If you had a list of the top beach experts in the U.S., Dr. Beach aka Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman would come in first every single year. In this Q&A, he answers questions about his work, and reveals his choice for the best beach in the U.S., alongwith helpful tips for beach vacations including safety issues.

Dr. Leatherman is professor of environmental studies at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami and director of FIU’s Laboratory for Coastal Research, where he founded the founded the National Healthy Beaches Campaign. His true claim to fame, though,  comes from his annual list of the top 10 beaches in America (2008 list), which he has released every year since 1991 during the Memorial Day weekend, marking the start of the beach season. This list is the single most popular, and authoritative, annual listing of the best beaches in the United States.

Question: After reading your rather fascinating profile, I understand your first impromptu list of the best beaches in the U.S. came out in 1989 in a travel magazine, and it was an instant hit, so from 1991 onwards, you have been releasing the list every year based on 50 criteria. How and when did people actually start calling you Dr. Beach?
Ans: The Dr. Beach moniker came from the students at the U. of Maryland who took my first-year class on “Waves and Beaches” and could never remember my name. This started around 1995 because of a local TV show that came to my class, and the Washington, DC TV audience heard the students (class size of 250+) ask my questions as Dr. Beach.

Question: I confess I’m way out of my depth when judging a beach based on criteria like the ones you have, but seems to me that most of them would remain roughly the same in successive years, if not over a longer period. Hanalei Beach was 4th last year, its on 2nd place this year. Coopers Beach was in 3rd place last year, and its 4th this year. So far, so good. But then, I see that Siesta Beach jumped from 10th place last year to 3rd place this year. Why was this?
Ans: Beaches are changing over time. Hurricanes and winter storms can cause considerable beach damage. Some beaches are gradually experiencing beach erosion so that over time they slide down in the ratings. Some beaches periodically get hit by red tides as does those beaches along the Sarasota coast (e.g., Siesta Key). Also, the level of environmental management and facilities maintenance varies over time.

Question: Related question – You exclude any beaches which come in first place from the subsequent rankings. If you include all the 17 beaches which have come in first since 1991 on your list, could you just say, off the top of your head, which is the best beach in the U.S.?
Ans: I would still give Kapalua Bay Beach on Maui the overall top rating.

Question: Due to your expertise, you get a lot of commercial requests, I think. You mention one request – Where did the 14,000 tons of sand which was found instead of a shipment of cognac come from? What was that all about? And where did the sand come from?
Ans: The bottles of Cognac were switched for the container load of sand in the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The sand in the container did not match Tampa or the local French beaches.

Question: Speaking of your expertise, you also mention that your principal focus over the past 20 years has been studying beach erosion and storm impacts. I take it that also includes rising sea levels and climate change. You even co-authored a book about the causes and effects of Hurricanes and the future, and one on Global Warming and another one on Sea Level Rise (not to mention being the on-screen host and co-producer of ‘Vanishing Lands’. Any thoughts on how all this ties up together? I mean, have you seen any evidence of climate change permanently impacting the quality of the beaches?
Ans: Global warming and rising sea level is the underlying reason for the general erosion problems that we have along our coasts, especially beach erosion and loss of tidal wetlands. Some people tried to relate this trend to more storminess, but there is no general increase in storminess on all coasts.

Question: About your books – You’ve written 16 books (I hope that’s correct), including America’s Best Beaches and the ones mentioned above. Any plans for another book, or an updated edition?
Ans: I just finished a nice book for the public on Hurricanes by Voyaguer Press–it is almost a coffee table book with beautiful color photos.

Question: Let’s say a family with kids wants to take a beach vacation. Aside from consulting your list, what advice would you have for them? What should a lay person look for in a beach vacation?
Ans: Safety is very important so watch out for the big waves and dangerous rip currents. Shark attacks are so rare that you have a better chance of winning the lottery.

Question: And one more about the environment, considering your involvement with the National Healthy Beaches Campaign. How do we balance our attraction for beaches, and the attendant commercialization (beachfront resorts, trash, ecoli contamination, etc.) against the needs of nature, like leatherback sea turtles? Is there anything an environmentally conscious person should consider before deciding on a beach destination?
Ans: We are continuing to build the National Healthy Beaches Campaign in order to provide this exact type of advice to beach goers in terms of safety and environmental quality. Otherwise, it is hard for people to know what to expect and how to help.

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