Sea Glass - What to Look For and When to Look
A few months ago, I shared a blog post about different things you can find along the Delaware Beaches. After the last two mornings’ successes finding sea glass, it seemed like a great time to revisit the topic, but focus specifically on glass.
In many Facebook Groups I am in, people always comment on posts about glass and ask, “Where did you go to find that?” Some people will respond with locations, others stay tight-lipped so as to not give away their treasure hunting spots. The bottom line is this, though - if you are on any beach, you are giving yourself the best opportunity possible to find sea glass.
This isn’t some run around - it’s the truth. Over the last three or four years, I have found glass on Lewes Beach, Cape Henlopen (the Point; ocean and bay sides), Herring Point, Tower Road Oceanside, Tower Road Bayside, Indian River (North and South), Rehoboth Beach, Gordon’s Pond Beach, and this little sandy patch near a boat ramp off Mulberry Knoll Road.
Here’s the real trick to finding sea glass: Take. Your. Time.
Your eyes need to learn what they are looking for. Once trained, then you will be able to find plenty of glass all over.
What to Look For
Glass isn’t as simple to find as you might think. Depending on how it is laying, you might walk right past dozens of pieces and not even know it.
What I have found you need to look for is anything that has a slight glisten or shine to it. Most shells will not reflect sunlight the same way glass does (unless they’re wet), so keep an eye out for that little bit of reflection.
Glass also lays flatter to the sand than shells, more like a pebble or stone than a shell. The exceptions would be any pieces that came from bottle necks or the very bottom of a bottle, where the edge and bottom meet. Those pieces have a little more rounded nature to them, which sometimes will allow them to come up off the sand depending on how they are sitting.
You’ll also want to watch for glass that isn’t tumbled or has sharp edges. These pieces keep more of their
transparent characteristics, so can be a little tougher to spot. They still reflect light, which is normally how I notice them, but can definitely be harder to spot. Now, while not something you might treasure, I have to say please, please, please pick these pieces up too when you find them. There’s no guarantee the next person will see it, and if they don’t they could get a nasty cut on their foot or even get the glass stuck in their foot. So please pick it up instead of leaving it lay.
BONUS TIP: When it comes to green glass, I have been fooled many times by pieces of sea weed. They can be super close in color, and sea weed at times will reflect some light like glass believe it or not.
When to Look
The timing of when to hunt is arguably the most important aspect of searching for sea glass.
Personally, I like to look at the following times:
First thing in the morning
At low tide
After a storm or following a really windy day
Any combination of the above
First thing in the morning is a great time to look because when timed right, you are the first person on the beach. This means any glass that washed up overnight you get first dibs on.
Low tide is my preferred tide to search on. Yes, you can have success at high tide, but low tide seems to yield more glass. I attribute this to having more beach to search, whereas at high tide, there is less.
Storms and windy days churn up the water. Following windy days or storms, I am always finding more glass than normal because the bottom of the bay/ocean gets tossed around, allowing for items to get unstuck and wash ashore.
If you can get to the beach during a combination of these three things, your chances are even better yet. There have been times I was lucky enough to fill my pocket with glass because I got to the beach super early during low tide the morning after a storm. That said, if you can’t search during these times, that’s okay, too! Like I said earlier, you are giving yourself the best chance possible just by getting onto the beach.
Finding sea glass is a huge accomplishment, and even though I have spent the last few years collecting piece after piece, I still love the thrill of finding more.
There are people who are picky and won’t pick up brown pieces, and I just shake my head at them. Glass is glass, and they should just be thankful they have an opportunity to find it. Instead, they leave it lay because, “All they find is brown and it’s such a dull color.”
Their loss is our gain - get out there and go find some sea glass!