Little Beach needs friends
How Maui’s famous Little Beach became a battleground for naturism and freedom
TL;DR Summary: The Friends of Little Beach (FoLB) are locked in a culture war with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) over the right to nude sunbathing at Little Beach. Facing increased enforcement, the group has launched an alert system to evade police citations and reignited their advocacy, gathering over 5,000 signatures to support clothing-optional status. Despite legal hurdles, victories in court offer hope. The push for allies and community backing underscores the ongoing struggle to safeguard expression and access at Little Beach. A compelling read on unity, resistance, and the pursuit of naturist rights. Please read on!
Necessity has prompted the Friends of Little Beach to devise a unique alert system for sunbathers at their world-famous Hawaiian nude beach.
Most times when the beach is occupied, volunteers equipped with whistles stay alert for the familiar sight of white police trucks emblazoned with the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) seal. These trucks frequently arrive at Oneloa (Big) Beach without warning, dispatching two or three officers (but sometimes five or six) to embark on the long walk across big beach, and onto the steep trail path that crosses an immense lava-rock outcropping, delineating Big Beach from the secluded Pu'u Ola'i (Little) Beach to its north. The officers then descend on the cherished Maui nude beach to roust beachgoers and issue citations for nudity. Clothing time.
It’s an informal arrangement between those in the know. A contingent of those in the know coming and going from Little Beach, exiting south through Big Beach, keep an eye out for the enforcement trucks. If anyone spots one, their job is to inform the whistle-equipped volunteer, who will inform beachgoers by blowing their instrument in three short bursts, signaling the nudists to cover up.
So far this system has helped mitigate citations but it has not eliminated them. The beach raids happen fairly reliably on weekends at 4pm when the cops are sent to close Little Beach (but curiously, not Big Beach); but sometimes they don’t show up; and sometimes the raids happen at random times, or on weekdays. The inconsistency requires volunteers to remain vigilant at all times.
Technically, both Little Beach and Big Beach are clothing mandatory, but Little Beach, with the the large lava-rock outcropping on its south end shielding it from view, has had generations of history as a nudity-tolerant beach, loved by sunbathers and surfers. It was only since 2020, after the agency abruptly installed an illegal gate at the cliffside entry, and posted signs prohibiting nudity and listing new 4pm closing hours—hours not applicable to Big Beach—that more than thirty public nudity citations have been issued during these occasional DOCARE raids, most recently in November of 2023.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and its enforcement arm, the DOCARE—one of ten divisions of the DLNR—wield extensive authority over Hawaii’s nearly 1.3 million acres of state lands and 750 miles of coastline.1 Historically focused on protecting these lands, their mandate encompasses the enforcement of laws across public lands, state parks, and coastal zones. Since 2020, amid a recent conservative swell, the enforcement of this broad authority has shifted, leading to intensified police activity at Little Beach. That the increased scrutiny has not been applied to Big Beach is telling of the agency’s vindictiveness toward the naturists that occupy Little Beach.
The DLNR’s actions have disrupted the area so significantly they led to the revival of Friends of Little Beach (FoLB), a non-profit group that, since the 1980s, protected and advocated for nudism at Little Beach but dissolved in 2015 after several years without issues. Now, after a new resurgence in attempts to shut the beach down, a dedicated group of three volunteer activists has re-established the organization, undertaking a Davidian grassroots defense against the Goliathan DLNR’s actions.
Against all odds, this group has renewed the fight to protect nudism at Little Beach, and their efforts have recently culminated in a letter to Governor Josh Green, accompanied by a petition with more than 5,000 signatures, requesting authorized clothing-optional status for Little Beach, and a return to the beach’s pre-pandemic hours.
The petition
Bill Watts has an admirable amount of energy for someone who is 78 years old. Three days a week, he parks his car in the parking lot where recently-installed parking meters now charge visitors (but not residents) exorbitant fees for the privilege, he walks the half mile distance to the north end of Big Beach, climbs up over the rocky outcropping and back down onto Little Beach in search of residents and visitors who would be interested in signing the FoLB petition to the Governor. Sometime in the afternoon, satisfied (or not) with the results of his tireless efforts, he packs up and walks the same distance back to his car and home for a snack and a long nap.
“The first year we were giving out our business cards, asking people to go to the website and sign up as a friend of Little Beach,” Watts told Planet Nude. “Folks are enthusiastic on the beach, but when they leave…life takes over. So, we estimated about one in fourteen cards resulted in a new friend signing up.”
Bill passed out business cards with regularity for more than a year before one day, having struck up a conversation with a sunbather visiting from Vancouver, he was told, “You’re doing it the hard way. You need to start a petition.”
