We love the beach! It’s our local treasure and one of the greatest natural attractions of Southwest Florida.
But did you know that two of our local beaches rank among America’s Top Ten Beaches? That’s right, right up there with the beaches of Hawaii, California, and Cape Cod….two of those Top Ten beaches are in our own back yard.
Ranking #2 on the list of “Dr Beach’s Top 10 Beaches for 2014” is Barefoot Beach. Located just south of Bonita Beach Rd. and north of Wiggins Pass, Barefood Beach Preserve offers 342 acres of natural beach access on one of the last undeveloped barrier islands on the southwest coast. In addition to its beautiful beach access, Barefoot Beach offers great fishing, wildlife habitat, and natural vegetation.
Ranking #10 on the list is Delnor Wiggins State Park Beach. A popular beach during “season, Delnor Wiggins is located at the end of Immokalee Rd/111th Avenue. Here you will find a full mile of natural beach. Five parking areas offer easy access to the beach, complete with sea turtle nesting sites, natural Florida grasses, diving pelicans, and dolphins splashing in the Gulf.
“Dr. Beach” is Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. Dr. Leatherman formerly directed the Laboratory for Coastal Research at the University of Maryland and the National Park Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts. He has authored and edited numerous books and journal articles, including work for the National Geographic. His work takes him to beaches all over the world and has been rating beaches nationally since 1991. Check out his website at drbeach.org.
How are beaches rated? Fifty criteria contribute to scoring each beach, asking questions like these:
How soft is the sand?
What is the water temperature?
How many sunny days will we find?
Do we need to worry about rip currents?
Is the water affected by algae or red tide?
Will I need insect repellant?
What’s the view like?
Is it noisy? Crowded? Clean and well maintained?
How wide is the beach area?
“Dr. Beach” has told the world what we’ve known all along. There’s nothing like a day at the beach here in Naples!
