The secluded sandy shores, translucent blue waters and palm fronds waving in the light sea breeze call me back to Caladesi Island State Park when I hear that the island was recently chosen as America's #1 Beach by coastal geologist Dr. Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach.


Coastal Connection

Like many locals, I spend too little time at the beach and too much behind a desk. When opportunities for beach outings pop up, there are so many great ones to choose from in St. Petersburg/Clearwater that I often go with the most convenient.

That's what makes a trip back to the place that Dr. Beach called his "favorite getaway beach" all the more special. Since it's two miles off the coast of Dunedin and is reachable only by boat or ferry, Caladesi Island is a destination, not an afterthought.
The water is so clear we can see our feet in shoulder-deep water, a perfect condition for snorkeling.

Under a clear sunny sky in 85-degree heat, my husband James and I pack up the car and drive to Honeymoon Island State Park, the launching point for Caladesi Island. Nothing to snub, Honeymoon Island has miles of sandy beach and even a dog park and café. But today our hearts are set on the uninhabited three-mile island within sight from its shores.

The Caladesi Connection Ferry usually docks hourly beginning at 10 a.m. (for the latest information, check www.dolphinencounter.org/caladesi.html before heading out). So for $9 each (roundtrip), we hop it to the marina side of Caladesi Island, which has 108 boat slips, kayak and canoe rentals and a rustic restaurant selling hamburgers and drinks – even beer and wine for the grown-ups. A short, sandy trail leads to a raised boardwalk and a bath house before leading us across the dunes to get to the wide, white-sand beach on the Gulf of Mexico.


Secluded Swimming

On this weekday, only a handful of people lounge along the shore in rented wooden beach loungers. Even still, we want the isolation of castaways. We leave footprints in the sand along the water's edge as we follow the island's curves until we are alone with the sandpipers and pelicans.

The water is so clear we can see our feet in shoulder-deep water, a perfect condition for snorkeling. Donning masks, snorkels and fins we swim parallel to the beach through schools of shiny pinfish and spot crabs scrambling along the sandy sea floor in our wake. Sand dollars the size of my hand are buried in the sand underfoot.

Dr. Beach noted the clarity of the water in his commendation of the beach, which beat out those in Hawaii and California for the top spot. In all, the director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research rates more than 650 beaches around the nation based on 50 criteria ranging from sand color to cleanliness to tranquility – the absence of interrupting watercraft.

Our snorkeling is interrupted only by squawking seagulls that spot dinner in the schools of fish. We watch them dive and rise from the waves with squiggling minnows, and feel like we are living inside National Geographic.

I feel something tapping my waist and look down to see a minnow circling close. James comes over and it circles him, too. We laugh as it swims around our legs and arms and realize it sees us as a sanctuary from the gulls. We feel obligated to be its guardian and hang out in the water until the gulls move down the beach.


Tranquil Paddling

After dining on our packed lunch we head back to the marina. We want to explore the island's forest of century-old live oaks and slash pines on the three-mile nature trail, but since our visit is limited to four hours, time doesn't allow.

Instead, we rent kayaks and paddle inside the island through mangrove tunnels so low that sometimes you have to duck underneath the contorted limbs. It's a far easier course than when we kayaked from the mainland to the island on a previous trip. Since the tide wasn't in our favor, paddling had not been as easy as my husband had predicted. (I would only recommend that two-mile journey – each way – if you're in great shape.)

But paddling through the mangroves is a breeze. The three-mile marked trail winds around to sea grass flats along the island's bay side where large tarpon jump near our bows and a slim-necked anhinga glides to a towering pine. The tranquil course ends back at the marina where the ferry waits for us.

"If only we could camp here," I say as we slowly make our way to the dock. James reminds me that for camping we only have to venture to another local award-winning beach, Fort De Soto Park, which is TripAdvisor's Top Beach of 2008 and was Dr. Beach's #1 Beach of 2005.

Ah, so many outstanding beaches, so little time...

For more information on planning a summer getaway to St. Petersburg/Clearwater, contact 877-352-3224 or visit www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/summer.