Posted on: Friday, May 25, 2001

Hawai'i, Florida strong on best beaches list

• 'Dr. Beach' calls Kauai's Poipu Beach America's best

Here is the annual ranking of the nation's best beaches from Stephen Leatherman, a Florida International University coastal geologist:

1. Poipu Beach Park on the Hawai'ian island of Kaua'i.

2. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida.

3. Kaanapali Beach, Hawai'i.

4. Hanalei Beach, Hawai'i.

5. Caladesi Island State Park, Florida.

6. Fort DeSoto Park, Florida.

7. Hamoa Beach, Hawai'i.

8. Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.

9. Cape Florida, Florida.

10. East Hampton Beach, New York's Long Island.

11. Westhampton Beach, New York's Long Island.

12. Makena State Park, Hawai'i.

13. Siesta Beach, Florida.

14. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

15. Hanauma Bay, Hawai'i.

16. St. George Island State Park, Florida.

17. Perdido Key, Florida and Alabama.

18. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

19. Carpinteria City Beach, California.

20. Long Beach Island, New Jersey.