Oceans are the most unexplored spaces on our planet. According to National Geographic, more than 80% of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. The deep waters are a treasure trove of unique-looking rocks, glass, shells and many more things. That’s why there’s a hobby for people who like searching for unusual items on the seashores – beachcombing.
This time, we’re inviting you to look at some strange and interesting things people have found at the beach. To know more about what kinds of treasures one can find at the beach, Bored Panda reached out to expert mudlarkers Nicole and Craig Lind. They told us more about their hobby and shared some tips for aspiring beachcombers.
This post may include affiliate links.
This Rock I Found At The Beach When I Was Seven Is Full Of Fossilized Shells
Craig and Nicole are masters in mudlarking – searching for hidden treasures in sand, stones, mud and rivers. Their hobby started during one of their first dates. Nicole picked up a few pieces of driftwood, a couple of shells and sea glass as reminders of their time together at the beach in Portobello, just outside Edinburgh. “It all started there!” the couple says.
You can follow Craig & Nicole on Youtube, Instagram, etsy, KoFi, where you can learn about the history of the things they find and watch the items be transformed from beach finds into beautiful jewelry – check out Tilia By The Sea to see Nicole’s sea glass jewelry collection.
Beachcombing can be a real treat for history lovers. “Most of the sea glass that you find is around 100 years old – so every little piece has a story to tell,” the Linds tell us. “It is fascinating to think that tiny details on the sea glass and pottery we find can open up a window on history.”
You Never Know What You Will Find When You Pick Up A Shell At Honeymoon Beach, Florida. Little Dude Was Put Safely Back In The Water
Beach Find, Possibly Perfume Bottle
Some pieces could be storytellers in their own right. “It can be possible to find out where and when these things were made, and, every now and then, we find a piece that tells a much more personal story about the maker, their life and philanthropic works. Of course, some of the stories we uncover are a little darker,” the mudlarkers admit.
Another reason to love beachcombing is the aesthetic element. "It really sparks our creativity – we love the Japanese idea of Wabi Sabi – the beauty in broken and imperfect things – it's why sea glass makes such beautiful jewelry," say Craig and Nicole.
"Plus, it is just amazing to think about how this glass was shaped by countless tides – how it was transformed from a broken bottle into the beautiful gems we find in the sand!"
It’s A Rock Star
I Think I Just Found A Shell With An Ancient Language On It
A Stone I Found At The Beach
So what exactly can people find when beachcombing? Most people just look for pretty rocks and sea glass when they walk around the beach, but real enthusiasts can find some real treasures. “We find all sorts of things – nice and nasty – when we’re beachcombing,” Craig says.
“One of Nicole's most interesting and cherished finds is a 1920s Art Deco Czech-made Christmas cracker charm – it's a sausage dog, but very sea worn and smooth, so more like a sausage than a dog these days, but a very rare and special find.”
After My Polar Plunge This Morning, We Found This Massive Mussel Onshore With 28 Freshwater Pearls Inside In Atwater Beach
January Sea Glass Haul. I May Have A Problem
Found A Rock That Looks Like A Shark
However, these seasoned enthusiasts also enjoy a pretty rock or two – the simpler finds. “Nicole also really loves to find marbles – especially, so-called Codd Marbles,” the Scottish mudlarkers tell us.
“These were used as a kind of stopper, inside bottles, made to withstand the pressure of fizzy drinks. The truly fascinating thing about them is that children used to break these bottles so they could play with the marbles!”
“That was over 100 years ago and we still find these wee treasures on the beach today, though they are now really rare. It’s just amazing to think that the marble you find on a beach was once at the center of a game played by children over 100 years ago!” the couple marvels at the possibilities of the hobby.
Megalodon Teeth I Found Diving In 90 FSW Off The Coast Of North Carolina
Picasso Pebble
Washed Up Whale Spine
Nicole and Craig list some other items that people can find at the beach: colorful buttons; beautiful glass beads; shards of Uranium glass (it glows under UV light); Victorian Pudding dolls, known as Frozen Charlottes; sometimes people even find intricately patterned pottery.
There’s all manner of bottle stoppers beachcombers come across: glass ones, ceramic ones, and some made with an early type of plastic, called vulcanite. The couple says that all of these are only scratching the surface of possibilities of what one can find when beachcombing!
