A well-known beach expert has released his ranking of America's top beaches in 2024 -- and two in Florida, both on the west coast, made the list.
Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach," is Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University.
The name 'Dr. Beach' was given to him by his students at the University of Maryland, College Park, when he taught a course called 'Waves and Beaches'.
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Dr. Beach developed 50 criteria to rate each beach and has been compiling annual lists since 1991.
Caladesi Island State Park of Clearwater secured the fourth top spot, while Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park of Naples came in at No. 8.
Dr. Beach told NBC6 his reasoning behind these west coast beaches making the top 10 in 2024.
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"Both of these state parks are located on barrier islands on the Gulf coast of Florida and have the super fine, white sand. The water is warm with waves generally measured in inches; they are safe for bathers and swimmers unless a storm is brewing," Dr. Beach explained. "Beaches must have three qualities: clean water, clean sand and beach safety, and these two beaches excel."
This comes nearly a year after Dr. Beach commented on the age-old question: which Florida beaches are better – those on the West or East coast?
The FIU professor pointed to the difference in sand back in July 2023.
"The sand on the West Coast is softer and whiter, keeping it cool even when the sun is beaming on it. On the East coast, the sand is rougher and darker, which can make it uncomfortably hot to step on," Dr. Beach said.
When it came to inspecting beaches for his 2024 list, he noted that he arrives unannounced and does not accept gratuities for compiling this list.
"The purpose is to reward beaches for maintaining and improving the environmental quality of their beach," Dr. Beach said.
See Dr. Beach's full top 10 beach list for 2024 below:
- Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
- Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
- Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin Clearwater, Florida
- Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
- Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
