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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Stephen Leatherman
Aired March 23, 2002 - 09:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's beach time.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's that time of year.
O'BRIEN: Mentally, I'm at the beach.
PHILLIPS: College kids are taking a break from their classes.
O'BRIEN: I'm headed down to the beach soon.
PHILLIPS: Are you really? Where you going?
O'BRIEN: Matter of fact, I'm going to ask our next guest what he thinks of my beach...
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy.
O'BRIEN: ... that I'm headed to, St. George Island.
PHILLIPS: Oh, well, Dr. -- let's bring Dr. Beach in.
O'BRIEN: Dr. Beach...
PHILLIPS: Stephen Leatherman.
O'BRIEN: ... Stephen Leatherman, St. George Island, they call that area down there the Redneck Riviera.
STEPHEN LEATHERMAN, "DR. BEACH": Well, it's part of the Panama coast -- I mean, the Panhandle coast of Florida.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEATHERMAN: Beautiful white sand beaches, purest water...
O'BRIEN: No surf, no surf.
LEATHERMAN: ... and great fishing at St. George's. You probably know...
O'BRIEN: I've heard the fishing is good, and going to probably do a little bit of that. But you can't body surf in the Gulf. That's the one thing I don't like about it.
But the kids, for the kids it's kind of nice, you don't have to worry about them getting sucked under that undertow and all that.
PHILLIPS: Number one place, though, still Panama City, is that right?
LEATHERMAN: Well, in terms of spring break beaches, no question. Panama City Beach...
O'BRIEN: Really?
LEATHERMAN: ... really has it all. Five hundred thousand kids are going there this year during the six weeks of what we call spring break...
O'BRIEN: Why -- now, when did...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: ... Panama City become the juggernaut? For so many years it was Daytona.
LEATHERMAN: Well, Daytona, then of course Fort Lauderdale earlier than that, but those...
O'BRIEN: It's moved north.
(CROSSTALK)
LEATHERMAN: ... they wanted to kind of upscale, where Panama City really welcomes these people, and so they make it easy for you, and also set some good boundaries so the kids don't get in trouble, but they can have a good time.
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, they give you the pamphlets that tell you what you can and can't do or you're going to the slammer.
O'BRIEN: Oh, really?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, they're hardcore.
O'BRIEN: Well, so, I mean, it's kind of hard for these communities. On the one hand, it -- you know, the -- despite the fact that these college kids can be...
PHILLIPS: Get a little crazy.
O'BRIEN: ... a little challenging on the hotel rooms, they do have some greenbacks in their pockets, and they're willing to spend it. So how do -- you know, these communities kind of -- they want them, but they don't, do they? Isn't that...
(CROSSTALK)
LEATHERMAN: Well, you're absolutely right about that. This time of year's kind of a dead time for beaches. I mean, the water's not that warm yet, and so people, and of course the kids, are still in school, that is... O'BRIEN: And they don't even notice, they're so medicated.
LEATHERMAN: Right.
O'BRIEN: So what's the difference, right?
PHILLIPS: What about South Padre Island, Dr. Beach?
LEATHERMAN: Well, South Padre Island has become one of the top spring break beaches as well. The water's quite warm there, and a lot of amenities. They have one of the largest bungee jumps in the country, at least on a beach. And the water is pretty clear, and right there -- it's sort of the Latin beach, being close to Mexico. So that's a real top place, but it's a long way to drive down there if you're driving.
O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, it depends on where you are, though.
LEATHERMAN: Well, if you're coming from the Midwest, where it's pretty cold this time of year and snowy, you know, that's a long drive, but it's certainly worth it if you get down there.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about some other beaches. What else is good?
PHILLIPS: You know what his favorite is, look at his shirt. That ought to be a giveaway.
O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, Hawaii is not exactly an option for most college students. I mean, we can talk about it if you like, because I know Dr. Beach loves to talk about Hawaii.
PHILLIPS: It's a good family vacation too.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEATHERMAN: Oh, sure, I mean, Hawaii is really America's island paradise. This is where the mountains meet the sea. The water is always warm enough to go swimming year round. But as you say, it's a long trip if you're going for spring break, and not everybody's got that kind of money. But great place to visit, one of my favorites is always to go to Hawaii.
O'BRIEN: You know college kids are always looking for a lei, you know.
PHILLIPS: Oh, gee!
O'BRIEN: Anyway...
PHILLIPS: I'm going to let that one go. Hello!
LEATHERMAN: Oh, my goodness.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my. Let's talk about...
O'BRIEN: Anyway...
PHILLIPS: ... cleanliness, shall we?
LEATHERMAN: OK.
PHILLIPS: All right. Is there a beach that's cleaner than another? I mean, what, what, what would be the safest cleanliness- wise? I mean, I've been to Mexico, I can tell you many horror stories we've had about stepping on, you know, bottles and glass and...
O'BRIEN: Oh, you're sounding like such a mom.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: ... you know, Wear your sandals when you're there.
PHILLIPS: This is true, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I cut up my feet. No, seriously, is there a safe -- is there -- what's the safest beach?
LEATHERMAN: Well, we have -- we're lucky in the United States. Many of our beaches are really quite clean. In fact, the people always say, Well, how can I get into the top 10 list? And you look at the hundreds of beaches in the United States which are good-quality beaches, in fact, we started something called the Healthy Beaches Campaign to recognize beaches which are clean sand, clean water, and maintain their environment.
So this is a new campaign we're just starting this year to recognize these beaches so people will know where to go and you can find clean conditions. So look forward to that. We're going to launch that in another month or so and put up the list, I think it's May 3.
O'BRIEN: And, well, we, of course, will be there to get your top 10 list on Memorial Day.
But one final thing. We -- normally what we talk about with you are U.S. beaches. Cancun is a popular destination, lots of very inexpensive travel deals there. Is that recommended for spring breakers?
LEATHERMAN: Well, certainly I see them all the time. You can go down to Cancun very cheaply. Beautiful sand, powder sand, it really doesn't get hot. The water's great. But the parties get pretty wild, so you have to decide what you want to do. But certainly a lot of people love to go to Cancun. It's inexpensive, great times, but sometimes things get a little out of hand there.
So, so...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Two words, two words to keep it under control.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Mexican prison.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. Oh, that'll keep, that'll keep...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: ... you in good shape.
O'BRIEN: That should do it, right?
PHILLIPS: You know some of this video we're using, it's -- they're just drinking, it's all drinking.
O'BRIEN: Imagine that. These kids these days, we certainly didn't do that when we were young.
PHILLIPS: That's right. We are not condoning alcohol here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Dr. Beach, we're going to say come back Memorial Day weekend, as always, to give us your top 10 list. If you'd like to see -- you know, Dr. Beach has a great -- what a job. I've always said, this is the job...
PHILLIPS: Web site. Oh...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: ... the killer job. And if you want to find out more about him, and he does have a serious side to all this, preserving beaches, he takes a bit of a scientific approach, which we do appreciate. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman can be found at drbeach.org, all one word. And you'll find his top 10 lists over the years, and word about preserving beaches, which is, after all, the ultimate goal of what he's up to. Right?
LEATHERMAN: That's exactly right, trying to reward those beaches that maintain their quality and get others to aspire to do the same thing.
O'BRIEN: All right.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Dr. Beach.
O'BRIEN: Stephen Leatherman.
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