Nothing keeps Stephen Leatherman from his work. Not the stingrays, or the sharks or the menacing riptides. Not even the tan lines.
But for Leatherman, work is just another day at the beach. While most professionals shuffle off each morning to workaday drudgery, Leatherman, a renowned environmental scientist and University alumnus, heads for the shore, where he studies the cause of beach erosion and is nationally renowned for his annual beach rankings.
Prompted by 1989 phone call from a travel magazine, Leatherman began compiling his favorite beaches into an annual top beach list, which now run Memorial Day weekend in newspapers like the St. Petersburg Times, The New York Times and USA Today.
"I developed 50 criteria to rate each beach, and it took me two years to complete the survey of the 650 major public recreational beaches in the United States. Fortunately, I had conducted two national surveys of our coasts, and this experience made it possible for me to undertake this first ever professional beach rating," Leatherman says.
But his love for surf, sand and sun began early. He boasts that, in the backyard of his childhood home sprawled "the biggest sandbox in Charlotte, North Carolina history." Instead of trips to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, the Leatherman family invariably headed east, to the Atlantic Ocean.
"I like the mountains, but mountains are a little dull. They never change. But a beach is dynamic. Every year I opted for a beach vacation to play in the world's largest sandbox and frolic in the surf," Leatherman said.
Had he found his calling in the froth of the North Carolina coast?
"I always knew I wanted to be a scientist, but it wasn't until I got a job surveying beaches at Cape Hatteras after storms that I knew which kind. I definitely wanted to work outdoors and what better workplace than a beach?" Leatherman said.
Not many, evidently. Oprah Winfrey rated his job one of the best in America.
Leatherman earned his undergraduate degree from N. C. State University in 1970, and then took his environmental science doctorate from the University six years later. As a professor, he has held positions at Boston University and the University of Maryland and the University of Massachusetts. Currently, he is professor of environmental studies at Florida International University and director of the International Hurricane Center in Miami.
"Steve Leatherman has both a scholarly publishing record and a popular persona as well. He has worked with NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association] and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Association] on important issues associated with measurement techniques and analysis of the recession of shorelines. It is this work that is the basis for his scientific reputation," said Dr. Bruce Hayden, an environmental sciences professor specializing in coastal ecology at the University.
After 25 years in academia, Leatherman knows beaches.He has authored more than 200 scientific articles on beach erosion and provided expert testimony before Congress. He even hosted and co-produced the award-winning environmental documentary "Vanishing Lands."
And of course, he has seen his share of sand. From Hawaii to Florida, the United States boasts over 650 beaches. Leatherman has left footprints in every one of them.
Nowadays, beachside communities vie fiercely for a coveted spot in his rankings. "I do think his surveys carry weight. I see them in travel-related materials a good bit. People really grab on to that ranking from Dr. Beach," said Kurt Lischka, a resident of 1994 victor Grayton Beach, Fla.
What makes a champion? Leatherman considers such qualities as sand softness, wave height, water quality and lifeguard supervision when forming his list. On his ideal beach, calm waves lap against pristine white sand. All this, while a brilliant sun illuminates a deep green ocean from high above.
This year's trophy went to Hawaii's Poipu Beach Park. Previous winners have included Wailea Beach, Hawaii, and Sanibel Island, Fla. In fact, representatives from Hawaii and Florida have claimed top billing all 11 ratings.
Sadly, Charlottesville sun worshippers must travel a ways to visit one of the anointed beaches. Since its inception, Virginia beaches have failed to crack the top 20 list.
But Leatherman offers praise for some local favorites, such as Chincoteague Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore, which he describes as a "charming old fishing village."
"The area has an extraordinary reputation among birders, and I recommend taking a bicycle tour of the wildlife loops. But by all means bring the bug spray," he says.
Other Virginia notables include Parramore Island and Virginia Beach. Further south, North Carolina beckons with several highly rated strands, this year's number eight beach, Ocracoke Island, among them.
Having catalogued American beaches, Leatherman toys with the idea of going global with his survey. That means more riptides, more seaweed and more sharks for this savant of sand. But he says that's okay. Dr. Beach lets nothing stand before the advancement of science. No, not even the tan lines.
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