EASTHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Hawaii’s Hanauma Bay on Oahu has been named America’s best beach on an annual top 10 list compiled by coastal science professor Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach.
The Florida International University professor compiles the popular list of best public beaches using 50 criteria, including best sand and water quality, environmental management and amenities.
One of the professor’s newest and most important criteria is smoking bans on beaches. No public beaches in Hawaii allow smoking.
Also on Dr. Beach’s list are Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida; Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui; Ocracoke on North Carolina’s Outer Banks; Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Florida’s Grayton Beach State Park; San Diego’s Coronado Beach; Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York; Florida’s Caladesi Island State Park; and Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
Full list:
—Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
—Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida
—Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui, Hawaii
—Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks of North Carolina
—Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
—Grayton Beach State Park, Florida Panhandle
—Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
—Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
—Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
—Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
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