FIU professor releases annual Top 10 Beaches
list ahead of Memorial Day weekend
MIAMI, May 23, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- A Hawaii oasis is at the top of Dr. Beach's
Top 10 Beaches while one of America's most picturesque beaches has
been struck from the 2024 list following a coastal disaster that
has left it off-limits to beachgoers.
North Carolina's Lighthouse
Beach in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which has been a Top
10 Beach for the past decade, is notably absent from this year's
list that is celebrating Hawaii's
Duke Kahanamoku Beach as the top
beach of 2024. Lighthouse Beach suffered severe erosion from
coastal storms in the past year, revealing the remains of an old
U.S. Navy submarine spy station that, along with its concrete
remains, is now leaking an oily substance, according to swimmers
and surfers. The environmental mess has shut down the beach to the
public and left FIU Professor Stephen
Leatherman with no choice but to remove the beach from his
annual Top 10 Beaches list, where it most recently came in at No. 5
in 2023.
"Lighthouse Beach is an erosion hotspot having eroded 1,500 feet
in the past 100 years," Leatherman said. "It's a truly
wonderful beach, but it's currently caught up in an environmental
and bureaucratic mess."
Leatherman's highly anticipated list is released annually ahead
of the Memorial Day weekend. Duke
Kahanamoku claimed the top spot because of its white coral
sand and clear water. It also doesn't hurt that an ancient volcano
crater sits in the backdrop, he said. Located at the west end of
Hawaii's Waikiki Beach, the beach
is far from the large crowds elsewhere and the widest beach on this
stretch of world-famous sands. It is also protected by an offshore
coral reef, which Leatherman says makes it a good beach for
families with children. The nearby Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon is also a
favorite bathing and swimming spot. Smoking is prohibited on all
beaches in Hawaii. Leatherman
awards bonus points for any beaches with smoking bans. The Top 10
Beaches for 2024 are:
- Duke Kahanamoku Beach — Oahu,
Hawaii
- Coopers Beach — Southhampton, NY
- Wailea Beach — Maui,
Hawaii
- Caladesi Island State Park —
Dunedin/Clearwater, Fla.
- Beachwalker Park — Kiawah Island,
SC
- Main Beach — East Hampton,
NY
- Poipu Beach — Kauai,
Hawaii
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park — Naples, Fla.
- Coast Guard Beach — Cape Cod,
Mass.
- Coronado Beach — San Diego, Calif.
Known to many as Dr. Beach, Leatherman has selected the Top
10 Beaches since 1991. Previous national winners are retired and
listed on his web site. Fifty criteria are used to evaluate
beaches, including water and sand quality as well as safety and
management. Leatherman is an internationally known coastal
scientist who has published 20 books and hundreds of scientific
articles and reports about storm impacts, coastal erosion and ways
to improve beach health and safety.
Media Contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu
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SOURCE Florida International
University