Driftwood Art Found At A Local Beach Near My House
A Washed Up Angler Fish
This species is so hard to get a hold of for scientific research. I hope if was given to a research organisation as this would be gold to them
Old Pirate Tower Hidden Somewhere On The Beach
However, not all finds are winners. “I guess plastics are the most obvious nasty thing to find on a beach,” the mudlarkers say. “We’d encourage everyone to pick up and recycle what they can… But even plastic can be a kind of treasure!”
Nicole says she’s been making beach art from the plastic she and Craig find at the beach. “It is really remarkable how you can take something that is so damaging to the environment and transform it into something beautiful that you can hang in your home and take joy from,” she says.
Nicole also thinks of the ecosystems of the places they visit so often. “It's also really rewarding to know that every piece of plastic that I use to make art can no longer do any harm to the wildlife we love to see when we’re off beachcombing.”
I Found Glacier Water So Clear You Can Barely See It
Conch Shell I Found At My Local Beach After The Storm. Carolina Beach, NC
It Was A Little Over 4 Years Ago That I Found This Small Marine Ecosystem Living On A Glass Ball
Glass balls like this were used as floats to mark where lobster pots had been put down, before plastic became ubiquitous.
Do you feel like beachcombing is starting to grow on you? Craig and Nicole have lots of tips for people who are wanting to get into the hobby of looking for treasures at the beach. “Our first tip would be to check your tide times – both to avoid disappointment and for safety!”
“Also, look out for regular shapes – nature doesn’t make straight lines, so anything like that is probably made by human hands – clay pipe stems, marbles, old tiles, all have regular features!”
I Found This Fossil On A Beach In Portugal Near Lisbon
Clam-Covered Mannequin Head That Washed Up On Shore
Found This Fossil At The Beach In Northern England
Although it may seem counterintuitive – after all, you’re probably looking to spend some time away from screens – Craig and Nicole say that technology is your friend. “Always take your phone,” they advise. “You never know when you might need it – not least for taking pictures of wonderfully rare finds!”
Whale Spine Found Lying On The Beach In Iceland
I Found A Palm Tree On The Beach
The Serrated Edges On This Shark Tooth I Found Today. Carolina Beach, NC
"But, again, safety first," Craig and Nicole say. "In some places, the tide can come in near to shore, leaving you stranded on a sandbank! It’s never happened to us, but we know that the coast guards are called out regularly to rescue unwary visitors to a beach in a neighboring town."
Safety is also extremely important when looking for items in the mud. "Stay away from the mud unless you really know what you are doing," the Linds warn us. “"It can be very deep and extremely difficult to get out of without several strong companions and a long rope."
This Seashell I Found Looks Like A Human Heart
14k Gold Ring Found At The Beach Today
Unopened Can Of Coke From Japan I Found At The Beach In Alaska
The mudlarking couple encourages new enthusiasts to prioritize themselves. “Pick up what you fancy, and just relax and enjoy yourself surrounded by the beauty of nature! Beachcombing is about the experience, breathing the sea air, listening to the waves and focusing your mind, and it's good for the soul!”
I Found What Appears To Be A Human Jaw With Teeth At The Point In Emerald Isles
easily the most interesting thing here. Must be records nearby of who went missing.
Poison Bottle I Found On The Beach
I was all like 'how would you know it's poison?' Until i scrolled further down 😆
Found This Weird Rock On The Lyme Regis Beach, United Kingdom
Lyme Regis beach is part of the Jurassic Coast and famous for being rich in fossils. Visiting after a storm is always an adventure, and it's free to anyone.
The golden rule less is more can also be applied here. “Beachcombing is fun because there are lots of interesting things to find, so try to take what you really want and not just everything you can see,” Nicole and Craig say.
“That way, there will always be more to find when you come back and there will be things for others to enjoy too. Unless it's plastic, feel free to take as much of that as you can!”
Found A Sea Turtle Skull While Kayaking In Florida (And Left It)
Found This Under A Rock At A Beach
Message In A Bottle I Found Floating Off Of Solomons Island, MD
This Sand Art Found At The Beach
Biggest Megalodon Fossil I Have Found. Found While Diving Off The Coast Of NC
DANG! NC got all the MEGLADONS! Maybe they still exist and are hiding there...
