THOUSANDS of Bermudians are trawling the Internet in the search for casual sexual flings with like-minded bedmates.

One international adult contact site alone has posted a whopping 3,406 adverts from residents seeking sexual encounters.

And the staggering statistic has launched a wave of warnings from health officials and police about the dangers of hooking up with strangers for casual flings.

Web site adultfriendfinder.com, which claims to be "the world's largest sex and swinger personals site", encourages users to "indulge yourself and find partners for hot sexual encounters". The site's homepage also boasts 3,406 listings for Bermuda.

The Bermuda page features adverts from 1,692 men looking for women and 207 women looking for men. There are also hundreds of adverts placed by both men and women looking for same-sex and group sex contacts.

Some of the adverts include explicit photographs along with short messages such as: "Been there, done that, loved it!!! 46-year-old woman looking for men. Living in Sandys, Bermuda."

But authorities are cautioning users of such sites to be aware of the dangers of casual sex and meeting up with strangers.

Yesterday Senior Medical Officer Dr. Brenda Davidson expressed concern that participants could be exposing themselves to the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

And she added that it was vital for people using the service to practise safe sex.

Agreeing that the number of Bermudians featured on the site seemed extraordinarily high, Dr. Davidson said: "One of the key messages that we're trying to get out is for people to know their partner. You need to know what their history is. Really the only safe partners are ones in a mutually monogamous relationship.

"Obviously this type of venue for meeting people doesn't facilitate that and in fact goes against that whole ethos. We would not encourage this type of blind embarking.

"I think the medical profession has been very skilful in helping people with HIV to lead normal lives and people now don't seem to realise the risks which are still out there. They think that it won't happen to them but unfortunately that's not always the case. In any relationship where you don't know a person's background there's going to be a serious danger.

"Another thing to consider is that, if you are meeting people through this type of venue, you could be becoming involved with someone who may potentially have a tendency towards risky behaviour. They may also have social or emotional problems. This is definitely not something we would encourage."

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines highlighted the risks of divulging personal details over the Internet.

"Just as in any adult web site or people-finding web site, we are asking for individuals to be very selective when giving out personal information such as your full name, age and where you live," Mr. Caines said.

"We want people to take specific precautions which are necessary in protecting yourself as it relates to the web. The web gives people a sense of anonymity and people can create their own identity on it. We want people to be very guarded when it comes to giving out personal information. If there is any doubt as to who a person is or what they represent you should exercise caution.

"Try to get to know a person fully before giving out any information and in out as much as you can about them so that you have recourse.

"And if you do meet up with someone meet them in a highly lit area and find out key information.

But please be careful when giving out personal information that can make you vulnerable."