Suddenly seeing the obvious, Watts quickly launched a petition on actionnetwork.org and shared the petition to the group’s several social media pages.
Now, instead of giving out business cards at the beach, he goes around with a tablet, asking people to fill in the form. “I typically go three times a week, and while I’m there spend two or more hours speaking with folks,” Watts says. “I try to cover the beach, but it’s very difficult because people are always coming and going, in the water, out the water, sleeping.”
He’s been doing this regularly for more than a year, each week slowly growing the petition numbers by a modest margin, until just recently, when the initial goal of 5,000 was surpassed and FoLB’s board determined it was time to send the petition to the Governor.
They did so on January 22nd, 2024, along with a compelling cover letter that read:
Aloha Governor Green,
5,213 Friends of Little Beach seek your help. We expect tens of thousands more to join us over time. We petition you to grant Justice for Little Beach. We are the good, kind people who have love and reverence for the beach. We are present for about 100 hours per week and continue a 70-year clothing-optional cultural practice.
For the past 4 years we have been subject to abuse of power by individuals in State Park management. Ref. our email dated December 14, 2023. We ask that you investigate their motives, and the stories that they have used as a basis for punitive actions against folks doing no harm.
We ask that you consider the Legislature’s clearly stated purpose of Hawaii State Parks: “for the use and enjoyment of the public” (ref. HRS 184-6), and how management attitude could be brought into compliance.
We humbly submit our petition in the following pages. Please weigh the 26 compelling reasons that we offer for your consideration.
The letter then goes on to list a series of detailed grievances against the DLNR, criticizing the agency’s enforcement practices, the police raids and citations for clothing-optional use, as disproportionate and misaligned with the beach’s history of peaceful coexistence between clothed and unclothed visitors.
They emphasize that such enforcement actions unjustly criminalize law-abiding citizens, disregarding the positive environmental stewardship exhibited by the clothing-optional community. The Friends highlight the overwhelming public demand for clothing-optional recreation, as evidenced by participation reports and national polls, asserting that the DLNR’s actions not only ignore this demand but also harm Maui’s reputation and economy.
Through their complaints, the Friends of Little Beach articulate a clear message: the DLNR’s current management practices infringe upon the rights and freedoms of beachgoers, calling for urgent and thoughtful reconsideration to align with the principles of public use and enjoyment.
While Bill Watts is hopeful the governor or some decision-maker in his office will see and respond to the group’s letter, he isn’t exactly optimistic. So far, it’s only been a few weeks since the petition was submitted, “but even if it goes to two months,” he says, “I would not be surprised to hear nothing. That is the nature of government.”
Little Beach’s unique culture
If you ever visit Little Beach, especially during the good surfing months, there’s a high likelihood you’ll see a man with an aura seasoned by the sun, with salt-kissed, silvering blond shoulder-length hair and a weathered, amber all-over tan, who will most likely be keeping a close eye over the surf, if he’s not out in it himself. This would be Sunburn Frank, the unofficial Mayor of Little Beach. He earned this title not only because he spends most of his free time there surfing, but because he looks after the beach and its visitors like a guardian angel. According to Frank himself, he has personally saved over 400 swimmers and surfers on the coast of Little Beach in his more than forty years of going there. To save you the math, that’s roughly ten per year.
Asked recently by an interviewer for a YouTube video that now lives on the FoLB website what keeps him returning to the famous Maui beach day after day, Sunburn Frank gestures to the marine blue surf before him. “The view,” he says with a boyish smile. “The waves are amazing, and we meet people from all over the world. We don’t have to travel; they come to us.”2
Nestled on the southwestern coast of Maui, Little Beach is a secluded slice of paradise hidden behind the larger and more accessible Big Beach in Mākena State Park. Known for its golden sands, clear waters, and vibrant Sunday drum circles, this clothing-optional beach has long been a haven for free spirits and nature lovers alike.
Officially, the legality of nudity in Hawaii, especially on beaches, walks a fine line. Statewide, full nudity is “conditionally” legal, except within State Parks, where it’s banned outright by archaic agency rules. Little Beach, situated within Mākena State Park, is subject to the rules of Hawaii State Parks, another division of the larger DLNR. The tolerance of nudity on the long-standing nude haven—which predates the Department of Land and Natural Resources—has been subject to the whims of government employees.
A history of beach nudity
Little Beach’s story is one of cultural evolution and nudist determination. Historically, Hawaiian culture saw beach nudity as a natural and shameless state, a stance disrupted by the 1820s missionary influx, which introduced Western modesty—and Western bigotry.
