What makes a good beach?

Graham McKenzie feels the joy of sand between his toes on a variety of Florida’s best beaches – all in the name of research. It’s a hard life.

"There’s one thing you can definitely say about Florida – it does a good beach. Many of the top 10 beaches voted for in the US have been in the Sunshine State, but what is the make-up of a good beach? Never ending sand? Small secluded coves? Rock pools? Well, we all have our preferences and a lot of those may change depending on the time of day, week, year and whom you are with. Suffice to say the Gulf Coast and the St Petersburg Clearwater area has pretty much all varieties to suit even the most discerning beach bum.

Following my encounter with the pirates of Tampa, I took the short trip to the clear blue sea and the soft creamy sand of Clearwater and, after a hectic day on the galleon, it could not have offered a better contrast. My first exposure to the sands was of the never ending, flat, white variety, where even at 8am a shimmer of heat rises from far and wide, but with the morning’s distinctive freshening sweet sea breeze. It’s the coastal equivalent of a strong milky coffee with a little bit of sugar. Later in the day the area becomes much more of a frothy mix with loungers, games, music and all the hustle bustle of a seaside resort.

So after the Clearwater caffeine fix, it was off to something a bit more secluded by way of Caledisi Island, which you get to – unless you have private marine transport or kayak –  via a 15-minute ferry ride starting in Honeymoon Island State Park. No shortage of the creamy white stuff here either as, in fact, the beaches on Caledisi often feature not just in the State or national rankings but indeed the global league tables. The tempo, though, is much more relaxed with seclusion and tranquillity top of the menu. The island offers nature walks, a small cafe, picnic areas, wildlife spotting and a three-mile kayak trail, but above all peace and quiet.

As the sun goes down and with sand between your toes, desires will often turn to coffee alternatives and where could be better than Caretta on the Gulf, part of the Sandpearl resort. Here you can enjoy fabulous views across the Gulf as you sip on your favourite cocktail or, like me, gulp down an ice-cold beer. Caretta offers a fine dining experience but with a relaxed touch – no jacket required – as an array of fresh fish and organic local produce is bought to the table, either inside or outside on the deck.

In the morning we went to see how one institution is doing its very best to maintain the marine eco system in pristine condition so we can continue to dine at seafood specialists like Caretta for years to come. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) operates as a hospital with its main mission to rescue, rehab and release sea creatures ranging from tropical fish, dolphins, stingrays, pelicans and turtles. A host of heart breaking stories are linked to virtually every water going species known to man, and each one of them will tug at your emotions.

The most famous one from CMA is perhaps Winters Tale. No not the David Essex Christmas classic, but the story of a young female dolphin who lost her tail after being trapped by crab lines. She survived against the odds and, with the help of Hanger Prosthetics and the clever people at CMA, a new rubber tail was developed for Winter which she wears to this day. One key thing here is that the story was so good Warner Brothers made it into a 3D film and distributed it around the world bringing a mass of attention not only to CMA but also to the general cause of marine conservation. Tourism wise it’s a winner, with a recent report stating that in the last four years CMA has had an economic impact on the local economy of $2 billion-plus, has created a total of 44,444 jobs and is directly responsible for 2.2 million room nights booked. Tourism in action.

As if to say farewell, my taxi drive back to the airport, alongside the waterfront, was accompanied for long stretches by Dolphin Pods leaping, frolicking, diving and, if I’m not mistaken, waving and encouraging me to come back soon."