2003 Best Beaches

Silly man. The best beach is any beach not open to the public, but open to you.

Hawaii beach tops 'America's best' list
Friday, May 23, 2003 Posted: 3:50 PM EDT (1950 GMT)

MIAMI (Reuters) -- Hawaii's Kaanapali Beach topped this year's list of "America's Best Beaches," released Friday by a coastal scientist who lauded its white coral sand and clear emerald-green waters.

The 3-mile beach on the dry and sunny side of Maui earned the No. 1 spot on the annual list compiled by Dr. Stephen Leatherman, director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

Leatherman, nicknamed "Dr. Beach," has taken on the enviable task of visiting beaches nationwide and ranking them on 50 criteria that include sand and water quality, water temperature, absence of litter and balance between nature and man-made amenities.

Kaanapali is one of four Hawaiian beaches to make the top 10, and the seventh Hawaiian beach to win top honors in the past eight years.

Rounding out this year's list are No 2. Florida's Fort DeSoto Park; 3. North Carolina's Ocracoke Island; 4. Hawaii's Hanalei Bay; 5. Florida's Caladesi Island State Park; 6. New York's Main Beach in East Hampton; 7. Hawaii's Makalawena Beach; 8. Hawaii's Hanauma Bay; 9. Florida's Cape Florida State Park and 10. Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Leatherman, who holds a doctorate in environmental sciences, released the rankings for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally kicks off the U.S. summer beach season.

My home break, the Wedge. On a good south swell with light off-shore winds, the Wedge is the most perfect bodysurfing wave ever. When it gets real big, only the Crew is out. Hard to get waves sometimes but at least it's not because of the tourists. Black ball in the summer keeps the boogie boarders from the 'val' and surfers out. Lapu and I call it home.

On 2003-05-23 14:59, kahukini wrote:
Silly man. The best beach is any beach not open to the public, but open to you.

All beaches should be open to the public, but the true surfer/beachcomber should have their secret spots.

Trader Woody

Kaanapali Beach is a great beach, although crowded at time. I recommend going to the shore just above Black Rock (which is where Kaanapali Beach ends), since the crowds are much smaller and there's some really great snorkeling there.

what! not a single california or even a west coast beach on the list?
it's not THAT bad out west.

You have nothing to worry about Futura Girl,

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Travel/GMA030523Best_beaches.html
Here is the Travel Channel's top 10 overall list:

1. Poipu Beach on Kauai, Hawaii
2. South Beach in Miami
3. Trunk Bay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands
4. Coronado Beach in California
5. Shi Shi Beach in Washington state
6. Moshup Beach on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts
7. Wailea Beachn on Maui in Hawaii
8. Myrtle Beach in South Carolina
9. Hermosa Beach in California
10. Siesta Key in Florida

Here's Dr. Beaches credentials...
Ranking by Dr Stephen Leatherman
Professor and Director, International Hurricane Center
Florida International University

http://www.petrix.com/beaches/

This ranking seems a little skewed since he works for the state of Florida!

Living in Florida, I have been to all the beaches he mentions in Florida. No way do they even come close to Kaanapali Beach.

Sngod

...Nothing in the South Pacific?...I'll take the beaches of Moorea.......in Brazil, Praia Brava de Almada and Isle de Cove'....Kaui, Tunnels Beach....California, Pismo/Shell Beach......but in my surfing days it was Orange County and San Diego where the water is warmer.....ahhh, breakfast at the Sugar Shack, Greek Surfboards, strips from the beach snack bar, giving kids a quarter to throw a cup of ice on the backs of cute girls that untied their bikini tops, tar on your feet......

On 2003-05-28 14:04, Tikitack wrote:
5. Shi Shi Beach in Washington state

Hey, I'm going to Shi Shi in July -- I've never been before, but I've heard it's fantastic. I'm surprised it made the list, my buddy says it's a 3 mile hike to get to it. I'll report back.

*No way do they even come close to Kaanapali Beach.
*

Hush hush, keep this on the Q-T, but if you like Kaanapali then try Santa Barbara...'cause that's where it came from.
That and the not infrequent shark attacks south of Lahaina are two of Maui's best kept secrets.

And Huntington? The tar makes for a better beach experience, really.

midnite

Not surprising to see Coronado was the only beach in San Diego to make the cut. Coronado's three claims to fame are 1).a hoiti toiti community for retired navy brass (like Jim Morrison's dad). 2).a hoiti toiti ancient hotel (the Hotel Del) of "some Like It Hot" fame . 3).NAS North Island ( home to the western pacific aircraft carrier fleet) where about 50,000 people come to work every day & then get get the hell outta there when it's over. Needless to say this ain't the favorite local surf spot. This is San Diego's most well groomed beaches, always poised for those "kodak moments" that look so pristine & inviting on the postcards. To its credit Coronado probably is the cleanest beach (sand & water)in San Diego. The beaches here suffer a lot from sewage spills & runoff that are a continuous source of frustration.

[ Edited by: Shipwreckjoey on 2003-05-30 01:22 ]

[ Edited by: Shipwreckjoey on 2003-06-03 22:22 ]