Information and Resources

The 10 Best U.S. Beaches

June 3, 2005 -- A beach's quality is more than sand deep. Postcard-perfect looks aren't enough to earn a "best beach" title.

Safety was a factor in this year's list of top 10 U.S. beaches. The list is compiled by Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman, PhD. Leatherman has a doctoral degree in coastal science. He directs Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

However, B. Chris Brewster, president of the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), questions those standards, partly because he says Leatherman doesn't require "top beaches" to have lifeguards.

Leatherman's Beach List for 2005

Here are Leatherman's picks for 2005:

1. Fort De Soto Park -- North Beach in St. Petersburg, Fla.
2. Ocracoke Island in North Carolina's Outer Banks
3. Hanalei Bay in Kauai, Hawaii
4. Caladesi Island State Park in Clearwater, Fla.
5. Fleming Beach in Maui, Hawaii
6. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Mass.
7. Coronado Beach in San Diego
8. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Fla.
9. Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.
10. Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii

Leatherman has listed the country's "top 10" beaches every year since 1991. His 50-point checklist includes "healthy beach" standards, especially those related to swimming. Only swimming beaches go on the top 10 list, says Ava Reich, NHBC communications manager.

Past Winners

Leatherman also maintains a list of all the No. 1 beaches he's ever chosen. Once a beach hits No. 1, it's retired, Reich tells WebMD. "Once a beauty queen, always a beauty queen," she says.

Here are Leatherman's previous No. 1 beaches:

• 2004: Hanauma Bay in Oahu, Hawaii
• 2003: Kaanapali, Hawaii
• 2002: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Fla.
• 2001: Poipu Beach Park, Hawaii
• 2000: Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii
• 1999: Wailea Beach, Hawaii
• 1998: Kailua Beach Park, Hawaii
• 1997: Hulopoe, Hawaii
• 1996: Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
• 1995: St. Andrews State Recreational Area, Fla.
• 1994: Grayton Beach State Recreational Area, Fla.
• 1993: Hapuna Beach, Hawaii
• 1992: Bahia Honda State Recreational Area, Fla.
• 1991: Kapalua Bay Beach, Hawaii

Safety, Water Quality Standards

A healthy beach must be safe and have good water quality, says the NHBC. The NHBC's standards include public warning systems, emergency records, rip currents, drownings, lifeguards, crime, water quality, and other topics.

"In my view, safety is not meaningfully considered in this rating process," says Brewster. "It would be one thing if all he were saying was, 'Aesthetically, this is a nice beach.' But he's saying it's a safe beach, and that's the real problem here."

"Some beaches where there is very shallow, gentle water, and no waves, are not the kind of areas where you worry too much about there being lifeguards because there are very few direct dangers to safety in a swimming beach," says Reich.

"Others of course have deeper water, greater propensity towards the possibility of there being a current, and other things that come with the bigger waves," says Reich. "So in those cases, lifeguards are more important and sometimes critical to public safety."