America's best beaches: Hawaii, Florida strands top 'Dr. Beach' rankings

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Hawaii is the USA's best beach, according to an annual survey by "Dr. Beach." Siesta Beach in Sarasota Fla., which won the award in 2011, was number two.

Dr. Stephen Leatherman compiles the annual rankings based on a variety of criteria, including natural scenery, clean water and sand. Environmental management practices and whether beaches allow smoking are also factors.

He lauds Hanauma Bay Beach Park for "stunning white sand coral beach enclosed in a breached volcano," and the marine protected area, which has "the best accessible snorkeling in Hawaii." He also praises its management, including parking shuttles to keep cars farther away and keeping snorkelers out each Tuesday to give the fish a chance to rest.

Florida was the leading state in the rankings, with three beaches in the top ten, including Grayton Beach State Park on the Panhandle, number six, and Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater, at number nine. The East Coast is well represented in this year's list, with beaches in both Carolinas, plus New York and Massachusetts. San Diego's Coronado Beach is the only one on the West Coast.

Here's the complete list for 2016:

1. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Oahu, Hawaii
2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Fla.
3. Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui, Hawaii
4.Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks of North Carolina
5. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
6. Grayton Beach State Park, Florida panhandle
7. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
8. Coopers Beach, Southampton, N.Y.
9. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
10. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.