tonight and do some dirty things in the men's bathroom of Pickled Onion."

And so began the Internet wooing of one local searching for satisfaction.

Approximately 3,000 Bermuda residents are on Adultfriendfinder.com, a website that claims to be the "world's largest sex and swingers personals site".

The majority of the site's users are men looking for women. It only takes a quick flick through the site to realise that searching for a lifetime soulmate is not high on anyone's agenda. Most are interested in a quick rendezvous, a "bit on the side" or participating in an alternative lifestyle.

On January 3 an account was opened on the site ? with a pseudonym. The account said that a 22-year-old recently arrived expatriate was interested in finding out more. It asked people to discuss their experiences online and explain why they joined the site. Two weeks later, after multiple replies, the answers became crystal clear: they wanted to have relationship-free sex.

Thirty-seven people replied with answers, invitations and explanations. Within an hour of signing up for the site a 34-year-old Flatts man sent an invitation to join him at his cottage for some "discreet but loud fun".

He was not the only one to get straight to the point. Most wrote something along the lines of "you sound hot, let's meet up and have sex". They left it at that.

Some users even offered advice for the newcomer. One man said that many women on the site complained of overly aggressive males. He advised staying away from users who want you to join them on a web camera site, "unless you're into that sort of thing".

Many of the users, men and women, said they joined the site to avoid the hassles of dating on a small Island.

Some said that they did not want to advertise their escapades by publicly dating people. Others said if they were seen with a woman everyone would assume it was a girlfriend when that was not the case. They said it was easier to chat online and then meet people or invite them to their home.

One 33 year old complained that most of his friends were coupled up and he felt the site was the only place left to meet women.

Another male advised the newcomer that the site was actually the best way to avoid gaining a reputation on a small Island. The 28-year-old divorced Smith's man, who casually mentioned he earned over $80,000 a year, explained that the site was a great way for women to sleep around with a variety of people without neighbours or friends finding out about it.

"You can go to their house, have fun and you'll probably never see them again," he wrote. "The Island is small but not that small. People on this site run in different crowds."

The site is not just for singles. Married men and women frequent it to and can be very up front about their marital situation.

A 41-year-old Hamilton man readily admitted that he was married and looking for "something on the side".

"I am here because I want to hook up with other married women, who, like me, are looking for no strings or commitment and excitement in their lives," he wrote. "Sad, but true". The man went on to divulge that the site provided the necessary anonymity.

"It's a small Island and married folk, both men and women, don't need the bar scene if it's discretion they are looking for," he explained. When asked if his wife was aware of his outside interests, he simply replied: "To be honest, I ought to sit down with my wife (after a couple of bottles of wine) and say 'Hey, how do you feel about (inviting someone else into the bedroom)?"

A similar discussion prompted one couple to visit the site.

They realised they wanted to spice up their sex life and invite singles and couples into their bedroom. They turned to the web to avoid embarrassing situations.

The Hamilton couple, involved in the health industry, asked the newcomer to meet them for a drink and added that it would be purely social ? "no pressure, no expectations".

In their e-mail they explained that they were interested in inviting new parties into the bedroom, something they had done numerous times and liked to meet people for a drink before taking them home. They explained that the site was a better way to meet people than approaching women or couples in bars.

"People can take things the wrong way and get intimidated or offended," they wrote, "Online you don't have that."

Another couple, who live in Devonshire, said the site was the best thing for local swingers. Their e-mail said it has led to a frequent swingers' party at their pool, but that they were currently looking for swingers interested in a "full Roman Empire style orgy".

The site appears to have a mix or locals and expats, black and white, young and old, single and married, gay and straight and everything in between. There is something for everyone. Everyone who replied said they have never met up with anyone they knew previously and have had mostly positive experiences.

In yesterday's , local psychologist Susan Adhemar explained that the Island's small size and transient population contributed to the popularity of the site. She added that looking online for casual sex was not specific to Bermuda. An individual's socio-sexual orientation and the desire to break away from traditional social and sexual roles also plays a large role in drawing people to look online.

Considering that Bermuda's size and lack of privacy are factors that lead people to go online a startlingly high number of people post pictures of themselves to entice users to e-mail them. Pornographic material also flourished with many locals ? male and female ? proudly displaying their genitals.

Trolling online for casual sexual encounters appears to be growing in Bermuda.

Since the Mid-Ocean News first wrote about Adultfriendfinder.com in November, 230 people have joined the site despite the fact that doctors and law enforcement officials warned about the health and security risks of joining.

In fact, five people signed up after Dr. Adhemar was interviewed for Friday's story.