Caladesi Island Makes Dr. Beach's List Of Top 10 Beaches In U.S.

FLORIDA — Self-proclaimed national beach aficionado, Dr. Beach, said you need go no further than Pinellas County to find one of the country's top 10 best beaches.

Since 1991, Dr. Beach, whose real name is Stephen Leatherman, has ranked beaches across the country.

This year, Leatherman, a professor and the director of Coastal Research at Florida State University, named Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin as No. 7 on his list of the top 10 beaches in America. Hapuna Beach State Park on Hawaii's Big Island won the top spot.

Caladesi Island State Park is accessible by ferry boat, private boats or a long walk north from Clearwater Beach. Although it's referred to as an island, it's actually an inlet.

The Caladesi Island Ferry is the easiest way to access the beach. The ferry will take you on a relaxing 15- to 20-minute ride over the calm waters of St. Joseph Sound to Caladesi Island where you will disembark at the marina next to the cafe on the bay side of the island. From there, it's a five-minute walk across the island to the beach over paved sidewalks and a wooden dune walkover. Roundtrip tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children age 6 to 12.

"The white beach is composed of crystalline quartz sand which is soft and cushy at the water’s edge, inviting one to take a dip in the sparkling clear waters," Dr. Beach said. "There are boardwalk trails, but my favorite is the kayak and canoe trails through the mangroves to see the large blue herons and other birds that frequent this wonderful natural area."

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Also making his top 10 list are beaches in New York, California and Massachusetts. Florida received two mentions. In addition to Caladesi Island State Park, Dr. Beach named St. George Island State Park in the Panhandle as No. 4 on his list.

Leatherman said he began rating beaches after getting a call from a travel magazine, requesting his list of the top 10 beaches in the country.

"I developed 50 criteria to rate each beach, and it took me two years to complete the survey of the 650 major public recreational beaches in the United States," he said. "Fortunately, I had conducted two national surveys of our coasts, and this experience made it possible for me to undertake this first-ever professional beach rating."

Florida State University released his first list on Memorial Day weekend in 1991, resulting in a flurry of requests for interviews and TV spots.

"Since 1991, I have released the list of America's Best Beaches on Memorial Day weekend, marking the beginning of beach season," he said. "My ratings have become a regular feature of the morning TV shows as well as newspaper and magazine articles."

Leatherman's criteria includes such things as sand quality, crowds, noise and cleanliness.

This year, Dr. Beach's Memorial Day selections are:

1. Hapuna Beach State Park, Island of Hawaii
2. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
3. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks of North Carolina
4. St. George Island State Park, Franklin County, Florida Panhandle
5. Lighthouse Beach, Buxton, Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
7. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, Florida
8. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
9. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
10. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Previous best picks have included:

• 2020 Grayton Beach State Park, Panama City, Florida
• 2019 Kailua Beach Park, Kailua, Hawaii
• 2018 Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui, Hawaii
• 2017 Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida
• 2016 Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

When Leatherman isn't exploring beaches, he's working to preserve them.

He has authored or edited 16 books, including "Sea Level Rise: Causes and Consequences;" "Barrier Island Handbook;" "Overwash Processes;" "Cape Cod: From Glaciers to Beaches;" and "America's Best Beaches." He has also written more than 200 journal articles and technical reports.

Additionally, Leatherman has provided expert testimony multiple times for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. He was also the on-screen host and co-producer of the 1992 film "Vanishing Lands," winner of three international film awards, including the Golden Eagle.