This Rock I Found Looks Like A Miniature Moon
Gru, you better put that back. The Nefario Effect could kick in at any moment now!
I Found A Washed Up Ship's Figurehead On My Walk
Found This Bell With Engraved Dragon On It On The Coast Of Arabian Sea
Found This Leopard Crab Shell
Someone Left A Door On The Beach
I Found This Ring Washed Up On A Beach In Northern Scotland
This Iguana Carcass I Found On A Beach In The Galápagos Islands
Beach Finds, Including Marbles
Found This Perfectly-Round Rock At The Beach
I have a thing for perfectly round beach rock 😆 Mackay has heaps in Qld
So I Found This On The Beach At A Low Tide. Feels Like I Should Be Doing Something
Take it to a safe tech, and get it opened. You may be able to ID the owner via something inside, and contact them so you can give them their stuff back.
My Brother Found These Lobster Tails At A Beach In Kauai
Respectfully disagree. Shellfish are the insects of the sea. I enjoy munching on them but rarely see them as “gorgeous”. But have an upvote for an appreciation of sea life!
Load More Replies...Arent these "sand bugs', entire animals --- not tails from lobsters?
A Shocked Rock On The Beach In Whitby, UK
Found A GoPro That's Been In The Ocean For Roughly 2 Months, It Still Works
It's quite common for people to put a GoPro on a shark cage when go cage diving. The cameras get knocked off by the sharks. The Shark Week team found one in Guadeloupe with footage of a huge Great White.
My Wife Found A Starfish On The Beach
This Geocache Is Indeed In A Crevice Among Some Large Rocks By The Atlantic Ocean In Reykjavík
Some Hearts From 3 Days At A Glass Beach
I fell in love, and it was a gas. Soon found out, had a heart of glass...
I Found A Teeny Tiny Shark Tooth In The Potomac River
A Stack Of Toy Cars I've Found Washed Up On Beaches Over The Years
Found This Earlier Tonight At The Beach
Found This Dental Plate From An Eagle Ray On The Beach Years Ago
I Found An Ear-Shaped Wood Piece At Wreck Beach
Last Night At The Beach I Came Across To This Tower Of Rocks
These do look great, but experts are asking people to please stop this trend as it is really bad for natural coastal environments and animals. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-17/instagram-rock-stacking-trend-putting-endangered-species-at-risk/11868706
The Shark Teeth Four Of Us Found After A Couple Hours At The Beach This Morning
Talk about a diverse collection. Anyone here who can ID the species?
Eggs On The Beach
Depending on where in the world and what size, they could be lapwing, plover or bush stone curlew eggs.
This Guy Joined Me On My Beach Chair In Thailand
I Found A Whale Skull While Walking Down A Beach
A Frozen Horseshoe Crab At The Beach
The Philippines Has Some Pretty Epic Beach Combing
Went To The Seaside And Found A Hippo In The Wild
Found This Guy On A Beach
Beach On The Morning After Hurricane Ian
Anyone know if there is a specific purpose for that item of furniture? I've not seen one like that before.
Sea Creature Found At A Crystal Beach, Texas
We Found A Thing
This Shark Tooth I Found On The Beach
I Found This Picture Floating In The Ocean While Snorkeling
Found This Sign On The Beach In Nova Scotia
Wonder if it washed away during Hurricane Katrina, and all these years later it drifted to Nova Scotia.
Weirdly Cute Pufferfish On Australian Beach
"MS.Puff? What happened to Mr. Puff?" - Mr. Krabs "....She doesn't like to talk about it" -Spongebob
Patches Of Sand Floating On Top Of Water Near Shoreline, Each Patch Around 4-10 Cm In Diameter
It looks like seafoam, but the texture is sandy and not foamy. The patches break apart when I run my fingers through them or when they hit my leg when I wade through them but the sand still continues to float and swirl around the surface. Found on a beach in Tsawwassen, BC
Pumice is my guess. There was a volcanic eruption not too far away.
