DR.
STEPHEN P. LEATHERMAN'S
FIFTY CRITERIA
| PHYSICAL
FACTORS (relate to the vacation/holiday season) |
CATEGORIES | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1. Beach width at low tide | <10
m narrow |
10-30 m | 30-60 m | 60-100 m | >100
m wide |
| 2. Beach material | cobbles | sand/cobbles | coarse sand | ----- | fine sand |
| 3. Beach condition or variation | erosional | ----- | stable | ----- | depositional |
| 4. Sand softness | hard | ----- | ----- | ----- | soft |
| 5. Water temperature | cold/hot | ----- | ----- | ----- | warm (70°-80° F) |
| 6. Air temperature (midday) | <
60° F > 100° F |
----- | ----- | ----- | 80°-90° F |
| 7. Number of sunny days | few | ----- | ----- | ----- | many |
| 8. Amount of rain | large | ----- | ----- | ----- | little |
| 9. Wind speeds | high | ----- | ----- | ----- | low |
| 10.Size of breaking waves | high/dangerous | ----- | ----- | ----- | low/safe |
| 11. Number of waves/width of breaker zone | none | 1-2 | 3-4 | 5 | 6+ |
| 12. Beach slope (underwater) | steeply sloping bottom | ----- | ----- | ----- | gently sloping bottom |
| 13. Longshore current | strong | ----- | ----- | ----- | weak |
| 14. Rip currents | often | ----- | ----- | ----- | never |
| 15. Color of sand | gray | black | brown | light tan | white/pink |
| 16. Tidal range | large (>4 m) | 3-4 m | 2-3 m | 1-2 m | small (<1 m) |
| 17. Beach shape | straight | ----- | ----- | ----- | |
| 18. Bathing area bottom conditions | rocky, cobbles, mud | ----- | ----- | ----- | fine sand |
| 19. Turbidity | turbid | ----- | ----- | ----- | clear |
| 20. Water color | gray | ----- | ----- | ----- | aquablue |
| 21. Floating/suspended human material (sewage, scum) | plentiful | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 22. Algae in water amount | infested | ----- | ----- | ----- | absent |
| 23. Red tide | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 24. Smell (eg, seaweed, rotting fish) | bad odors | ----- | ----- | ----- | fresh salty air |
| 25. Wildlife (eg, shore birds) | none | ----- | ----- | ----- | plentiful |
| 26. Pests (biting flies, ticks, mosquitoes) | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | no problem |
| 27. Presence of sewarage/runoff outfall lines on/across the beach | several | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 28. Seaweed/jellyfish on the beach | many | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 29. Trash and litter(paper, plastics, nets, ropes, planks) | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | rare |
| 30. Oil and tar balls | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 31. Glass and rubble | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | rare |
| 32. Views and vistas - Local scene | obstructed | ----- | ----- | ----- | unobstructed |
| 33. Views and vistas - Far vista | confined | ----- | ----- | ----- | unconfined |
| 34. Buildings/Urbanism | overdeveloped | ----- | ----- | ----- | pristine/wild |
| 35. Access | limited | ----- | ----- | ----- | good |
| 36. Misfits (nuclear power station, offshore dumping) | present | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 37. Vegetation (nearby). Trees, sand dunes | none | ----- | ----- | ----- | many |
| 38. Well-kept grounds/promenades or natural environment | no | ----- | ----- | ----- | yes |
| 39. Amenities (showers, chairs, bars, etc) | none | ----- | ----- | ----- | some |
| 40. Lifeguards | none | ----- | ----- | ----- | present |
| 41. Safety record (deaths) | some | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 42. Domestic animals (eg, dogs) | many | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 43. Noise (cars, nearby highways, trains) | much | ----- | ----- | ----- | little |
| 44. Noise (eg, crowds, radios) | much | ----- | ----- | ----- | little |
| 45. Presence of seawalls, riprap, concrete/rubble | large amount | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 46. Intensity of beach use | overcrowded | ----- | ----- | ----- | ample open space |
| 47. Off-road vehicles | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 48. Floatables in water (garbage, toilet paper) | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | none |
| 49. Public safety (eg, pickpockets, crime) | common | ----- | ----- | ----- | rare |
| 50. Competition for free use of beach (eg, fishermen, boaters, water-skiers) | many | ----- | ----- | ----- | few |