'Dr. Beach' Releases 16th Annual Rating
Of America's Best Beaches

Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin (pronounced duh-NEED-in) placed second, moving up from the No. 4 slot in 2005 and No. 5 every year from 2001 to 2004. It’s been a long up-and-down ride for Caladesi, as it has ranked among the top 6 every year since 1997, but has yet to claim the top spot.

The second Florida beach and coming in at No. 10 is a newcomer to the list: Barefoot Beach Preserve Park in Bonita Springs.

Stephen P. Leatherman is Dr. Beach, a coastal scientist with more than 31 years of international experience studying storm impacts, erosion and ways to improve beach health. He has selected an annual Top-10 Beaches since 1991. Each list comprises the best swimming beaches in the country, chosen with 50-criteria to evaluate scientific and ecologic factors, facilities and management.

Leatherman is director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research. The center is also home to the National Healthy Beaches Campaign, founded by Leatherman.

Dropping off the list this year is Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Fla. The state park beach held the No. 8 spot in 2005 and No. 9 from 1999 to 2004.

Also absent is Siesta Public Beach on Siesta Key in Sarasota County, which had returned to the list at No.7 in 2004. It first made the list in 2001, when it ranked 13th.

Number One Beach is in Hawaii
The No. 1 beach in America for 2006 is again in Hawaii: D.T. Fleming Beach in Maui – the beach that made the list for the first time in 2005, coming in at No. 5. The beach had not previously held any ranking since at least 1997, the year The Herald-Report began tracking Dr. Beach‘s list. D.T. Fleming is the only beach to claim the top spot after being on the list for just one year.

A Florida beach has made the top spot four times since the list began in 1991; the last one was St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in 2002

Other finishers:
     Ocracoke Island, N.C., dropped from No. 2 in 2005 to No. 3 this year, the same ranking it held in 2003 and 2004. Ocracoke ranked 6th in 2002; 8th in 2001; 10th in 2000; and 14th in 1997.

     The No. 4 spot belongs to another newcomer to the list -- in Southampton Village, Long Island, N.Y. The beach is one of 11 along seven miles of Atlantic Ocean coastland.

     Hanalei Bay in Hawaii came in 5th, after placing 3rd in 2005. The beach has placed in the top eight since 1997.

     Main Beach in East Hampton on New York’s Long Island came in 6th, up from 9th place in 2005; 5th place in 2004; and from 15th place in 1997.

    Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Mass., dropped to No. 7. It was No. 6 in 2005. The beach held rankings as low as 18 and 19 in the late 1990s and 2000, and then fell off the list completely in 2002 and 2003. It made the list again in 2004, coming in at No. 8.

    Coming in at No. 8 this year is Coronado Beach in San Diego, Calif. It made its premiere on the list in 2004, coming in at No. 10, and ranked 7th in 2005. Coronado is only the third California beach to make the list since 1997.

     Hamoa Beach, Hawaii, is No. 9, which had placed in the top 10 every year since 1997 except in 2002 and 2003.

Top 10 Used to be Top 20
Beginning in 2002, Leatherman began limiting his list to 10 beaches. From 1991 to 2001 he listed 20 beaches as the best in the nation. Since the list was shortened to 10, most Florida beaches have dropped off and have not returned since:
Siesta Key was ranked 13th in 2001, two places higher than its 1999 and 2000 rankings, and premiered at 17th in 1998. (This is the one exception where a Florida beach made it back to the list.)

St. George Island State Park was 16th in 2001; Perdido Key State Park finished 17th in 2001; and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples was No. 11 in 2000 and 1999.

Bahia Honda State Park ranked first in 1992 and Grayton Beach State Park placed first in 1994. Neither has returned to the list. Other No. 1 listings from Florida are St. Andrews State Park, which took the top spot in 1995, and St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, which was first in 2002. Dr. Beach excludes from the list for 10 years all No. 1 listings.

It has been reported that Dr. Beach uses criteria to rate the beaches in three broad categories: Physical Factors, such as sand softness, wave size and current strength; Biological Factors, such as water color and quality, and presence of pests; and Human-Use Factors, such as lifeguard protection, visual obstructions and amenities.

Dr. Beach’s best beaches in America, with 2005 rankings in parentheses:

1. (5) D.T. Fleming Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
2. (4) Caladesi Island State Park
3. (2) Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
4. (NR) Coopers Beach
5. (3) Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
6. (9) Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
7. (6) Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
8. (7) Coronado Beach, Calif.
9. (10.) Hamoa Beach, Hawaii
10. Barefoot Beach Preserve Park, Bonita Springs, Fla.

 

Related Links Sand, Sun and Fun!
Florida State Parks and Recreation Areas	Bahia Honda State Park
		Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Division of Tourism – Facts
Florida State Parks Alphabetical Index		Florida State Parks Activities and Events

 

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2005 Dr. Beach List
2004 Dr. Beach List
2003 Dr. Beach List
2002 Dr. Beach List
2001 Dr. Beach List
2000 Dr. Beach List
1999 Dr. Beach List
1998 Dr. Beach List

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