Three Hawaii spots on annual Dr. Beach Top 10
Duke Kahanamoku Beach came in at No. 2 on Stephen P. Leatherman’s annual Top 10 Beach List.
ONLINE EMBARGO UNTIL 9PM EST THURSDAY MAY 23 - FILE - This undated file photo provided by Ron Dahlquist for the Maui Visitors Bureau shows Hamoa Beach in Maui
Waimanalo Bay Beach Park is fifth on the 2013 list of Top 10 Beaches produced annually by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach," director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research. (AP Photo/O'ahu Visitors Bureau)
Photo Gallery Countdown: Top 10 U.S. beaches for 2013
The annual Top 10 Beaches list by Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach,” includes Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki at No. 2; Hamoa Beach, Maui at No. 4, and Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu at No. 5.
This year’s list is topped by Main Beach in East Hampton, New York. The beach, frequented by the rich and famous, was heavily eroded by Super Storm Sandy and other winter storms that followed, but he says it has largely recovered.
Leatherman has been releasing a Top 10 beach list each year for 22 years. Past national winners are retired.
Between Kahanamoku Beach and Hamoa Beach, St. George Island State Park in Florida ranked No. 3. Beaches Nos. 6 through 10 are Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs and Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, both in Florida; Coast Guard Beach at Cape Cod, Mass., and Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, So. Carolina.
Next year’s list will place more emphasis on environmental management and beach safety, and will award bonus points to prohibitions on smoking on beaches, according to a statement. Oahu, Hawaii and New York are leading in that aspect.
