Dr. Beach—aka Stephen Leatherman of Florida International University—is out with his annual ranking of the best beaches in America, and he's got a new No. 1. The honor goes to Waimanalo Bay Beach Park in Hawaii, reports AP. It's in a fairly secluded spot on the island of Oahu, and it benefits from an island rule that forbids cigarettes. "They've done away with smoking at all their beaches," Leatherman tells Live Science. "That's something I'm starting to add extra credit for, because the most common litter is cigarette butts on beaches." Here are his top 10:
- Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii
- Barefoot Beach, Bonita Springs, Florida
- St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle
- Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
- Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina
- Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
- East Beach, Santa Barbara, California
Check out more details on the rankings and previous winners
here. (More
beaches stories.)
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