Beach doctor releases US top ten beaches
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Beach doctor releases US top ten beaches
His parents took him to a beach when he was six. He was naturally wowed by the biggest sandbox in the world in front of him. Introduced to water, he began to like every activity related to seawater like boating, fishing, and needless to mention, eating seafood. “When I was a child my parents took me to the beach quite a lot, usually to Myrtle Beach, the outer banks, sometimes to Panama City. Luckily, I got to see a lot of beaches,” said Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach).
How a native of Charlotte, North Carolina ended up prepared for such a career is a big question, to which he replied that as a child in his hometown, he had the biggest sand box “. . .which made me fall in love with sand. I had a sandcastle as huge as I was. On the block, kids knew me as the sand king.”
Landing on his magic 10 are four beaches in Florida, where Dr. Beach currently works in oceanography. Need you ask why the favorites? Leatherman said, “I lived in Maryland, and for the first seven years I spent at the University of Maryland in D.C. no beaches in Maryland made it to my top 10. Back then, I had rated a lot of Florida beaches for the top 10. If you look at the past list, there had been a number of Florida beaches I had listed when I was in Maryland. Now that I am here in Florida, if you look at the past winners, there had been fewer in this state,” he said. He now thinks he must have become more critical of Florida seas.
Tom Flannigan, spokesperson for the Visit Florida, the state’s official source for travel planning, is thrilled the state got many mentions this year. “As far as credibility, it is certainly a highly-publicized list. But as Leatherman is a disinterested party with no axe to grind in connection to any destination, it gives him a degree of credibility.” He is seen at the beaches, all over the place and is able to make objective assessments as to which beaches are beach-goers must-see.
Dr. Beach works as the director for the Florida International University’s laboratory for coastal research in Miami. “Being an academic, he has an objective list of criteria he uses to judge the various beaches,” explained Flannigan. “Look over his beach picks in his previous years and the beaches are everywhere.”
Hanauma Beach on Oahu is Dr. Beach’s grand slammer this year. “Hawaii beaches are phenomenal. I have people thinking every top 10 beach should be from Hawaii.” But Dr. Beach cannot have all Hawaii beaches on the annual dossier even if he had to; the list is for swimming beaches which have to be safe.
Leatherman’s contestants have been called “deserving” by some, his list has yet to prove a tourism generator, in terms of influence.
Said Rex Johnson, chairman of the Hawaii Tourism Authority: “We don’t have any statistics showing the effect of Dr. Beach’s list but Hawaii perennially ends up with honors on various best beaches polls. We are very happy when we are selected by Dr. Beach, or Conde Nast, or any one else for that matter.”
But what does the doctor of beaches think about Hawaii’s beaches in general?
“Most beaches in Hawaii have big waves. Waimea is where the surfing competitions take place and may not be safe. By now, it is probably ok. I had been swimming there in July when it was flat as a pancake.” Waimea has been voted off the American idol of beaches because in the winter, the doc said there are waves 20 to 30 feet high, making it too dangerous. “Hawaii waves are big and very powerful compared to that of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast, which have only ripples.” Sandy Beach, some distance of Oahu’s Hanauma Bay, is a very dangerous one according to Leatherman. Toss in the unsafe shore breaks which local kids ride, they can get themselves killed easily by breaking their necks.
On dangerous sharks in Hawaii, the Doc said to keep in mind that the surfers, who swim far offshore are the ones who get attacked. “I don’t know of low-water swimmers who had been attacked. Tiger sharks are deep-water creatures unless they are lured into shallow waters - as in one incident in Maui two years ago when a 12-foot tiger shark followed a dead fish left drifting off to shore by a fisherman.” When the water is turbid such as in Kauai where volcanic soil is deep red - when it rains, earth runs off the sugarcane fields, into the river and out into the water- waves are chocolate-looking. “And the Hawaiian kids still surf there,” said Leatherman in awe.
Nevertheless, the rating made the tropical island proud. “Kauai is pleased to be recognized in the top ten beaches in Dr. Beach. It is always an honor to be included in his prestigious list,” said Sue Kanoho, the Kauai Visitors Bureau chairman.
Hanalei Beach in Kauai is crescent-shaped and shallow. Usually calm, it can get different type waves in different times of the year. Dr. Beach gave few points to the jetty where people can relax and explore. “At the end of that pier is where people go for scuba diving and snorkeling and watch sea turtles, which usually swim far offshore. But the problem is, sea turtles are the staple diet for tiger sharks! Swimming in Hawaii is not dangerous unless you go farther out in the deeper waters to surf or dive,” Leatherman warned.