The beach, remote and hard to access, remained a discreet haven for nude bathing until the late 1960s.
The arrival of hippies then transformed the site, increasing nudist numbers but also sparking opposition, leading to clashes and legal confrontations that tested the limits of public nudity laws.
In 1986, the beach became a focal point for nudism advocacy when four sunbathers were acquitted of lewdness charges, setting a precedent for nude and topless sunbathing on secluded beaches like Little Beach. Despite initial arrests, judicial rulings favored the naturists, highlighting the importance of context, consent, and non-complaint in determining lewdness. These cases, supported by Friends of Little Beach (FoLB), challenged and shaped the dialogue around public nudity and personal freedom. And for years after these wins, nudism on Little Beach went basically unchallenged.
Throughout the ‘90s, FoLB’s membership and influence grew to a peak, until 2001, after a decade of serenity, conflict emerged again when a group of native Hawaiians looking to use Little Beach challenged the open nudity there on cultural grounds. A heated public meeting saw over 200 mostly pro-nudity supporters clash with this view. Despite the contention and proposals to restrict beach access, the majority continued to support clothing-optional use, leading to ongoing advocacy efforts by FoLB. Following this event, opposition again waned and slowly, complacency set in.
In 2015, with nudity on Little Beach unchallenged for years and the FoLB inactive for some time, the group dissolved.
“While the FoLB appears to have achieved the first objective handily for a considerable period of time,” Bill Schroer, chair of the Naturist Action Committee, notes in his organization’s Pages of History newsletter, “the gradual decline and disappearance of the group in the 2012-2017 time frame resulted in a reduced beach presence. This was unfortunate, and the decline just happened to coincide with the rise of anti-nudity and conservative sentiments and the increase of problems on the beach.”3
From 1978 to 2020, Little Beach saw a tacit acceptance of nudity, hinted at by the now-defunct Hawaii State Parks website, which stated, “nudity is tolerated by local law enforcement.” This period of leniency ended when State Park management began issuing citations for nudity under the cover of Covid, challenging the unofficial status quo that had allowed naturists to enjoy Little Beach without legal repercussions.
The DLNR closes in
The first notable shift in the DLNR’s enforcement policy occurred in 2020 when, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, the agency issued its first citation for nudity at Little Beach in thirty-three years. This marked a significant departure from an informal policy of tolerance that had been in place, signaling a new era of stricter enforcement by the DLNR.
In May 2020, following a brief altercation between a DOCARE officer and a beachgoer, Little Beach was abruptly closed, with barriers erected to prevent access. This closure, lasting approximately four weeks, has been criticized by the Friends of Little Beach and others as excessive and indicative of a punitive approach toward the entire community rather than a measured response to the incident.
Full video of a DLNR Beach Raid titled Little Beach Enforcement, Nov. 22, 2020 first posted the the Hawaii DLNR Vimeo page on Nov. 23, 2020.
The controversies continued into the New Year with a significant event on January 3, 2021, when a New Year’s traditional Sunday drum circle gathering drew an unusually large (clothed) crowd that caught the DLNR’s attention through photos posted to social media. Two days post-event, the beach was abruptly closed under the guise of public safety, notably when only clothing-optional folks adhering to COVID rules were present. This closure extended into a nine-week hiatus, during which a locked gate materialized on the challenging Little Beach Trail.
Upon reopening in March 2021, beachgoers were met with new restrictions, including signs explicitly prohibiting nudity, early closure times, and an escalation in the issuance of nudity citations.
It was the very same day that the beach was allowed to reopen when the weekend raids started.
Within weeks of the reopening, the Parks division, headed by Curt Cottrell, also launched a PR effort to portray the activity at Little Beach in a damning light, including a department-produced video which was carried by a local TV station and published to Facebook. Notably, the State Parks division’s portrayal of the activities at Little Beach were in stark contrast to visitor testimony found on the many travel websites.
Video originally posted to the Akakū Maui Community Media Facebook on May 20, 2021, here.
The actions taken by park management at Little Beach, including extended closures and the installation of illegal gates, have been criticized as excessive, especially given the minimal risk posed by the drum circle compared to the activities of clothing-optional beachgoers. The Friends group has raised concerns about DLNR’s overreach, highlighting issues such as discriminatory enforcement, unjust access limitations, misuse of emergency powers, rights violations, and mismanagement that adversely affect public safety and the economy.
