from the article: "Once a beach earns the top ranking on Leatherman's list, it is excluded from future surveys."

That is an odd way of doing a survey. Beaches are simply 'there'. Unless some act of man or nature destroys it, how does a beach become the most beautiful one year and ranks lower the next? Not to take away from the beach mentioned, as it is very beautiful.

I'm a fan of Black Sand beaches. I dont remember exactly where it was, but it was south of Hilo (I want to say Pahoa ) and part of it was divided by a recent lava flow. It was the blackest beach I'd ever seen. The waves were crashing against the sand. It was very dramatic and I was entranced and could have stayed there content for a long time.