Memorial Day weekend is here, and it’s time again for Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach,” to announce his annual list of Top 10 Beaches.
This year’s winner may surprise you.
Leatherman, the director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research, has chosen Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla., as his No. 1 pick based on 50 measurable criteria. It’s ironic, given that this strip of sand, along with many other Gulf Coast beaches, saw tourism plummet after the BP/Deep Horizon oil spill dumped 5 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico last year.
As Leatherman notes, however, that visitation drop was unwarranted. He predicted that a Gulf of Mexico phenomenon known as the Loop Current would prevent oil from washing ashore on Siesta Beach, and he predicted correctly. Yet, visitors stayed away.
We’ve seen this tourism fallout before. When the Exxon Valdez oil spill happened in 1989, people stopped going to Alaska. TV ads at the time provided a powerful visual: An extreme close-up of Marilyn Monroe’s face that made her beauty mark fill the entire TV screen. Just as one could not fault the Hollywood icon for a blemish, the ad stated, one could not fault the enormous state of Alaska for the oil spill in Prince William Sound.
Just so, beach goers should feel confident reveling in Siesta Beach’s powdery white sand and clear blue waters. It was not soiled by the BP oil spill, nor was St. Petersburg, also a victim of tourist misperceptions. You’ll even find St. George Island State Park on this year’s Top 10 list. It’s another delightful Gulf Coast beach on the Florida panhandle, undeveloped and filled with soft white sands.
When it comes to the Gulf, “the coast is clear.” As freelancer John Rosenthal reported for Bing Travel in May, it’s safe to go back in the water. Need the full scoop? Read his article, Gulf Coast Beaches: Swim, Dine, Fish. And Thank the Loop Current.
What do you think of this year’s Top 10 list? Have you been to a Gulf Coast beach since the oil spill and wish to share a review? Post a comment for other beachgoers below.
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