Dr. Beach has a new "best" list, and the winners aaarrreeee.....

1. Kaanapali Beach, Maui
2. Ft Desoto State Park, FL (St Pete area)
3. Okracoke, NC

Thanks OliveOyl!

Islands magazine came out with the following this morning:
1. Poipu Beach, Kauai
2. Trunk Beach, St. John, BVI
3. Myrtle Beach, SC
4. Coronado Beach, Coronado Island, CA
Wish I could think of the others, maybe you should contact islandsmagazine.com.

Egad!
What was the criteria for Island's choices that St. John and Myrtle Beach would be on the same list?

I'm sure they have many different criteria. People don't realize that the beach considered Myrtle Beach aka The Grand Strand is a 60 mile stretch of beach. Very little of it (8 mile stretch maybe?) is the tacky part most people think of.

Well, I'm from Wilmington, so I've been all over Myrtle Beach, but I've also been to St. John.

Talk about apples and oranges

Haven't we had about enough of "best" lists? Sure, Myrtle Beach is in the top 10. Yeah, right. Whatever.

Not to be deterred, here, from his website, is Dr. Beach's complete list and winners back to '91:

America's Top Beaches for 2003 are:

1. Kaanapali, Hawaii-the National Winner
2. Fort DeSoto Park, Florida
3. Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
4. Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
5. Caladesi Island State Park, Florida
6. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
7. Makalawena Beach, Hawaii
8. Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
9. Cape Florida State Recreational Area, Florida
10. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina


Previous National Winners, which are excluded from the survey, are:


? 2002 St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida
? 2001 Poipu Beach Park, Hawaii
? 2000 Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii
? 1999 Wailea Beach, Hawaii
? 1998 Kailua Beach Park, Hawaii
? 1997 Hulopoe, Hawaii
? 1996 Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
? 1995 St. Andrews SRA, Florida
? 1994 Grayton Beach SRA, Florida
? 1993 Hapuna, Hawaii
? 1992 Bahia Honda SRA, Florida
? 1991 Kapalua Bay Beach, Hawaii

I just read "Dr. Swill's 10 Best Landfills." Here they are:

New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey

No need to thank me.

Am I cynical? How can beaches change over 12 months or is it that some lucky person discovers some previously undiscovered beach in the USA? You would think that once a top ten list had been listed it would stay the same for some time.

Beaches change dramatically from season to season. Just look at what has happened to Fire Island, esp. Robert Moses, since last year. Most of the beach has been eroded away by the big storms in the Northeast this winter.

Some of the best beaches are actually barrier islands which run along the coast - Like Fire Island and South Padre Island. They function to protect the land behind them, hence the name barrier beach/island. The biggest threat to these beaches is actually not storms but man. When we trample across the dunes or build big ugly houses on them, we destroy the grass that grows on the dunes, destabilizing the ecosystem and make it easier for the sand to get washed or blown away in a storm.

I'm getting down, now.

From my soapbox.

Previously posted:

You need to understand how Dr. Beach does his rankings.
It's not based on beauty or romantic character.
Among the many factors put into a combined score are:
local algae content
local air temperature
presence or absence of local birds
presence or absence of local buildings
beach access
access to showers/chairs
public safety in the area
presence or absence of fish
presence or absence of boaters/fishermen
and so on......


Many of his criteria have little to do with what most tourists would use as criteria to measure beach quality.

I have read that he does not include any beaches he has listed in the past (or maybe in the last year). Grayton Beach is still wonderful, although the area around it is no longer remote and is becoming more developed all the time.

If a beach has won overall previously, it is retired from the running.

Re: Islands magazine report for the best beaches criteria included most romantic (Trunk), best in USA, best overall (Poipu), etc. Best not to jump all over someone who's just relaying recent news reports, thank you!