need anything you don't already have, and you dry quickly without any fuss, change back if need be, or just stay naked afterwards, if you can get away with it.

We don't make a big secret of it (we even have a playful sign by the pool to that effect) and anyone is welcome to swim naked in our pool whether we're around, or not.