More Bette Midler Than Barbara Hershey

You could call them beaches, but then it’d seem like you could actually swim there:

Call them the secret beaches of New York.

Hidden in the nooks and crannies along the city’s riverbanks lie dozens of small, sandy oases.

But don’t grab the beach towels just yet. Most of the estimated 60 to 70 “beaches” in the five boroughs and New Jersey are isolated, neglected and debris-strewn. Still, some nature enthusiasts are optimistic.

“Right now . . . these beaches are not great sunbathing options,” said Rob Buchanan of New York Harbor Beaches. “But they could become that if people start to take care of them.”

Buchanan, 47, is among a group of hikers and boaters who spent the last year combing the East, Hudson and Harlem river shorelines.

Not everyone is pleased with the idea of opening up the small beaches. Officials at Community Board 1 in downtown Manhattan, for example, downplayed the area under the Brooklyn Bridge for fear of increased drownings.

But John Lipscomb, patrol boat captain for the nonprofit group Riverkeepers, sees people fishing, crabbing and wading along the shoreline around the city all the time.

“People want to use the water,” he said, adding that pollution remains a major problem. “We need to get to a point where mothers can take their children there to play and build sandcastles. We’re on our way, but we’re not quite there yet.”

Not all the beaches lie on public land, and many are not easily accessible. They’re tucked under bridges, below city parks and on rocky strips in neighborhoods like DUMBO, Astoria, Battery Park and the South Bronx.