Cruising alongside the west aspect of Hawaii’s Huge Island, the panorama is dominated by historical volcanic flows and jagged shorelines. Then you definately get to Hapuna Seashore.

There, the distinction of black lava rock, white sand and blue water means you might have arrived in paradise — not less than that’s what “Dr. Seashore” believes.

“It’s like an oasis,” mentioned Stephen Leatherman, who has been rating U.S. seashores on his annual record below the alias “Dr. Seashore” for 3 a long time.

The sand “appears to be like tremendous white there due to the black lava beside it,” he mentioned. “I believe the distinction makes you assume, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve by no means seen sand so white in my life.’ ”

Hapuna Seashore State Park was ranked one of the best seashore within the U.S. in Leatherman’s evaluation of sandy shorelines for 2021.

Cruising alongside the west aspect of Hawaii’s Huge Island, the panorama is dominated by historical volcanic flows and jagged shorelines. Then you definately get to Hapuna Seashore. (Supply: AP)

Leatherman, a coastal scientist and professor at Florida Worldwide College, hopes his thirtieth annual record will encourage individuals to get out and depart the previous yr of pandemic struggles within the rearview mirror.

He acknowledged that individuals should pay further to get examined for COVID-19 earlier than coming to the islands. “Hawaii is a extremely particular place, and so I believe it’s price it,” he mentioned.

Kandi Miranda, who owns Manuela Malasada Firm and runs a meals truck close to Hapuna Seashore State Park, was born and raised on the Huge Island. She was in a position to keep open for locals all through the pandemic and is optimistic in regards to the return of holiday makers.

“There was a variety of darkness at the moment, I imply everybody was closing,” she mentioned of the early days of the pandemic. “I needed individuals to know that via good occasions and unhealthy, we’d nonetheless be there.”

Miranda mentioned Hapuna Seashore is a robust place — each spiritually and actually. “It’s unapologetically magical,” she mentioned.

When the water is calm, it’s a fantastic place to be, Miranda mentioned. However when the ocean rises and large waves start to crash, it may be “actually harmful.”

“It’s lovely, however there’s a really robust undertow there,” she mentioned.

Rising up on Hawaii Island, a spot of lively volcanoes, towering waterfalls and big sea cliffs, she discovered to respect nature.

“The ocean usually in our tradition is a extremely highly effective place,” she mentioned. “It’s very therapeutic, however you understand how that we grew up, it provides nevertheless it takes away, proper?”

Leatherman agreed and mentioned that whereas Hapuna has a properly skilled group of lifeguards and is nice for swimming and snorkeling on calm days, the winter swells might be deceiving.

Rip currents trigger “the best lack of life that we’ve got at seashores,” he mentioned. ”I’m making an attempt to present individuals a greater understanding of rip currents as a result of lots of people don’t perceive them. They are saying ‘We are able to’t see them, then they’re in all probability not there.’ ”

Leatherman makes use of 50 standards to guage seashores, with an important classes being security and cleanliness.

Leatherman makes use of information from the U.S. Environmental Safety Company to grade the seashores on water high quality and has been to all the seashores on his record.

Seashores in Hawaii are constantly ranked excessive, and in recent times he has given them further factors for prohibiting smoking.

“To start with, it’s a well being challenge,” he mentioned of wafting cigarette smoke. “However the greatest factor is disposal of the cigarette butts. Individuals have a look at seashores like a large ashtray.”

Cigarettes “are the primary type of litter when it comes to numbers,” Leatherman mentioned.

For the primary 25 years of rankings, any seashore that received the highest spot on Leatherman’s record was ineligible for inclusion in subsequent years. However in 2015, Dr. Seashore cleared the slate to permit any seashore within the nation to as soon as once more be eligible, although new winners at the moment are being retired.

Final yr, Leatherman selected a seashore exterior of Hawaii as a result of, he mentioned, island lockdowns and quarantine guidelines made it practically unattainable for individuals to go to.

“I do know lots of people have been vaccinated,” he mentioned. “And so I believe this yr it’s high-quality for Hawaii to be on the record. And I encourage individuals to go there.”

“You may actually social distance on the Huge Island,” Dr. Seashore added.