AMERICA’S best beach that’s perfect for topping up your tan with its white-quartz sand and crystal blue waters has been revealed.
Just two hours away from New York lies the country’s top beach of 2025 – though its neighbor leaves a lot to be desired.
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Coopers Beach in Southampton knocked Duke Kahanamoku beach in Hawaii off the top spot in the annual rankings released by Dr Beach.
Florida International University environmental sciences expert Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman has been ranking the nation’s beaches since 1991.
This year Hawaii lost out to New York with Coopers Beach on the south shore of Long Island being sheltered from cold currents and surrounded by lavish mansions.
“Coopers Beach is hundreds of yards wide, made of grainy white quartz sand,” Dr Beach explained.
“The beach is backed by large sand dunes covered by American beach grass”.
“It’s a big, beautiful beach,” Dr Leatherman told CNN.
He considers a number of factors when ranking the country’s beaches including water temperatures, tides, algae, beach cleanliness, and parking.
The latter is something Coopers Beach is not strong on, but Dr Beach recommends getting the “Hamptons Free Ride” shuttle from downtown Southampton to the beach.
What’s even better is that the best time to visit is still to come.
“The best time of the year to visit is in September when the summer tourists are gone, and the ocean water is still warm,” Leatherman wrote.
But, you must be wary of its so-called poop-filled neighbor just six miles away.
In 2023, Mecox Bay was named one of the top 10 most bacteria-filled beachs in the US.
Specifically, it was given this ranking due to fecal matter in the water with dangerous levels of enterococcus.
The Surfrider Foundation which led the study found that the enterococcus levels were above the amount deemed to be safe by state standards in 46% of the tests conducted that year.
“It’s one of the beaches where we have some of the most concerns because consistently we are seeing high bacteria levels that exceed the safe health standards for recreational water,” Surfrider Senior Water Quality Manager Mara Dias told The Post in 2023.
And a study conducted this year revealed why you may want to avoid other popular Hamptons destination Windmill Beach.
It has been ranked the seventh worst beach across the country for bacteria after over 10,200 water samples were taken by Surfrider.
It had a bacteria rate of 43% – one percentage point is given for each sample that fails to meet state health codes for beaches.
Researchers are still exploring if the bacteria was from human or animal sewage but regardless, recreational swimming in such conditions can post health risks such as diarrhea and infections.
The worst bacteria-rated beach of 2025 was Kahalu’u in Kahalu’u, O’ahu, Hawaii, at 92%.
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