Dr. Beach reveals his top 10 US beaches for 2015

An hour’s drive from Oahu’s famous and often-crowded Waikiki Beach is a local’s delight.

With miles of white sand and turquoise waters perfect for swimming, body boarding and sailing, Hawaii’s Waimanalo Bay Beach Park topped Dr. Beach’s 25th annual top 10 list of U.S. beaches, released last week.

“Waimanalo Bay Beach Park is an unexpected surprise to visitors who have come upon this beach because it is a great beach and hardly known,” said Dr. Beach, also known as coastal expert and Florida International University professor Stephen P. Leatherman.

There can be strong currents in the quickly deepening waters, so look for the lifeguard tower to swim in protected areas, he said.

Dr. Beach issues his annual list on the basis of 50 criteria, including water and sand quality. He’s recently started including beach safety, environmental management and bonus points for no-smoking policies.

Santa Barbara, California’s, East Beach was ranked 10th on the list before reports of an oil spill near Refugio State Park surfaced Tuesday. Refugio is about 25 miles north of East Beach.

“Bad things can happen to beaches, and the broken pipeline is a good example,” Dr. Beach said. “Fortunately, the spill is north of Santa Barbara’s East Beach, which is on the list, but unfortunately, (Refugio) is a beautiful park that has been badly fouled. All the oil is close to shore, as the leak came from onshore, so hopefully it can be cleaned up quickly.”

Though Hawaii took two of the top 10 spots, Florida won the competition for most beaches listed with four. California, Massachusetts, North Carolina and South Carolina each had one beach in the top 10.

Why isn’t your favorite beach listed? Past winners are retired and listed at www.DrBeach.org, making way for new winners.

1. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii

2. Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park, Bonita Springs, Florida

3. St. George Island State Park, Florida

4. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii

5. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina

6. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida

7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

8. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina

9. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida

10. East Beach, Santa Barbara, California