Longtime visitors to a clothing-optional beach in Vancouver are unhappy with the recent safety measures that have been implemented. They say they have backfired and only increased the number of peeping toms.
Metro Vancouver, which has managed Wreck Beach since 1989, has removed large tree trunks from the sand that have been there to provide seating and “essential barriers against wind, sun and unwanted onlookers,” according to a researcher. online petition trying to keep the beach as it was.
Those behind the petition claim that without the logs, “herds 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 I’m a kid in their daycare because I’m not,” she said while at the beach.
Pictured: Wreck Beach, located at the tip of Vancouver, has long been a clothing-optional beach. Lately it has been plagued by people who come just to look at naked beachgoers
Metro Vancouver says too many logs, which often wash up on beaches, pose a safety risk because they reduce visibility for lifeguards in the event of a rescue operation.
During the clean-up, not all tree trunks were removed, leaving about 200 on the beach.
Paul Brar, division manager at Metro Vancouver, said that after the cleanup, the logs were placed in an organized grid to improve sight lines up and down the beach.
Because Wreck Beach is only accessible via the ocean or a climb of 500 steps, four national and provincial agencies recommended these changes to allow authorities to better respond to emergencies.
Those behind the petition claim that without the logs, “herds of men in city clothes come to the beach, intimidate visitors and film women and children.”
Metro Vancouver also pointed it out a recent report Visits to Wreck Beach have increased by 20 percent in the past five years, resulting in an increase in the number of mainly heat-related emergency calls.
The president of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society had the harshest words for Metro Vancouver, who also says the removal of logs has only encouraged perverts.
“We’re seeing a big influx of people coming in who have no interest in being naked or enjoying the beach,” says Stephen Biduk.
“They just come to look at people, at naked bodies, and that’s becoming an increasing concern.”
Dunsdon added that she is not a fan of being watched by voyeurs.
“I know Wreck Beach is a tourist destination, but I am not a tourist attraction,” Dunsdon said. “I am not the Eiffel Tower.”
Mary Jean Dunsdon, a frequent visitor to the popular beach, doesn’t like being looked at by strange men and saying, ‘I know Wreck Beach is a tourist destination, but I’m not a tourist attraction.’
The petition, which has nearly 600 signatures, demands that officials return large tree trunks due to privacy and natural barriers.
“We really have our feet on the ground and know what is going on, who is doing what and whether there are any urgent matters,” Biduk said.
‘So we think our input is valuable [Metro Vancouver] to manage the beach.”
Brar told CBC that staff and lifeguards often pull new beachgoers aside to tell them not to stare or take photos.
The petition’s writers believe that Metro Vancouver’s approach to “educating” voyeurs is not enough.