Skinny Dip Day 2024 was a splash
SkinnyDipDay.org raises over $10,000 for the Fistula Foundation
By all accounts, our Skinny Dip Day event at Bates Beach on Saturday, July 13th, held in collaboration with Southern California Naturist Association (SCNA) and Friends of Bates Beach (FoBB), was a resounding success, with attendees from across the region coming together to celebrate body freedom and support Fistula Foundation. Despite some cloudy weather and mild temperatures, the event was well-attended, with an estimated 45-50 nude participants enjoying the day.
The skinny on our dip
Representatives from SCNA and FoBB were present, including Linda Weber, president-elect of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), and Cynthia Holbach, president of the Naturist Society Foundation (TNSF). Other notable attendees included Timothy from Almostwild and Planet Nude, along with many friends and familiar faces from the naturist community. The support from these prominent figures helped to underscore the importance of the event and the cause it supports.
Throughout the day, individuals waded into the cool Pacific waters, and with some luck, by mid-afternoon, the clouds burned away, and the sun came out just in time for a group dip and photo taking place around 2:45 PM. Many attendees remarked on the beautiful, if slightly cool, day and the overall joyful atmosphere.
Our Bates Beach event raised over $200 in cash and online donations from event attendees, and an additional $1,800 from pre-event fundraising online, merch sales, and my own commitment to donate $50 for every Planet Nude t-shirt seen on the beach (there were three). Nearly forty different individuals supported Team Planet Nude. In total, we surpassed our $2,000 fundraising goal, personally providing life-changing surgeries (cost: $619) for at least three women living with obstetric fistula!
I want to genuinely thank every single person who contributed to this effort. Whether you donated, bought a shirt, or just came to jump in the water with us, THANK YOU! You contributed to an extremely successful fundraiser and helped Team Planet Nude outraise the other teams involved this year. That’s right! We came in first place! Woohoo!
A record-breaking year for Skinny Dip Day
While the good-natured competition certainly motivated us, this was a much larger team effort, and many more folks from all the different teams deserve recognition for contributing to the larger goal of raising funds for the Fistula Foundation.
This year’s Skinny Dip Day saw participation from at least twenty-three different teams across more than fifteen locations, including Lupin Lodge, Gunnison Beach, Black’s Beach, Indiana Naturists, and the Black Naturists Association, among many more. Collectively, these teams helped the larger fundraiser meet its $10,000 goal for the Fistula Foundation, far surpassing the previous record of $5,574 set last year! Donations are still trickling in, but as of the morning of this article’s publication, the total donated amount for this year was over $10,500. As a result, seventeen women will now be able to receive life-changing surgery. In its five-year history, SkinnyDipDay.org has now raised over $27,000 for this amazing cause, providing cures for nearly forty-five women! Incredible!
By all measures, the Bates Beach event and Skinny Dip Day at large were a splashing success, demonstrating the power of community and collective action in supporting a worthy cause. Sincerely, thank you to everyone who donated, wherever you are and whichever team you may have supported. You made this happen!
Skinny dippers around the world
I also asked readers and online contributors who couldn’t make it to Bates Beach to celebrate with us in person to send in photos of themselves observing International Skinny Dip Day in their own way, and I got a nice handful of responses!
Here are a few of the ways people participated from their various corners of the world, including a few other team dips:
Thank you once more to everyone who participated and supported this wonderful cause. We look forward to even more successful events in the future. 🪐
Didn’t get to contribute yet but want to? It’s not too late to make a donation to help women with obstetric fistula receive a life-changing cure. Donate here!
Beautiful writing; beautiful photos; beautiful project for body positivity; and beautiful help provided to women living with injury and severe deep body shame. All around wonderful.
Please tell what the display material was and where can we get it for next year