CORONADO (CNS) - Coronado Beach is ranked seventh in the annual Top Beach list put out Thursday by a professor at Florida International University.
Stephen Leatherman -- who goes by Dr. Beach -- called Coronado Beach "the toast'' of Southern California.
RELATED: San Diego's Coronado beach named nation's best in 2012
"It is a veritable oasis by the sea, measuring hundreds of yards wide,'' he said. "With its lush subtropical vegetation, unique Mediterranean climate and fine sparkling sand, beach-goers flock to this beach for great ship- watching and the summer's warm and mild surf.''
He also paid homage to the iconic Hotel del Coronado.
The director of the FIU Laboratory for Coastal Research, who studies beach erosion and storm impacts, rates beaches on 50 criteria, including width, condition and softness of sand, air and water temperature, waves, rip currents and various environmental conditions. He then compiles his top 10 list.
His top beach for 2016 was the Hanauma Bay on Oahu, Hawaii. Coronado was the only California beach to make the cut.
