Dr. Beach Rates Hapuna Beach State Park As No. 1 In Country

ACROSS AMERICA — Self-proclaimed national beach aficionado, Dr. Beach, said Hawaii is your best bet if you're seeking a vacation in the sun and sand.

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 Hapuna Beach State Park on Hawaii's Big Island as the top beach for 2021.

Also making his top 10 list are beaches in New York, California, Massachusetts and Florida.

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.