2009
Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
2008
Caladesi Island
State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
2007
Ocracoke Lifeguard Beach- Outer
Banks, North Carolina
2006
Fleming Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
2005
Fort DeSoto Park - North Beach, St Petersburg, Florida
2004
Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
2003
Kaanapali, Hawaii
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
Beaches are the number one recreational destination for Americans. These sandy playgrounds that line our coasts are the most extensive natural parks in the country. Nothing restores the body and soul like a stay at the beach. We are naturally drawn to the rhythmic pounding of the waves as if returning to our primordial beginnings.
Who is Dr. Beach - Stephen Leatherman|
My love of sand began as a child. My parents had the notion that if one
neighbor has a basketball hoop and another a treehouse, then my family
should also have an attraction for the neighborhood kids. I had the biggest
backyard sand box in Charlotte, North Carolina. I loved it. Every year I
opted for a beach vacation to play in the world's largest sandbox and frolic
in the surf.
I always knew that I wanted to be a scientist, but it wasn't until I got a
job surveying beaches at Cape Hatteras after storms that I knew which kind.
I definitely wanted to work outdoors and what better workplace than a beach?
Little did I know that I would later appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for
having one of the best jobs in America.
My research takes me to beaches around the country and to many parts of the
world. During the past 20 years, my principal focus has been studying beach
erosion and storm impacts. But I also find myself helping to locate the best
sandy beach for a solar-powered car race, dropping dye packets out of a
helicopter so TV producers can film a killer rip current in action,
deciphering 200 years of channel changes from old maps to find Revolutionary
War artifacts, and helping billionaires select island properties to purchase
or decide where best to build their mansion near the shore.
For more information
Official Website: http://www.drbeach.org