LI's Coopers Beach Named One Of The Best Beaches In America

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- One of the Hamptons hottest beaches has joined the shoreside elite yet again in this year's annual best beach rankings.

Hawaii's Hanauma Bay on Oahu has been named America's best beach on an annual top 10 list compiled by coastal science professor Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach.

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The Florida International University professor compiles the popular list of best public beaches using 50 criteria, including best sand and water quality, environmental management and amenities.

Also on Dr. Beach's list are Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida; Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui; Ocracoke on North Carolina's Outer Banks; Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Florida's Grayton Beach State Park; San Diego's Coronado Beach; Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York; Florida's Caladesi Island State Park; and Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Coopers Beach is one of eleven beaches in Southampton and is a popular summer hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Coopers held the Number One spot for "Best Beach" in 2010.

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The expansive beach is also one of Long Island's priciest -- with $40 parking permits and up to $15 for umbrella rentals.

One of the professor's newest and most important criteria is smoking bans on beaches. No public beaches in Hawaii allow smoking.

On Long Island, several local institutions have placed a ban on smoking on public beaches. Smoking at public parks in New York State is also banned.

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