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Bountiful Places for Sea Glass

Sea glass is basically created from litter, such as pieces of bottles and other glassware left on the shore. It could also be formed from things like bottles thrown over the sides of vessels decades ago. These pieces are then affected by the ocean currents over such a long period of time that they become sea glass. There are some excellent locations in the world where sea glass is quite bountiful and where collectors, hobbyists or anyone who appreciates beauty can acquire them.

Glass Beach, California
- Glass Beach is located in Fort Bragg, California is an excellent location for sea glass hunting and is well known for how much is present. About a hundred years ago the immediate area near the beach was a dumping ground for lots of litter. Things such as bottles and kitchen appliances gathered in the area. When the dump was closed, the ocean affected the debris that was still left behind. The result was a richly-filled sea glass location. The beach is part of a State Park now and it is illegal to gather up the sea glass, but some of it is too beautiful to resist and visitors grab pieces anyway.
Glass Beach, Hawaii
- Considering the element hobbyists pursue it is not surprising that there is also a beach called Glass Beach in Hawaii. This beach, however, is hard to find and isn't identified in any tourist information guides. Determined sea glass hunters will have to work harder to find it as no signs point the way to it. It is in an industrial area on the island of Kauai in Hanapepe Bay and the beach is made up of black sand containing sea glass treasures. Port Allen Harbor is nearby as well as a major tourist area called Poipu on the south side of Kauai. Another great nearby beach is Wahiawa Bay.
Spectacle Island, Boston
- The western U.S. is not the only place to find sea glass. Enthusiasts on the east coast can catch a ferry in Boston to Spectacle Island, another fine place for hunting the treasured pieces. The island has an exhibit center and trails which lead tourists high up where they can see beautiful vistas. One of the beaches on the island is the highlight for hobbyists as it is filled with sea glass formed from many old pottery pieces and bottles, many of which are a hundred years old.
The Caribbean
- Rumrunners used to work their trade on Caribbean waters, and rum bottles from those boats made their way into the sea, transformed over time by the ocean's waves. Glass pieces from gin bottles and Dutch onion bottles also came from these boats, providing collectors and enthusiasts with even more types of sea glass to enjoy. Nearly all the beaches of the Caribbean islands may reveal samples of sea glass.

Rocks & Minerals