On July 11, 2009, history was made when 13,648 people throughout North America celebrated the joys of skinny-dipping, and in doing so, set the first world record for this marvelous experience.
At 3 p.m. Eastern Nudist Time, people gathered at 143 locations – beaches, pools, resorts, lakes and hot tubs – and happily shed clothes for the pure pleasures of sun, wind and water. According to reports received, all participants – even the “newbies” – remained in this state of nature after the official count and proceeded to enjoy the day with new and old friends.
Some of these thousands of participants were regulars at AANR clubs, campgrounds and resorts, and this was one more fun event they regularly enjoy at these locations. Others were attracted by the widespread media coverage of the event, the novelty or the urging of friends and family to “try something different.” The unanimous view of all was that this event should become a regular part of the celebration of Nude Recreation Week, and plans are already underway to break the 2009 record on July 10, 2010.
This exciting project was the brainchild of AANR marketing consultant Randy Savage, who suggested contacting the Guinness organization in April of 2009. After lengthy discussions, in which Randy explained that the skinny-dip events would be held at dozens of locations, not at a single location such as Spencer Tunick uses for his fascinating photography. With cooperative goodwill and mutual enjoyment, Randy and the Guinness representatives worked out the rules for validating events that ranged from 25 participants at one location to over 600 at another.
Media enjoyed this original story and covered it in publications such as Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and on television and radio shows as far away as Australia. 
A question frequently asked by those who have not yet enjoyed skinny-dipping is, “Why?” The answer was simply summed up by one of the first-timers splashing happily in a pool long after the 3 p.m. official count: “Once you’ve felt how wonderful it is to be without a bathing suit, you’ll never want to wear one again!”
Everyone involved found it to be a safe, fun and innocent way to participate in a Guinness Challenge.
Keep watching this page for continuous updates leading up to next year’s event plus reports, photos and video from this year’s AANR World Record Skinny-Dip.
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