Some new friends and I were talking about skinny dipping and other social nudism activities when one person, a middle-age woman, gasped: “I might skinny dip in an indoor swimming pool where the water is treated with chlorine and such, but I would never swim naked in a lake! There are little fishies that could get in to places where they shouldn’t . . . I’d swim topless, yes, but not bottomless.”
Hmm. I had never thought about the risk of foreign critters getting into below-the-belt body openings while I’m skinny dipping.
She insisted that it is a genuine concern.
And, lord knows, I suppose it is possible for something in the water to find its way into the vagina or the rectum or even the penis’ urethra — hence a concern for everyone who goes skinny dipping.
I did a bit of searching on google, and saw one account of a leech getting into a woman’s space while she was skinny dipping. And another account of a man having to deal with something that got into the opening of his penis.
I’m thinking that the risks of foreign intruders would not be limited to skinny dipping: it might happen during any outdoor activity, such as naked gardening or hiking or whatever. Imagine, say, how a black fly bite could complicate things inside a woman’s vagina or man’s urethra.
Am curious if any of the naturists reading this blog have such experiences they can talk about here?
— Jillian
Photo credit: Anna Toss via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
Jillian Page 
I hear that swim suits – remember those? – can harbour nasty little critters that leave you itching, and I did spend some time (ill advised, in retrospect!) in a hotel’s pool area hot tub wearing a swim suit (me, not the tub) resulting in a fungal infection in an uncomfortable area. Swimming in the sea, I have been investigated by small fish, but nothing tried to eat me…
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I’d only worry if they’re piranhas 😉
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I think it depends on the body of water one chooses to SKDP. Eg. a pond in the Amazon jungle is quite different than a lake in the Canadian Shield. We need some “scientists” who study such. And are also “naturists” here, no? %@
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We are told that in the history of the planet, if measured on a 24 hour clock, Homo sapiens have been present for the last few seconds. In the history of Homo sapiens viewed on a 24 hour clock, clothing has similarly been imposed for the last few seconds.
Ergo, the naked human body has had plenty of time to adjust to foreign invasion and has successfully, in the main, done so. There are always stories of invasive leeches and invaders that swim against the urine stream if you look hard enough – that’s what the internet does – sets out to make the exceptional seem commonplace. It is more likely that, assuming bathers choose their sites circumspectly, clothing harbours more dangers than bathing naked. Further, who says that clothing is any protection at all from foreign invaders?
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Er – I thought the internet *was* the urine stream? Especially this (post-hack) weekend ;-(
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I can’t remember the last time I wore a swimsuit. Swimming in my birthday suit is infinitely more comfortable, practical, and natural. Wisdom dictates that I avoid swimming in places where such creatures would be a concern.
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What’s a swimsuit?
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I remembered when I was young, my father telling me and my friends about the legendary candiru fish of the Amazon, which was said to swim up a stream of urine and enter a penis or vagina and commit terrible acts against their hosts.
But, a good recent BBC article had a sobering quote about how no such incidents have been reliably verified, and such an incident is about as likely as being struck by lightning, while being attacked by a shark!
However, I’d be a hell of a lot more concerned about the creatures threatening bodies outside of water. My friends in Vermont have already been finding ticks on themselves after being in the woods, and this is when it’s still too cold to be nude outdoors.
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Ticks are a serious issue, and obviously a danger to naturists in the woods and fields. We need to be vigilant.
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