What makes you think I'm not aware of the different types of beaches in the DR?That is impressive work, Nals. But unfortunately not all beaches are equal.
Google earth cannot swim.
The north coast beaches from Monti Christi to Luperon or so may be nice sand but the water stays about calf deep for what seem to be miles... except at El Moro which has a wicked undertow and crashing waves. Monte Christi is more like a salt flat--- there is a lovely beach at Pepe Salcido but it is shallow.
And the beaches of the south west - except for Cabo Rojo and Bahia- are rocky. Not really "beaches" as we use the term but merely coastline. One of the most popular "Dominican" beaches for Capitalenos is Najayo which does not have great swimming.. in that it is shallow, not reef protected, and has only a very small swimming area.
So while your study may be accurate on paper, it has little basis in reality.
Every beach is different. There are a few really great beaches in Las Terrenas and when you move over to El Limon for some reason the beach is infested with sand flies and the water very shallow.
Rest assured that the BEST Beaches...the ones with the smooth sand and the good swimming... are few and far between. Perhaps all of the east coast has them...I don't know that area. But I am pretty confident that all those beaches are in some sort of private hands by now.
But from the Capital... with 3 million people, the only really good beach accessible in a day is Guyacanas --- perhaps Juan Dolio in parts. Boca Chica is polluted and Andreas is too shallow to swim.
so by your very own stats.. most of the beaches for most of the population are already in private hands....
You need to come down here and do your research in person, hermano.
Is that really ok with you? If now the owners are given permission to drive any locals off their beachfront?
You must've known that Juan Dolio beach had so much erosion that the coral rocks were visible, in many cases causing bathers/swimmers to cut their feet as they walked into the water. A couple of years ago the government "refurbished" the beach with fresh new white sand, to the degree that the problem is no more.
Long Beach in Puerto Plata, right next to the Malec?n, was so eroded and polluted it was hardly anything to write home about. Plus, the color of the sand didn't help. This beach along with Playa Dorada received not just much more sand, but white sand; changing the character of the old beach into one of soft white sand with a sea as blue as the one in Punta Cana. And Long Beach in Puerto Plata was improved for the residents of Puerto Plata, since on the entire stretch there is only one resort at the most eastern section of the malec?n.
Despite that, Sos?a continues to be the most beautiful beach on the northcoast, and is the most popular with Dominicans on weekend. With the hotels being off the beach, it will remain public.
Back in the day when no one wanted to visit Bavaro Beach because no one knew existed used to be a spit of sand sandwiched between the jungle on one side and the sea on the other. The resorts improved the beach by importing very soft white sand and dumping plenty of it in the sea to create the saphire blue colors, plus expanded the beach inland by adding even more sand in that direction. In fact, that is why Bavaro Beach narrows considerably as you walk south of the Barcelo B?varo Beach Resort complex.
The same thing occurred in Bayahibe.
And alas, Boca Chica. The most famous and most visited beach by Dominicans on the entire island and its just perfect. Shallow water allows Dominicans to just stand in the water and drink/eat/etc. or for the entire family to simply sit along the shore with the kids frolicking in the extremely calm waters. Boca Chica lends itself to the Dominican reason for visiting the beach, which for the most part has nothing to do with swimming or sunbathing and everything to do with drinking, eating, and partying.
You say Najayo is not that great of a beach, but its packed with Dominicans. It lends itself to Dominican visits to the beach.
Playa San Rafael in Barahona is a popular beach among Dominicans when in the vicinity.
Plenty of great beaches south and north of Nagua, albeit the waves there can be a little rough from time to time. But, they are still great unspoiled beaches, especially Playa Diamante.
Do you get the point?
Dominican beach culture is not quite compatible with European/American beach culture. The former are into drinking alcohol, eating until they are full, listening to music and creating a party; all while the kids frolic in the relatively calm waters and/or the adults go to jump in the not so calm waters or just stand there, and then rush back to the shade. The latter are into actually swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, or just relaxing in a lounge chair without a noise to disrupt their peacefulness.
And the killer in this argument is that a significant proportion of Dominicans (perhaps most) don't really like the beach because often enough the water is "too warm to cool off", plus its a hassle with the salt. That is why they head to the rivers in even greater droves, where icy cold fresh water awaits.
Isn't funny how one of the things many European and North American tourists like the most about tropical beaches is the warm temperatures of the water! They are so impressed by that detail that many Dominicans dislike about the beach.
Completely different cultures requires completely different beach environments, and sometimes the beach is not even needed.
Alas, the tail can't wag the dog afterall.
You should first figure out what a person actually knows prior to making a statement based on an unfounded assumption. Otherwise, you will be making a fool of yourself.