FoLB has sought recourse with authorities outside of the DLNR, to no avail. Efforts to engage both the Hawaii State Ombudsman and Maui County in addressing grievances against DLNR’s beach access restrictions and enforcement policies were met with resistance. The Ombudsman sided with the DLNR without thorough explanation, and Maui County, despite clear statutory obligations under Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §115 for shoreline access, avoided confrontation, indicating a reluctance to challenge DLNR’s authority. Accusations of collusion and stalling tactics have surfaced, particularly by leveraging the State Office of Information Practices’ one-year backlog to delay proceedings.
Despite these setbacks, the Friends of Little Beach have not been dissuaded from their efforts, in fact have fought back and even won a series of victories against the Department.
Friends fight back
A few individuals who have chosen to fight DLNR’s nudity citations in court have brought subtle wins for beachgoers. These fights have spotlighted the contentious nature of the DLNR’s actions, with several court cases resulting in defeats for the agency.
In October 2020, the DLNR’s renewed vigor in enforcing its “No Nudity” rule was challenged when Jamel Strom was cited for nudity at Little Beach, marking a stark departure from decades of leniency. Strom’s defense leveraged the principle of desuetude, arguing that the DLNR’s sudden enforcement of a long-ignored statute was unjust. The court concurred, dismissing the case and emphasizing that laws fallen into disuse cannot be arbitrarily revived without clear justification.4 This decision marked a pivotal moment, highlighting the need for consistency and transparency in law enforcement practices.
The theme of judicial rebuff continued into January 2022, when the DLNR faced further defeats in court over nudity citations issued to Dr. John Musser and David and Colleen Replogle. Their legal representation invoked the de minimis principle, arguing that the naturist activities at Little Beach were of such minor nature that they did not warrant legal condemnation. The judge agreed, dismissing the charges and reinforcing the notion that not all technical breaches of law merit prosecutorial zeal, especially in contexts with established community norms favoring leniency.5
Video provided by Friends of Little Beach
To date, twelve out of the thirty-plus cases have been dismissed based on a motion to dismiss. Not everyone wants the extra hassle or in some cases attorney fees, so the majority have taken a plea deal.
The Friends of Little Beach have defended their beach by adapting to the changes, and by developing strategies for fighting back. However, the enemy has not been conquered, it’s not likely the DLNR will have a change of heart any time soon.
As Bill Watts recently told Planet Nude, “The DLNR will never address its own wrongdoing or change oppressive rules, so the only way to fight back is a lawsuit—preferably one that sues for millions of dollars in damages for the tens of thousands of beach goers who have experienced loss.” However, Bill recognizes that’s an uphill battle for the modest beachgoers of Little Beach. “A lawsuit with the attorney general defending [your opponents] means that it’s going to potentially cost a hundred thousand dollars... the public have no effective rights against the criminal acts of the park management and the DLNR.”
Conclusions
Adversarial agencies
The Department of Land and Natural Resources seems bent on keeping people off Little Beach, and their broader strategy appears aimed at limiting public access to state lands altogether. This brings us back to the question: why does the DLNR seem to prefer empty beaches?
The explanation could lie in a cultural bias within the DLNR against the very people it’s meant to serve. Bill Watts characterizes this attitude starkly, saying, “The whole state park management culture is misanthropic. They hate people. They fabricate stories and try and keep people out.” This sentiment suggests a fundamental misalignment between the DLNR’s actions and the public interest, with the agency seemingly prioritizing operational simplicity and budgetary concerns over community access and engagement.
Facing an adversary within a structure like the DLNR, led by an appointee far removed from public accountability and heavily reliant on division managers for knowledge, presents a formidable challenge. This reliance creates a dynamic where those with operational control, possessing a dominion-like mindset, can significantly influence access to public lands. Add to it a lack of oversight or accountability from other regulatory authorities, and this setup dilutes the power of public engagement, making it difficult for the broader community’s interests to prevail against the entrenched positions of a few.
The economic argument
The prevailing argument used to establish nude beaches in the US, espoused by free beach groups who have had success, is often the attraction to tourists and tourist dollars. However, the economic argument usually succeeds on a civic or local level. It doesn’t apply to state agencies that don’t see any benefit from tourist dollars.
This problem is not confined to the Hawaiian islands. Florida nudists know all too well how this can occur. Their state, home to more coastland than any other state in the USA, and where nude recreation makes up for more than $4 Billion annually, has seen dozens of nude beaches closed in the last thirty years at the hands of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, which controls state park land.
In Wisconsin, the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been at the forefront of a battle against nudity, notably with the 2016 closure of the traditionally clothing-optional Mazo Beach, has spurred recent legislative efforts to curb public nudity. These actions, including proposed rule amendments and anti-nudity bills, reflect a coordinated crackdown on naturism, suggesting the DNR’s influence extends beyond regulatory measures to legislative domains.
