The best beach in the United States is found at Hanalei Bay – according to Dr. Beach that is. Stephen Leatherman is the director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research and each year he puts out a list of the best beaches based on a set of criteria that include things like the quality of the sand and the water. He also considered the facilities that are available to visitors along with the care and conservation efforts for the beaches. Dr. Beach has been releasing the list for almost twenty years.

This year it is Hanalei Bay in Kauai, Hawaii that tops the list. The beach is a two mile stretch of white sand that’s shaped in a half moon and banked by mountains. The water is clear and the bottoms are sand – except for both ends of the bay where there is reef blankets the bottom of the sea.

The mountains aid in protecting the bay, and so on many days in the summer season you’ll find the water to be as clear as glass. It can be a great place to moor a boat, enjoy some paddle boarding for just take a swim. Hanalei Bay is not a great place for snorkeling because of the smooth sand bottom; there’s no reef to support a myriad of fish.

During the winter season the waves have made this North Shore a destination for surfers. Many of the top surfers and athletes call Hanalei home and on a good day you will be treated to some amazing surfing displays.

It is the lack of development that makes Hanalei Bay even more breathtaking. Unlike shores around America, this shore line offers views of green mountains, white sand and blue ocean instead of white concrete.

It is no surprise to the locals or to visitors the reasons why Dr. Beach has placed Hanalei Bay at the top of the list for 2009.

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