Finding Sea Glass

So many people tell me that they never find sea glass on the beach.
My common response is, “It’s there!”

“One of the universal truths of human observation is that we see more of what we expect to see and less of what we don’t expect to see.” - Tristan Gooley

Once I asked a fisherman if he had caught any fish, he replied, “No, that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.” I realized then, that I am not searching for sea glass on the beach everyday.  I am FINDING sea glass on the beach everyday. Everyone has his or her own style of finding sea glass. I walk. Others sit and dig and sift, or only go at low tide or when they can spend the whole day. Still others, don wetsuits and go diving or snorkeling to find treasures. Some walk the water’s edge using a long handled strainer, seemingly knowing that the treasures must be just beyond their reach. There are no rules, or secrets. Sea glass always seems to defy the rules, appearing when, where and to whom it wants to. I can only tell you what works for me. I walk. 

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.” - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

As a patient searcher. I like to give the ocean time to know I’m there, that it’s me. I wait until the sea is ready to give me treasures, until the tide is ready to cast them ashore each day. You must believe there is sea glass on the beach before you can find it, have faith. I believe I find the treasures I’m meant to find when I’m meant to find them, when my eyes are meant to see them. The best is finding a treasure lying on the beach in plain sight. Finding treasures on the beach everyday, allows me to see the treasures that are in my everyday life. 

“ I show up, I listen. I try to laugh.” – Anna Quindlen

I show up, walk, and smile. Yes, I walk the same stretch of beach, everyday, at the same time everyday. If you can’t be on the beach everyday, when you do show up, being present is key. When you take the time to be present and mindful on the beach, you are sure to find some treasures. Finding sea glass is about seeing things differently and increasing your opportunities. If you can be on the beach everyday, if you show up everyday, you increase your changes of being there when that great piece of sea glass is washed ashore. Showing up, increases the opportunity of serendipitous events happening to you. The more often you put yourself in the right place, the more often you will find what you are looking for. Find that place for yourself. For me that place is the beach, the same beach everyday. 

Since I walk the same beach everyday at the same time, the magic of the changing tides offers me a fresh beach to search everyday. Where to walk? If the tide is going out, I may choose to walk the high tide or wrack line first and return walking near the water’s edge. This gives the tide more time to recede and reveal more treasures. But then again, sometimes walking the water’s edge with an incoming tide allows treasures to literally wash into your path. This is how I found my first sea marble. The tide is the strongest and moves the most water in the middle of high and low tide, this is why I often walk the middle of the beach. I have found sea glass on all parts of the beach. If you decide to pick your head up and look around, stop walking. You might walk right by an amazing piece of sea glass.

For more tips check out Cindy Bilbao’s book “Sea Glass Seeker”.

The weather also affects my walking decisions. It’s always cooler at the water’s edge, so on a hot summer’s day it might be more comfortable walking there. I usually walk very slowly and wander a bit as a walking meditation. In the dead of winter, I pick up the pace to keep warm. In a heavy wind or rain, I’ve been known to walk backwards on the beach so as not to have my glasses sandblasted. 

My beach is mainly made up of sand, round pebbles and broken shells. I look for things that are different, angular pieces, unusual colors or a shimmer of light. I bend down a lot and I pick up a lot. I take a lot of chances. Not everything is a treasure. I now bring a bag with me and pick up trash as I walk the beach everyday. Plastic on the beach and in the ocean is a worldwide problem, affecting sea life and shore birds. I became passionate about this after seeing micro plastic on the beach in Hawaii over four years ago. I encourage you to incorporate beach cleaning with your sea glass searching. I have picked up a piece of brightly colored plastic only to find, to my surprise that it was a really a very unusual color of sea glass. I also believe that picking up marine debris sharpens your eye and strengthens your sea glass finding Karma. 

When searching for sea glass I always retrace my steps. I have even found a piece of sea glass in my own footprint! I look closely at the place where I started and always find an amazing piece there at the end of my search, by simply going back to where my walk began. When I first step onto the beach, I stand quietly in awe looking at the water before me, sensing hope, peace and faith. In leaving, I give thanks for the gifts the sea has given me each day.