Florida beaches are, by and large, safer and don’t have any hazards like big waves and dangerous rip currents, according to Beach. He, however, pointed to one scary fact-- Smyrna Beach has had some nasty shark attacks. “2001 was the year of the shark,” Beach said.
Further, he mentioned that rip currents are typical of Florida beaches. “Those beaches do not make it to my top 10. Fort Lauderdale has nice beaches but has rip current conditions in the winter months of January to March. In May, there had been winds of up to 15-20 miles an hour every day, which pumped up the ocean. About five people drowned,” Dr. Beach reported.
The problem he said is that the beaches are hard to patrol. After lifeguards leave at 5:00pm, people still swim. “Rip currents are a big criterion in my assessment, counting heavily and factoring in my analysis. Beaches on my 2004 shortlist, such as Cape Florida on the tip end of Key Biscayne have neither rip currents nor waves, and are great for swimming, but not surfing, of course.”
The honor is a one-time affair for the beach on Dr. Beach since there are 650 recreational beaches in the US and another thousand minor ones. He said,
“If I did not replace or disqualify the national winner, I could not give other beaches a chance. Once a beach becomes the national winner, it gets so much press and so much attention; we need to get something new to people every year.”
Johnson added, “Any advertising you would get about good beaches only heightens Hawaii’s overall brand. Does it bring us more customers? We don’t know. Combined with all the rest of the accolades Hawaii gets, it is difficult to measure how such a list will directly affect us. It is great to have them but we are known as a beach destination. Who knows anything changes just because Conde Nast or Dr. Beach says Hawaii has great beaches. Everyone knows that Hawaii is a tourist destination with beautiful shores.”
“To our way of thinking, it is incredibly free promotion and helped considerably to influence traveler’s decisions,” said Flannigan. From that aspect, he does have influence which we have not been able to quantify as yet. The various chemical composition of the various sands he finds - is that going to help people make a decision? The criterion he uses seems to be more consumer-friendly.” Flannigan could not ascertain a need for a more scientific grading other than what Dr. Leatherman already has – a 50-point grading system. He is ranking based on solid criteria and features the average person would be looking at.
In order to see the direct impact of his list on tourists coming to the aforementioned beaches, Flannigan said it would entail an extensive and expensive comprehensive survey of visitors not only to Florida, but also to the coastal areas. As to what factors visitors used as consideration in choosing the specific beach destination, there are just hundreds factors that contribute to people’s decision when it comes to itinerary.
Beach has gone back to most of his national winners. Some are still superb; but if an event, such as a shark attack, leads to a downgrade, he said he will let the public know. “Poipu Beach had been hit very hard by hurricane Nicky in 1992, which knocked it off the list for a while. A resort had been built which made it regain its place on the list about three years ago.”
History of hurricane or erosion, pollution problems becoming more apparent get Dr. Beach alarmed. For instance, “Lanakai Beach had an erosion problem which moved it southward. Land-owners had problems with it although it had been a national winner,” he said with a plan to make a back-up list (of downgrades, perhaps?).
On the beaches, he is considered a ‘mystery shopper’ and conducts his own evaluation. His list, not only, fundamentally serves to reward beaches for a lot of their good natural qualities but also recognizes good pro-active management that gives people the ultimate beach experience. National Healthy Beaches Campaign, his new baby, recognizes all the good-quality beaches, not only the ‘standard’ sandy ones, but also coldwater and pristine stretches. He said the campaign is dedicated to promoting balance between recreational use of the nation's beaches and maintaining the environmental quality and safety of this prized resource.
When asked if he’d entertained the notion of being an international beach doctor some day, celebrity Mr. Leatherman replied: “I am working on it right now. There are still plenty to see here.”
So, which beaches made Dr. Beach’s grade besides those already mentioned? Here is a list of Dr. Beach’s Top Ten US Beaches:
1. Hanauma Bay, Oahu, HI - National Winner
2. Fort De Soto Park, FL
3. Ocracoke Island, NC
4. Caladesi Island State Park, FL
5. Main Beach, East Hampton, NY
6. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HI
7. Crescent Beach, Siesta Key, FL
8. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, MA
9. Cape Florida State Park, FL
10. Coronado Beach, CA
eTN Florida
author: Hazel Heyer
Beach doctor releases US top ten beaches
His parents took him to a beach when he was six. He was naturally wowed by the biggest sandbox in the world in front of him. Introduced to water, he began to like every activity related to seawater like boating, fishing, and needless to mention, eating seafood. “When I was a child my parents took me to the beach quite a lot, usually to Myrtle Beach, the outer banks, sometimes to Panama City. Luckily, I got to see a lot of beaches,” said Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach).
