Each year, coastal scientist Stephen P. Leatherman—widely known as Dr. Beach—evaluates hundreds of public shorelines to rank the best beaches in the United States. He considers 50 criteria, from water color and wave size to sand softness and environmental safety. His goal: to honor nature’s perfection and inspire its preservation.

As a child growing up in Hawai‘i, I know our beaches are more than destinations — they are sacred places of connection, healing, and reverence. The ocean has always been the heart of Hawaiian life: a source of nourishment, a path for voyaging, and a living spiritual presence. From the black sands of Punaluʻu to the coral shimmer of Hanalei Bay, each shore holds stories, chants, and traditions passed down through time.

No matter where I am, I can feel the Lanikai Beach tide in my soul — its gentle rhythm, its promise of peace.

The waves invite stillness and movement. The tide remembers. To walk barefoot along a Hawaiian beach is to touch the soul of the islands — and perhaps your own.

“Nothing restores the body and soul like a stay at the beach,” Dr. Beach once observed. “We are naturally drawn to the rhythmic pounding of the waves, as if returning to our primordial beginnings.”

His advocacy extends far beyond rankings. Through his Healthy Beaches Campaign, he champions “Clean Water, Clean Sand” — a call to environmental responsibility and deep stewardship of our coastlines.

“The sea,” wrote poet T.S. Eliot, “has many voices.”

And thanks to Dr. Beach, we’re invited to listen more closely — to the tides, the breeze, the stillness, and the sacred pull of beauty itself.