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One of several signs at Gunnison Beach.

(Peter Genovese/The Star-Ledger)

I'm at the state's only legal nude beach wearing nothing but a smile.

"Newspapers always do a story on the beach at least once a year,'' says Al Kononowitz of Brick.

"Not like this,'' I tell him.

"Reporters gone naked'' sounds like the title of a reality show no one wants to see, but if you're going to spend the afternoon at Gunnison Beach, you need to act like the locals, and go native.

I've been to Gunnison one other time in my life (I swear), and the best line about the nude beach came from a woman I talked to first time out.

"Our motto here,'' she said, "is get naked or get lost.''

If you're expecting Brazilian supermodels & rock hard abs, you're in the wrong place. Sure, there are some bodies beautiful, but mostly it's the average American body on full display, with lots of flab and sag.

A fair amount of Jerseyans apparently want to get naked, because on this weekday afternoon Gunnison is packed.

The nude beach is tucked at the north end of Sandy Hook - Parking Lot G is 4.5 miles from the front entrance. The beach is both a hike and difficult to miss. The water is more than a half mile from the parking lot. At first glance, Gunnison looks like any Jersey beach - blankets, chairs, umbrellas, coolers.

Except for the naked people.

''You draw more attention here with your clothes on than with your clothes off,'' says Gunnison regular Al Kononowitz of Brick.

Gunnison regular Khadafy Khan.

He's here four, five times a week, part of a group of nudist friends that include Khadafy Khan, a musician from Bergenfield, and Tom, a retired New York City cop everyone calls Turtle.

The first time Turtle visited Gunnison 29 years ago with his then-new wife, a "Bo Derek-lookalike'' strode out of the water and asked Tom if he could help drag her catamaran to the beach.

His response: "Definitely!''

Khan is here every weekday. He's from Trinidad; the Trinidad and Tobago flag flies from his sand chair; a Jets cooler is nearby.

"It's a great community, great friends,'' says Khan, who doesn't even own a bathing suit.

There are several unspoken rules here. If you're shy about removing your clothes the first time, that's ok, but on your next visit it's essentially get naked or get lost; there's plenty of "regular'' beach in either direction.

One big no-no: cameras. "It is considered extremely rude to photograph others enjoying themselves at the beach,'' reads a guide to nude beach etiquette on the web site of Friends of Gunnison, an American Association for Nude Recreation-affiliated club.

Sandy Hook is part of the federal Gateway National Recreation Area, so local ordinances don't apply. Liquor is allowed, but no glass containers. State-owned Higbee Beach, in Lower Township, was a nude beach for many years, but complaints from locals forced then-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman to ban nude sunbathing in 2000.

Gunnison, meanwhile, packs them in; on my visit last Wednesday, a thousand or so nude sunbathers had spread out blankets and beach chairs on a picture-perfect summer afternoon.

At first glance, Gunnison looks like any other Jersey beach.

It may be the quietest beach in the state: no music blaring, no kids screaming, and little garbage. There is no concession stand; make sure you bring a cooler.

Dave and Lin Tillery of Ocean City, Md. found Gunnison six years ago while searching for a lighthouse - the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, nearby.

"We saw the signs that said 'clothing optional,' '' Dave says.

"So we decided to give it a try,'' his wife adds.

Now they drive up from Ocean City once a year to spend the day at the nude beach. They bought t-shirts down here once that read "Happiness is no tan lines.''

"Don't believe you're never going to see these people again,'' Dave says, laughing, and tells the story of meeting a guy from Long Island at a St. Maarten resort, where there is a nude beach.

Dave and Lin were having dinner at a restaurant on Maryland's Eastern Shore several years later when someone walked up from behind, put his hands over Dave's eyes and said, "You probably won't recognize me with my clothes on.'' It was the guy from Long Island.

"A lot of people from Jersey don't know this is here,'' Dave says of Gunnison.

Signs at the end of the walkway to the beach read "Attention: Beyond This Point You May Encounter Nude Sunbathers.''

There's no "may'' about it; the overwhelming amount of beachgoers beyond that sign are naked; a handful of women keep on their bikini bottoms.

"I'm just here to get some color,'' explains Nicole from Staten Island, here for the fourth time.

Joe and Tammy from Point Pleasant are first time Gunnison visitors.

"Just trying it out; no big deal,'' Joe says.

"It's very comfortable, very relaxed,'' Tammy adds. "I like it that there's no garbage around.''

"Are we going to come back?'' Joe asks his wife.

"Yeah, occasionally,'' she replies.

The beach, and a nearby battery mounted with 6-inch "disappearing guns'' completed in 1904, are named after Capt. John Gunnison.

"I've been coming here 14 years,'' Kononowitz notes. "The first two years I didn't tell my children.''

He calls nude sunbathing "addictive.''

"The only time I put on a bathing suit is when I go to Vegas,'' he adds.

There are also signs warning nude sunbathers about clothed areas.

Corey from Westfield describes it as "liberating.''

"I didn't know there was a nude beach in New Jersey,'' she says.

It's her third visit to Gunnison. Several friends asked if they could come along, but she said no. She feels "freer'' going alone.

The nudists, according to Khan, are "all average people. There are artists, funeral directors, teachers, nurses, doctors.''

For the musician, Gunnison provides "mental and physical therapy.'' He says "there's an openness about it, a freedom.''

The lifeguards, in case you're wondering, are clothed. There are several volleyball nets; games usually occur in the late afternoon. The day I was there, a dozen guys and girls tossed around a Frisbee.

On a clear day, you can see the New York City skyline. It's a nude beach with a great view.

''It's not for everybody,'' Kononowitz says. "If people don't want to be here, we don't want them here.''