How a native of Charlotte, North Carolina ended up prepared for such a career is a big question, to which he replied that as a child in his hometown, he had the biggest sand box “. . .which made me fall in love with sand. I had a sandcastle as huge as I was. On the block, kids knew me as the sand king.”
Landing on his magic 10 are four beaches in Florida, where Dr. Beach currently works in oceanography. Need you ask why the favorites? Leatherman said, “I lived in Maryland, and for the first seven years I spent at the University of Maryland in D.C. no beaches in Maryland made it to my top 10. Back then, I had rated a lot of Florida beaches for the top 10. If you look at the past list, there had been a number of Florida beaches I had listed when I was in Maryland. Now that I am here in Florida, if you look at the past winners, there had been fewer in this state,” he said. He now thinks he must have become more critical of Florida seas.
Tom Flannigan, spokesperson for the Visit Florida, the state’s official source for travel planning, is thrilled the state got many mentions this year. “As far as credibility, it is certainly a highly-publicized list. But as Leatherman is a disinterested party with no axe to grind in connection to any destination, it gives him a degree of credibility.” He is seen at the beaches, all over the place and is able to make objective assessments as to which beaches are beach-goers must-see.
Dr. Beach works as the director for the Florida International University’s laboratory for coastal research in Miami. “Being an academic, he has an objective list of criteria he uses to judge the various beaches,” explained Flannigan. “Look over his beach picks in his previous years and the beaches are everywhere.”
Hanauma Beach on Oahu is Dr. Beach’s grand slammer this year. “Hawaii beaches are phenomenal. I have people thinking every top 10 beach should be from Hawaii.” But Dr. Beach cannot have all Hawaii beaches on the annual dossier even if he had to; the list is for swimming beaches which have to be safe.
Leatherman’s contestants have been called “deserving” by some, his list has yet to prove a tourism generator, in terms of influence.
Said Rex Johnson, chairman of the Hawaii Tourism Authority: “We don’t have any statistics showing the effect of Dr. Beach’s list but Hawaii perennially ends up with honors on various best beaches polls. We are very happy when we are selected by Dr. Beach, or Conde Nast, or any one else for that matter.”
But what does the doctor of beaches think about Hawaii’s beaches in general?
“Most beaches in Hawaii have big waves. Waimea is where the surfing competitions take place and may not be safe. By now, it is probably ok. I had been swimming there in July when it was flat as a pancake.” Waimea has been voted off the American idol of beaches because in the winter, the doc said there are waves 20 to 30 feet high, making it too dangerous. “Hawaii waves are big and very powerful compared to that of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast, which have only ripples.” Sandy Beach, some distance of Oahu’s Hanauma Bay, is a very dangerous one according to Leatherman. Toss in the unsafe shore breaks which local kids ride, they can get themselves killed easily by breaking their necks.
On dangerous sharks in Hawaii, the Doc said to keep in mind that the surfers, who swim far offshore are the ones who get attacked. “I don’t know of low-water swimmers who had been attacked. Tiger sharks are deep-water creatures unless they are lured into shallow waters - as in one incident in Maui two years ago when a 12-foot tiger shark followed a dead fish left drifting off to shore by a fisherman.” When the water is turbid such as in Kauai where volcanic soil is deep red - when it rains, earth runs off the sugarcane fields, into the river and out into the water- waves are chocolate-looking. “And the Hawaiian kids still surf there,” said Leatherman in awe.
Nevertheless, the rating made the tropical island proud. “Kauai is pleased to be recognized in the top ten beaches in Dr. Beach. It is always an honor to be included in his prestigious list,” said Sue Kanoho, the Kauai Visitors Bureau chairman.
Hanalei Beach in Kauai is crescent-shaped and shallow. Usually calm, it can get different type waves in different times of the year. Dr. Beach gave few points to the jetty where people can relax and explore. “At the end of that pier is where people go for scuba diving and snorkeling and watch sea turtles, which usually swim far offshore. But the problem is, sea turtles are the staple diet for tiger sharks! Swimming in Hawaii is not dangerous unless you go farther out in the deeper waters to surf or dive,” Leatherman warned.
