Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012---Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Coronado Beach, San Diego Coastal scientist Stephen P. Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University known as "Dr. Beach," announced his 22nd annual Top 10 Beaches list on May 25. He has compiled the list annually since 1991 using 50 criteria, including sand and water quality as well as safety and environmental management. Leatherman has published 16 books, including his most recent release, “Field Guide to the Water’s Edge” (National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/books). Here are his top 10 picks for 2012.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Coronado Beach, San Diego
Coronado Beach, San Diego: This wide, 1.5-mile-long sandy beach is set against the backdrop of the Hotel del Coronado and its classic Victorian architecture. The beach is popular with swimmers, surfers, sunbathers and beachcombers. The beach is flat, making it great for skim boarding and walking, and the sand has a silvery sheen due to the presence of mica. A great team of lifeguards stands watch. Coronado is a quaint small town with sophisticated luxury and a Mediterranean climate. The best way to get around the relatively flat town is by bicycling.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii: This beach was named in honor of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, a gold-medal Olympic swimmer who is credited with introducing surfing to the wider world. Kahanamoku Beach is bordered by the Ala Wai small-boat harbor and the Hilton Hawaiian Village catamaran pier. A shallow reef protects this beach from big waves, making it a great swimming area for families with children.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.: Main Beach, one of five beaches in the village of East Hampton, provides the perfect blend of nature and a manmade environment. Wealthy summertime residents flock here to beaches protected by a conservation easement that dates back more than 300 years. Main Beach is a great place for celebrity spotting; many actors and actresses visit for the idyllic setting in a small village. The big, wide beach made of quartz sand has towering dunes and beautiful, clean, clear blue water. Pedal a bicycle to avoid parking and take in the beautiful vista.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: St. George Island State Park, Florida
St. George Island State Park, Florida: The Florida panhandle beaches are back, oil from the BP spill has vanished, and the sand is squeaky clean. (Just rub your feet on the sand and hear them squeak.) Fortunately, the brilliant white sands and clear waters of St. George Island were not even affected by the spill. This undeveloped beach is on a 1,962-acre barrier island that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors can revel in swimming, shelling, fishing, canoeing, boating, hiking and camping. Stingrays sometimes rest in the shallow water, so shuffle your feet when entering. Birding and fishing are popular activities here. The park has six picnic shelters with grills, tables and restrooms, along with 60 campsites that have electricity and water hookups.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii: The most famous of Maui’s Hana beaches is a crescent-shaped pocket beach inside a breached volcanic crater. It is made of coral and lava sand, covered by coconut palm trees and flowering vegetation, and rimmed by cliffs. To get to Hamoa Beach, drive the treacherous Road to Hana, known for its 1,000-foot dropoffs and sporadic guardrails. Take it slow on this road, which has more than 50 one-way bridges. Ernest Hemingway once said that Hamoa Beach was the world’s best beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.: This beach, accessible by bicycle or via shuttle bus from the Salt Pond Visitor’s Center, was formed when a sand spit became attached to the eroding glacial cliffs. The sand is fairly coarse, so the beach slopes steeply into the water. The picturesque old Coast Guard station still sits atop the glacial bluffs, allowing for a spectacular view of the Nauset Spit barrier system and bay. In summer, beachgoers tend to take quick, refreshing dips in the ocean, as water temperatures reach only 60 to 70 degrees.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii
Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii: This white, sandy beach stretches for 5.5 miles, making it the longest stretch of shoreline on Oahu. The beach is also used for fishing and occasionally surfing. The park has ample parking, restrooms, outdoor showers and a good beach for swimming. While not as stunning as some other Hawaiian beaches, it is a safe beach because big waves and dangerous currents are rare and lifeguards are present. Hawaiians who live on Oahu frequent this beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.
Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.: This beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne provides clear, emerald-colored waters and gentle surf. The fine white-coral sand beach is great for swimming, since waves are knocked down by a large sand shoal offshore. In addition, the Cape Florida Lighthouse allows for a breathtaking view of this beautiful beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.
Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.: This public beach on the southern end of Kiawah Island is about 25 miles south of Charleston. Tennis and golf are featured here, as well as interpretative tours of the island’s flora and fauna. This is a nature-lover’s coast, so visitors should pack their canoes and kayaks to paddle through the tidal inlets or walk down to Captain Sam’s Inlet to see thousands of birds. The water is not clear here, but it is clean and provides for fantastic seafood. Visitors can also bring their bicycles, since the sand is compact enough to ride along the 10-mile-long barrier island.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina: The country’s first national seashore is a barrier island that bulges far offshore. It provides some of the best board surfing along the East Coast and features the most famous lighthouse in the U.S. Cape Hatteras attracts beachgoers to its historic villages as well as nature lovers who enjoy beachcombing and fishing. Hurricane Irene in 2011 cut a few inlets through Hatteras Island, so travel down to the cape will be slowed.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Coronado Beach, San Diego
Coronado Beach, San Diego: This wide, 1.5-mile-long sandy beach is set against the backdrop of the Hotel del Coronado and its classic Victorian architecture. The beach is popular with swimmers, surfers, sunbathers and beachcombers. The beach is flat, making it great for skim boarding and walking, and the sand has a silvery sheen due to the presence of mica. A great team of lifeguards stands watch. Coronado is a quaint small town with sophisticated luxury and a Mediterranean climate. The best way to get around the relatively flat town is by bicycling.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii: This beach was named in honor of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, a gold-medal Olympic swimmer who is credited with introducing surfing to the wider world. Kahanamoku Beach is bordered by the Ala Wai small-boat harbor and the Hilton Hawaiian Village catamaran pier. A shallow reef protects this beach from big waves, making it a great swimming area for families with children.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.: Main Beach, one of five beaches in the village of East Hampton, provides the perfect blend of nature and a manmade environment. Wealthy summertime residents flock here to beaches protected by a conservation easement that dates back more than 300 years. Main Beach is a great place for celebrity spotting; many actors and actresses visit for the idyllic setting in a small village. The big, wide beach made of quartz sand has towering dunes and beautiful, clean, clear blue water. Pedal a bicycle to avoid parking and take in the beautiful vista.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: St. George Island State Park, Florida
St. George Island State Park, Florida: The Florida panhandle beaches are back, oil from the BP spill has vanished, and the sand is squeaky clean. (Just rub your feet on the sand and hear them squeak.) Fortunately, the brilliant white sands and clear waters of St. George Island were not even affected by the spill. This undeveloped beach is on a 1,962-acre barrier island that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors can revel in swimming, shelling, fishing, canoeing, boating, hiking and camping. Stingrays sometimes rest in the shallow water, so shuffle your feet when entering. Birding and fishing are popular activities here. The park has six picnic shelters with grills, tables and restrooms, along with 60 campsites that have electricity and water hookups.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii: The most famous of Maui’s Hana beaches is a crescent-shaped pocket beach inside a breached volcanic crater. It is made of coral and lava sand, covered by coconut palm trees and flowering vegetation, and rimmed by cliffs. To get to Hamoa Beach, drive the treacherous Road to Hana, known for its 1,000-foot dropoffs and sporadic guardrails. Take it slow on this road, which has more than 50 one-way bridges. Ernest Hemingway once said that Hamoa Beach was the world’s best beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.: This beach, accessible by bicycle or via shuttle bus from the Salt Pond Visitor’s Center, was formed when a sand spit became attached to the eroding glacial cliffs. The sand is fairly coarse, so the beach slopes steeply into the water. The picturesque old Coast Guard station still sits atop the glacial bluffs, allowing for a spectacular view of the Nauset Spit barrier system and bay. In summer, beachgoers tend to take quick, refreshing dips in the ocean, as water temperatures reach only 60 to 70 degrees.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii
Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii: This white, sandy beach stretches for 5.5 miles, making it the longest stretch of shoreline on Oahu. The beach is also used for fishing and occasionally surfing. The park has ample parking, restrooms, outdoor showers and a good beach for swimming. While not as stunning as some other Hawaiian beaches, it is a safe beach because big waves and dangerous currents are rare and lifeguards are present. Hawaiians who live on Oahu frequent this beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.
Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.: This beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne provides clear, emerald-colored waters and gentle surf. The fine white-coral sand beach is great for swimming, since waves are knocked down by a large sand shoal offshore. In addition, the Cape Florida Lighthouse allows for a breathtaking view of this beautiful beach.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.
Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.: This public beach on the southern end of Kiawah Island is about 25 miles south of Charleston. Tennis and golf are featured here, as well as interpretative tours of the island’s flora and fauna. This is a nature-lover’s coast, so visitors should pack their canoes and kayaks to paddle through the tidal inlets or walk down to Captain Sam’s Inlet to see thousands of birds. The water is not clear here, but it is clean and provides for fantastic seafood. Visitors can also bring their bicycles, since the sand is compact enough to ride along the 10-mile-long barrier island.
Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches, 2012: Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina: The country’s first national seashore is a barrier island that bulges far offshore. It provides some of the best board surfing along the East Coast and features the most famous lighthouse in the U.S. Cape Hatteras attracts beachgoers to its historic villages as well as nature lovers who enjoy beachcombing and fishing. Hurricane Irene in 2011 cut a few inlets through Hatteras Island, so travel down to the cape will be slowed.
