Summer in Byron is skinny dipping season.

Stripping down to our bare and bronzed birthday suit and sprinting for the nearest body of water is an exceedingly common act my friends and I participate in here in Byron Bay. Only the best nights consist of a stash of clothes and a dash to the shoreline. It's all too tempting in such a magical dwelling, full of wonderful people and endless good times. This place basically asks you to get naked, to be wild and free. I've discovered there is a recipe for "skinny dipping", and in this town the ingredients are easily accessible.

To begin with you need friends! Byron is the perfect place for young people to meet young people, especially in the summer when the waters warm and the bars stay open late. For me this summer was a constant cycle of beach, work, and play. Each element of the cycle providing ways to meet new people and thus, add to the recipe. One of my favorite Australian terms I've learned here is "cruisy", basically meaning easy-going and flexible, and the attitude around Byron can most accurately be described as just that, cruisy. No one seems to be stressed or bothered, everyone is looking for a good time and an adventure. The "cruisy-ness" of Byron is infectious, something you really won't experience anywhere else.

I'm so fortunate to have met some of the most incredible people here, people with big hearts and healthy spirits. When you are surrounded by people constantly searching for fun, life becomes a collection of good times, and those good times string together into an epic adventure.

Friends mean endless BBQ's and road trips, picnics at waterfalls and smoking on the porch, days on the beach and nights on the town, shopping trips and music festivals, and of course... skinny dipping.

Let's be real here, getting naked is much more fun when your not alone.

With a solid group of friends the next ingredients you need are alcohol and music! Byron is a party town and there's no shortage of bars and live performances. Most nights something is going on in town; from surfboard giveaways to one massive singin' black woman... you are sure to find entertainment.

However, heading out for a night on the town doesn't come cheap in the bay. When schooners (regular sized beer glass) can cost half of what you make in an hour and shots aren't even allowed in most venues... you are basically forced to perfect the art of pre-gaming. Pre-gaming doesn't vary much across the hemisphere, you're really just drinking at someones house before going out so you can attempt to not spend your entire weeks pay in one night.  Something completely unique and unknown to those back home who have never ventured this far south... is the goon bag.

I don't really know how to start explaining the goon bag. I don't know where the name "goon" originates from, but it does come in a bag. Well, it comes in a box and then you pull out the bag. If you are thinking it's like boxed wine.... no. Just no. It's something like a cross between boxed wine and unleaded fuel, mixed with some fruity berry dish soap. The worst part is it actually lists "FISH EGGS" in the ingredients. Despite that kind of description, well, we'll drink anything that cost $11 and gets six of us maggot. (Another of my favorite terms, meaning drunk)

So when you're out with friends, full of goon, and the bar closes...

Don't forget the most vital element to the recipe... water.

We are in a bay here, engulfing a massive body of water. There's nearly a dozen beaches within 15 minutes of town! The white sand beaches surrounding Byron are soft and beautiful, they also squeek when you walk on them! The closest beaches are the busiest in the day, great places to gather friends and make new ones. However if you're searching for something more intimate or just less crowded, simply head to the quieter beaches on the other side of the point. The water is warm and there's beauty everywhere (note that this is a surf town ladies, full of surfers).

At night the lighthouse casts it's beam rhythmically across the water, and you can see the dark silhouette of Julian Rocks in the distance. Beach parties and bonfires spark some of the best nights in Byron! Only one thing beats laying in the sand under the stars at night... swimming naked in the ocean under the stars at night! This is when the magic happens; the clothes come off and nude bodies leave scattered footprints leading to the sea. Swim, laugh, smile.

The essential role skinny-dipping played in my summer was about so much more than just being nude and swimming. The act was symbolic of every emotion that defined my time in Byron; freedom, youth, joy, and possibility.

And remember if the beach is too far from home for some, you can always rely on that one particular private pool... just a fence jump away.