Dr. Beach and His America's Best Beaches List Commit Aquatic Malpractice

Every year, "Dr. Beach" publishes a list on his website of the top beaches in America on his website.

Supposedly, this list designates the ten best beaches in the United States of America. On the surface, it seems like a great idea and a useful tool for tourists who want to find the best places to spend their time while on vacation.

For 2007, Dr. Beach picked the following destinations:

1. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina - National Winner

2. CaladesiIslandState Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida

3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York

4. HanaleiBay, Kauai, Hawaii

5. CoastGuardBeach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

6. HamoaBeach, Maui, Hawaii

7. MainBeach, East Hampton, New York

8. CoronadoBeach, San Diego, California

9. LighthousePointPark, Daytona Beach, Florida

10. SiestaBeach, Sarasota, Florida

I'm from Hawaii, more specifically Kauai, Hawaii. If you'll notice, Hanalei Beach (the fourth best beach in the world) is on Kauai. In fact, my island has a lot of amazing, beautiful beaches.

And I can tell you for a fact that, as a resident of Kauai who was born and grew up on this beautiful island, Dr. Beach is wrong! If he was a real doctor, he'd probably be accused of aquatic malpractice. Thankfully, for him, the "Dr." is nothing more than a cute moniker.

Hanalei Beach should not be rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world. Hanalei Beach is dirty. It is at the mouth of Hanalei River; a wide, muddy, dirty waterway popular with kayakers and various diseases. The sand at Hanalei Beach is a filthy brown, unlike the white sand most people would expect at a "best beach in the world" destination.

When there are waves (in the winter, Hanalei is known for its high surf), the water gets churned with a thick and disgusting foam made of bubbles so heavy with organic material that the bubbles do not pop.

On good days, the water is a murky blue. On bad days - and trust me, there are a lot of them - the river dumps its mud into the ocean and the water is so murky that you can't see your hand in the water.