Culture war tactics
One method for fighting the threats to beaches involves drawing inspiration from successful cultural battles like those seen at Denny Blaine Park in Seattle and Hanlan’s Point in Toronto.
At Denny Blaine Beach in Seattle, a significant mobilization of the LGBTQIA+ and nudist communities successfully opposed the introduction of a children’s playground, which was perceived as a threat to the park’s status as a safe space for transgender individuals and the broader queer community. This opposition was marked by a substantial community meeting and a petition with around 9,000 signatures, ultimately leading to Seattle Parks and Recreation shelving the playground plans in recognition of the area’s importance as an inclusive space.
Similarly, at Hanlan’s Point in Toronto, plans to redevelop the area threatened its status as a clothing-optional beach and a historic queer space. The “Hands Off Hanlan’s” coalition mobilized quickly, presenting a detailed narrative about the beach’s historical significance as the oldest sanctioned nude beach in North America, and highlighting its importance as a queer cultural space. The group succeeded in not only stopping the construction of a concert venue, but in getting their nude beach protected and expanded.
These victories underscore the power of the cultural argument toward such spaces, and the importance coalition-building and allyship with queer activists. However, it’s worth noting that these successes have occurred primarily in defense of city beaches where the threats against the space comes from urban development. What about navigating the complex terrain of bureaucratic battles with state land agencies? This presents a unique challenge, requiring a nuanced approach that might differ from the direct activism and community mobilization seen in Seattle and Toronto. New and varying strategies must be developed.
Friends and allies
The legal losses faced by Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources highlight an important role: the courts. These court cases offer a glimpse of a way forward that respects legal rules and the value of public spaces to communities. But, going through the courts takes a lot of time and money, and it’s never a sure bet. This journey isn’t one to walk alone; those fighting need support and allies.
Yet, this raises a key question, the answer to which could help naturists across the United States: Who else is facing this kind of challenge with government agencies besides nudists? In the fight to preserve the culture and freedom of places like Little Beach, identifying allies who understand this specific struggle is crucial. The broader battle against bureaucratic overreach is familiar, yet when it comes to the unique circumstances faced by naturist groups like Friends of Little Beach, Friends of Mazo Beach, South Florida Free Beaches, or any number of other such groups looking to enjoy state lands, one wonders, are we skinny dippers navigating these waters by ourselves? To whom can we turn for help? And if there’s no one, how can we help each other?
Bill Watts brings a personal perspective to the struggle. At 78 years old, he speaks to the physical and logistical challenges of advocating for Little Beach, “My concern is I’m 78 years old. And I’ve got the Swiss cheese problem. And also, the fact that I have to do the beach work means that by the time I get back from the beach, I’ve gotta have a long nap and, you know, that’s a day gone just going to the beach. And then on my other days, I’m trying to do stuff on my computer, but I’m a slow person. So, I need a team of young people.”
In the end, Little Beach and naturism itself are deeply in need of more Friends. As the Beatles sing, “we get by with a little help from our friends.” This is a call for those who value freedom and the natural environment to come together, to support the Friends of Little Beach, to get involved, and to truly be a Friend.
Mahalo.🪐
Support the Friends of Little Beach
• Sign the petition and become a “Friend” by signing
• Donate to the Friends of Little Beach
• Browse the FoLB website
More reading
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Department_of_Land_and_Natural_Resources
Hawaii Real Estate. (2022, June 29). Little Beach Sunday's BANNED! Maui Nude Beach Hawaii - Makena Real Estate [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2QvxH1RT-M
Schroer, B. (2021). Little Beach, Hawaii and Nude Use: A Cautionary Tale. Pages of History, 2(10 & 11), October/November. https://naturisteducation.org/wp-content/uploads/library/newsletters/2021_10_11.pdf
Fujimoto, L. (2021, February 15). Man who entered closed beach not guilty. The Maui News. https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2021/02/man-who-entered-closed-beach-not-guilty/
Little Beach Maui. (2022). 2022 DLNR receives a second defeat in court. Retrieved from https://www.littlebeachmaui.org/news/2022-dlnr-receives-a-second-defeat-in-court
Full disclosure: If you got this post in your inbox last night, it was honestly an accident! It was planned for Monday morning. I was still editing it and accidentally published it instead of saving and backing out. It was surprisingly only the first time that has happened in my time editing this newsletter. I try to be careful. Alas, it's live. My apologies for any confusion caused.
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