Florida beaches are, by and large, safer and don’t have any hazards like big waves and dangerous rip currents, according to Beach. He, however, pointed to one scary fact-- Smyrna Beach has had some nasty shark attacks. “2001 was the year of the shark,” Beach said.
Further, he mentioned that rip currents are typical of Florida beaches. “Those beaches do not make it to my top 10. Fort Lauderdale has nice beaches but has rip current conditions in the winter months of January to March. In May, there had been winds of up to 15-20 miles an hour every day, which pumped up the ocean. About five people drowned,” Dr. Beach reported.
The problem he said is that the beaches are hard to patrol. After lifeguards leave at 5:00pm, people still swim. “Rip currents are a big criterion in my assessment, counting heavily and factoring in my analysis. Beaches on my 2004 shortlist, such as Cape Florida on the tip end of Key Biscayne have neither rip currents nor waves, and are great for swimming, but not surfing, of course.”
The honor is a one-time affair for the beach on Dr. Beach since there are 650 recreational beaches in the US and another thousand minor ones. He said,
“If I did not replace or disqualify the national winner, I could not give other beaches a chance. Once a beach becomes the national winner, it gets so much press and so much attention; we need to get something new to people every year.”
Johnson added, “Any advertising you would get about good beaches only heightens Hawaii’s overall brand. Does it bring us more customers? We don’t know. Combined with all the rest of the accolades Hawaii gets, it is difficult to measure how such a list will directly affect us. It is great to have them but we are known as a beach destination. Who knows anything changes just because Conde Nast or Dr. Beach says Hawaii has great beaches. Everyone knows that Hawaii is a tourist destination with beautiful shores.”
“To our way of thinking, it is incredibly free promotion and helped considerably to influence traveler’s decisions,” said Flannigan. From that aspect, he does have influence which we have not been able to quantify as yet. The various chemical composition of the various sands he finds - is that going to help people make a decision? The criterion he uses seems to be more consumer-friendly.” Flannigan could not ascertain a need for a more scientific grading other than what Dr. Leatherman already has – a 50-point grading system. He is ranking based on solid criteria and features the average person would be looking at.
In order to see the direct impact of his list on tourists coming to the aforementioned beaches, Flannigan said it would entail an extensive and expensive comprehensive survey of visitors not only to Florida, but also to the coastal areas. As to what factors visitors used as consideration in choosing the specific beach destination, there are just hundreds factors that contribute to people’s decision when it comes to itinerary.
Beach has gone back to most of his national winners. Some are still superb; but if an event, such as a shark attack, leads to a downgrade, he said he will let the public know. “Poipu Beach had been hit very hard by hurricane Nicky in 1992, which knocked it off the list for a while. A resort had been built which made it regain its place on the list about three years ago.”
History of hurricane or erosion, pollution problems becoming more apparent get Dr. Beach alarmed. For instance, “Lanakai Beach had an erosion problem which moved it southward. Land-owners had problems with it although it had been a national winner,” he said with a plan to make a back-up list (of downgrades, perhaps?).
On the beaches, he is considered a ‘mystery shopper’ and conducts his own evaluation. His list, not only, fundamentally serves to reward beaches for a lot of their good natural qualities but also recognizes good pro-active management that gives people the ultimate beach experience. National Healthy Beaches Campaign, his new baby, recognizes all the good-quality beaches, not only the ‘standard’ sandy ones, but also coldwater and pristine stretches. He said the campaign is dedicated to promoting balance between recreational use of the nation's beaches and maintaining the environmental quality and safety of this prized resource.
When asked if he’d entertained the notion of being an international beach doctor some day, celebrity Mr. Leatherman replied: “I am working on it right now. There are still plenty to see here.”
So, which beaches made Dr. Beach’s grade besides those already mentioned? Here is a list of Dr. Beach’s Top Ten US Beaches:
1. Hanauma Bay, Oahu, HI - National Winner
2. Fort De Soto Park, FL
3. Ocracoke Island, NC
4. Caladesi Island State Park, FL
5. Main Beach, East Hampton, NY
6. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HI
7. Crescent Beach, Siesta Key, FL
8. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, MA
9. Cape Florida State Park, FL
10. Coronado Beach, CA
eTN Florida
author: Hazel Heyer
posted by DP at 7:47 AM
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