Who is Dr. Beach?
By Robin Dalmas, Bing Travel
Just before Memorial Day weekend every year, Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach,” announces his list of Top 10 Beaches in the United States. Who exactly is Dr. Beach, and what qualifies him to make these assessments of our nation’s best shorelines? Bing Travel presents a Q&A with America’s favorite sand man, who directs the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami.
Q. Are you really a doctor?
A. Well, I am not a medical doctor, so some people would say that I am not a real doctor. I have a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in coastal environmental sciences.
Q. As a professor, what classes do you teach at Florida International University?
A. I have been directing a research center (the International Hurricane Research Center) for the past decade, so I have not had time to teach courses. This fall I will be teaching a course in Coastal Hazards, which involves hurricanes, tsunamis, beach erosion, rip currents, etc. — all important issues to anyone who lives on the coast or goes on vacation to a beach. During the spring semester next year, I will be introducing a very popular course that I taught for many years at the University of Maryland, College Park — Waves and Beaches. This will be a first-year course, so I am expecting a good enrollment.
Q. What is the role of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at FIU?
A. Researchers in the Laboratory for Coastal Research work on a range of projects, which include coastal erosion induced by hurricanes as measured by airborne laser technology; impacts of sea-level rise on coastal areas, especially South Florida, where the land is very low; and rip currents, which kill more people on average than hurricanes, not counting Hurricane Katrina. People see the waves, but currents are often invisible, and many beachgoers don't even realize that there are currents in the ocean, much less very dangerous ones. Recently I developed a method to make currents visible with my floating dye ball water tracer wherein I utilize red fluorescent dye to reveal a slowly moving rip current at Miami Beach, Florida. (Watch an educational video about rip currents.)
Q. What role did you play during the Gulf Coast oil spill?
A. We closely monitored the oil spill, providing real-time information on its movement and impact on Florida beaches on our Beachfinder website. The oil spill did have an impact on my ratings, as no Florida panhandle beach appeared on the Top 10 Beach List last year. Siesta Beach in Sarasota was on the list in 2010 because I strongly believed that the Loop Current would keep any oil away from the Southwest Florida beaches, which it did — my prediction was correct. I was also able to downplay some of the hype by appearing on numerous TV shows, pointing out that few beaches were actually impacted. It was ridiculous when the federal clean-up people came out in space suits at Pensacola Beach while there were bikini-clad beachgoers walking by them. I also pointed out that the very warm water and bright sun in the Gulf would cause much of the oil to dissipate, which it did.
Q. Tell me how you got President Barack Obama to take a dip in Panama City beach after the oil spill.
A. A CNN news reporter asked me what Obama had to do to demonstrate that the water was safe. I said that he had to go for a swim, which he did. Perhaps President Obama was going swimming anyway, but this became a fairly big news story, which could not be ignored.
Q. What is the general state of Gulf Coast beaches one year after the oil spill?
A. I am pleased to say that all the beaches in Florida are perfectly good — a beachgoer would be hard-pressed to find anything from the spill. I believe that the same is true for Alabama and Mississippi, although I haven't had time to inspect those beaches. Louisiana was the state that had the most problem, as the spill came onshore at Grande Island and some local salt marshes. Grande Island is not a tourist draw, albeit locals really like it. There is probably still some oil buried in the beach sands there.
Q. When you evaluate a beach based on 50 criteria, you evaluate it for swimming purposes, correct? Not surfing, not snorkeling, not windsurfing, etc.
A. This is correct; my survey is for swimming beaches, which means warm water, good beach weather and safe surf. Oregon has some really beautiful beaches, but the water is much too cold for swimming, and the currents are often dangerous. The people in Maine will also not find any of their beaches in my Top 10 Beach List. I am going to Alaska this summer and will visit some beaches. I don't have bears on my list of 50 criteria, but hope to see some from a safe distance.
Q. How many beaches do you evaluate every year?
A. I have had the pleasure of visiting all the major public recreational beaches in the United States —about 650. I cannot visit every beach each year, but I do have the pleasure of revisiting those that have a chance to be in the Top 10 Beach list fairly often. Also, I am in contact with coastal professionals in every state who keep me apprised of any important changes at their beaches, such as storm impacts.
Q. When you evaluate a beach based on 50 criteria, where do those data come from? Do you collect it yourself? For example, how do you know if a particular beach has no rip currents or a lot of rip currents?
A. I use a sliding scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best for all 50 criteria. Therefore, a perfect beach would have a score of 250. I have never found the perfect beach, and am still searching worldwide, but I have found a lot of really great beaches. I collect all of the data myself to keep things consistent. I receive input from coastal experts about changes at their beaches for updating purposes only. The presence of rip currents on a beach is well-known by the local lifeguards, who I consult. Also, I know about rip-prone beaches from other coastal experts as well as popular and scientific articles. I am the principal editor of the first book on rip currents that was published this month by CRC Press International -- "Rip Currents: Beach Safety, Physical Oceanographer, and Wave Modeling." This book includes papers about rip currents on the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Great Lakes coasts, British, Australian, Brazilian and Japanese coasts.
Q. How much time do you spend in the field every year?
A. I conduct research and make presentations at professional conferences and for the public in coastal areas in the U.S. and abroad. The amount of travel that I do varies by year; for instance, I was on sabbatical leave in 2010 when I spent a month in Australia, exploring its beautiful beaches. I suppose it would be safe to say that the time amounts to a few months on average per year. I try to combine trips so that I am not gone all the time.
Q. Most of your 50 criteria focus on Mother Nature’s impact, but some criteria, e.g. amenities, focus on human impact. What can a town do to improve its rating?
A. There are pro-active things that a beach can do to improve its ratings by receiving bonus points. For instance, Siesta Beach in Sarasota is a no-smoking beach. Cigarette butts are the No. 1 form of litter on a beach, and they are disgusting. When I go to a beach, I definitely do not want to sit down or put my hand on somebody's cigarette butt. Of course, in terms of volume of litter, plastics are the huge problem.
Some beach communities think that big is better, but I point out that it is hard to compete with the already developed beaches like Miami Beach, and many people are looking for low-level development without the huge crowds. I recommend that beach communities keep their beaches safe and make available recreational activities for families so that older urban beaches do not fall into disrepair.
Robin Dalmas is a travel writer, editor and producer for Bing Travel. She has gone swimming in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the English Channel and the Persian Gulf.
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