Hunting for Sea Glass

Hi. We just came back from a weekend on Maryland's Eastern Shore. We've had a retreat there for the last 27 years and sea glass collecting has been a favorite pastime. We started out hunting for arrowheads but it was discouraging to keep coming home empty handed so we started picking up the smooth colorful bits of sea glass, too. The collection has grown to amazing proportions over the years and one of the things that everyone asks when they see our sea glass is...where do you find it all? They will then go on to say they've never seen any on the beaches---but of course they have! Its everywhere and finding itcan be fun and sometimes a real adventure. The methods of finding the glass are as varied as the locations you search in. On some beaches we search the high and low water marks and scan the area in between. Here in Maryland, along the ocean beaches, that method yields a few small pieces most trips--its better in the fall and winter because the sea seems a little rougher and the waves are more productive. Also-they don't groom the beaches then and there are fewer people. Our place is on the back bay. The bay itself is very shallow and the slightest wind can bring waves but at other times the water can be as smooth as glass. I have found glass in the rougher muddy areas along the bay for years. The smooth sandy areas seem to allow anything that washes in to wash right back out but the muddy rough areas hold onto much more. I've videoed my latest hunt--I don't find much but the quality is usually pretty good. Some of the glass is pretty old--the Snow Hill Area has been settled since the late 1600's. In addition , there were some devastating storms in the 1930's and 1960's with alot of destruction--we still find occasional pieces of tiles from the bowling alley that is long gone.



In some places it is more productive to work the incoming tides--we enjoy standing in the surf with our backs to the waves--amazing what washes by. We have found tremendous amounts of sea glass this way on the Dominican Republic and also Barbados.

Another method we like to use is snorkeling--just off the beach beyond the curl--I use a small sieve attached to a 4 ft dowel because I don't like to dive (never could get the hang of clearing my snorkel so I stay on the surface and scoop what I see) This method is a favorite in St Thomas and some areas of Puerto Rico.

In some areas the sand is so light and fine--its coral sand rather than the quartz sand we get here in the Mid Atlantic--anything heavier, like sea glass, sinks down into it and is quickly covered. We have a favorite beach in Bermuda where you see no sea glass on the surface of the beach but if you stand in the surf you can see it wash in and a simple sieve is all you need to separate it from the coral sand. Doing this doesn't disturb the sea floor as much as each wave does so it really isn't a problem from an ecological stand point.

Matching your sea glass hunting techniques to your location --and sometimes using a little ingenuity--can result in pieces that you might not have found otherwise.

Much of our hunting is done in the Caribbean while we are cruising. When you only have a limited time on a given beach on a given island, low tide can't be an issue---we have whatever tide we have at the moment and a little perseverence and ingenuity can make for terrific collecting and many times you will be the only collector on the beach. Sometimes others have watched us and joined us--most in a friendly unobtrusive way --some rudely diveing between our feet to "beat us" to whatever. Its a great window on human nature and its important to enjoy it and view the glass a a gift from the sea and not something owed you.

Every beach is a little different and its surprising how much glass can be found when you learn how and were to look.