Longtime visitors to a nude beach in Vancouver are unhappy with recent safety measures that have been put in place, saying they have backfired and only increased the number of voyeurs.
Metro Vancouver, which has managed Wreck Beach since 1989, has removed large logs from the sand that had been there to provide seating and “essential barriers against wind, sun and unwanted spectators,” according to a online petition seeking to preserve the beach as it was.
Those behind the petition claim that without the logs in place, “packs of men in city clothes come to the beach, intimidate visitors and film women and children.”
Mary Jean Dunsdon told CBC that Metro Vancouver’s changes are unnecessary and ineffective.
“I don’t want to come to Wreck Beach and feel like a kid in daycare, because I’m not,” she said while on the beach.
Pictured: Wreck Beach, located on the tip of Vancouver, has long been a clothing-optional beach. Lately it has been plagued with people who simply come to spy on the naked sunbathers.
Metro Vancouver maintains that too many logs, which often wash up on the beach, are a safety hazard because they reduce visibility for lifeguards should a rescue be necessary.
The cleanup did not remove all the logs, leaving about 200 still lying on the beach.
Paul Brar, division manager for Metro Vancouver, said that after the cleanup, the logs were placed in an organized grid arrangement to improve sight lines along the beach.
Since Wreck Beach can only be accessed across the ocean or down a 500-step climb, four agencies at the national and provincial levels recommended these changes so authorities could better respond to emergencies.
Those behind the petition claim that without the logs in place, “packs of men in city clothes come to the beach, intimidate visitors and film women and children.”
Metro Vancouver also noted in a recent report Those visits to Wreck Beach have increased by 20 percent over the past five years, resulting in an increase in emergency calls, primarily heat-related.
The president of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society had the harshest words for Metro Vancouver, who also says log removal has only emboldened perverts.
“We’re seeing a huge influx of people who have no interest in getting naked or enjoying the beach,” Stephen Biduk said.
“They just come to look at people, look at naked bodies, and that’s becoming a bigger concern.”
Dunsdon added that she doesn’t like onlookers staring at her.
“I know Wreck Beach is a tourist destination, but I’m not a tourist attraction,” Dunsdon said. “I’m not the Eiffel Tower.”
Mary Jean Dunsdon, a frequent visitor to the popular beach, doesn’t like strange men gawking at her, saying, “I know Wreck Beach is a tourist destination, but I’m not a tourist attraction.”
The petition, which is approaching 600 signatures, demands that officials return large logs for privacy and natural barrier reasons.
“We really have our feet on the ground and we know what is happening, who is doing what and if there are overriding issues,” Biduk said.
“That’s why we believe our contribution is valuable for (Metro Vancouver) to be able to manage the beach.”
Brar told CBC that beach staff and lifeguards often pull new beachgoers aside to tell them not to look or take photos.
The petition writers believe that Metro Vancouver’s approach of “trying to educate” voyeurs is not enough.