We loved it. It really is the first beach like it you'll come to. The site, backed by a vegetated hillside, is dotted with small rocks. On warm days, El Mat's inviting sand draws a mix of sans-suiters and clothed users. During a June visit, at the pocket beach past the first tunnel, at least a third of those present were nude or topless people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Regulars say that the number of nudists often equals the number of suited swimmers.
However, that was before deputies began raiding it and before the parking lot was expanded to cover part of the sand. Today most of the bare sunbathers have left for more hassle-free shores. Deputies have been enforcing the county's anti-nudity law since the early 1980s. Park in one of the beach lots and walk south along either the sand or the service road to the cove. There were nearly as many women as men, and people drove from miles around for a clothing-optional day in the sun.