Mystery Ceramic Or Porcelain Piece Found On The Beach In Cancale, France
Found An Egg Casing From A Whelk On The Jersey Shore Beach
Wow, Check Out This Ring I Found This Morning At The Beach
No Coins, But I Found A Neat 1940s Orange Crush Bottle Washed Up On The Beach
Something From Bikini Bottom Washed Up On The Beach
Don't touch it - looks like a Portuguese Man O War, and they have a nasty toxin.
Found The Can Today On The Beach. Checked Online That This Design Is From 1959
It has a pull tab, though. Pull tabs were invented in 1959, but weren’t standard until 1962. Coors didn’t have pull tabs until 1963. So it’s possible their can design was the same in 1963 as it was in 1959, but the pull tab dates this can from 1963 or later. In 1959, you would still have needed a “church key” style can opener to drink this beer.
Found This Gumboot Chiton At A Big Sur Beach, California
This Seaside Bus Stop Getting Devoured By Sand Dunes In South Africa
Large Rock On Short Sand Beach. Near Cannon Beach, OR
Did We Find A Bomb On The Beach Today?
Found While Walking Along The Beach At A Low Tide
If that had been a Nokia 3310, it would have still worked and had over 50% battery left!
Nokia 3310 Found Washed Up On The Beach
Found A Whale Bone On The Beach In San Diego
Wonder what part of the whale skeleton—-and what species of whale—- it came from.
This Rock Found On The Beach Looks Like Bread
A Glass Bottle Containing A Message
based on the photo and message I am guessing someone got cheated on, on a cruise?
Abandoned Door In The Midst Of Boulders At Red Beach, Santorini
That's where fishermen store their nets. Or that's what the Keymaster wants you to think.
Found A Purse That Appears To Have Been Buried For Over 30 Years On Sanibel Beach, Florida. 1988 Map And Two Ameriflora ’92 IDs
And the deadly hunt for Louice and Emmanuel started up again with this fresh lead.
We Found A Whale Skull On A Beach
Shoe On The Beach
You mean new habitat, don’t you? Toss it back if the critters attached to it are still alive, ffs!
Abandoned UFO Boat On A Nude Beach In Oregon
Monkey’s Fist. Usually Attached To A Rope For Weight To Help Throw A Line To A Boat
A Green, Translucent Substance Found On The Beach. It Looks Like Glass But Has Gel Consistency, It’s The Stuff Commonly Used Nowadays In Diapers To Absorb Moisture
Beach Find, Possible Japanese Knife?
Found This Stone On A Beach In Northern LP Michigan, It’s About 2 Inches Across And Is Strangely Light For Its Size. The Holes On Top Look Man-Made
I Found 4 Golf Balls In Varying States Of Decay Within 20 Feet Of Each Other At The Beach
Found A Coconut Washed Up On The Beach In New England
This Looks Like A Strange Gourd That Was Turned Into A Stone. It Was Found Near Creek In Southern Indiana
Looks like stone drinking gourd. Could be old and valuable.
Tank On A Beach In Culebra, Puerto Rico
What Is This Object I Found On A Beach In Yorkshire? It Has Holes In And Feels Like A Mix Between Stone And Plastic
Don't Leave Your Dentures On The Beach
An Old Sea Shack In Newfoundland
What I Found On The Beach
Found This Prom Picture On A Beach In Michigan
A Boat Washed Up During A Hurricane Where I Live. Myrtle Beach, SC
Finding This Japanese Condiment Jar Washed Up On The Oregon Coast
Abandoned Boat Wrecked Near The West End Of Jones Beach, New York
Abandoned Beach Shack In Oregon
This does not look abandoned at all, they'll be back so dont move yet.
Message In A Bottle Found Washed Ashore On A Beach Near Me In Cornwall
Found A Vacuum Cleaner At The Beach
My Family And I Were Walking On This Deserted Beach And We Found This
I Found These Shells Fused Together At The Beach
I Found This Perfectly-Cut Picture At The Beach
This Tommy Hilfiger Shoe I Found At The Beach
Here’s A Challenge For You. What Is This Car Mostly Buried And Deteriorated? Found On A Beach Outside Anchorage Alaska
Found This Battery That Collected Minerals And Debris At The Ends At The Beach
It keeps going and going and going… Was there a pink bunny banging a drum nearby?
This Japanese Bottle Of Some Toilet Cleaning Stuff I Found Washed Up On Shore In San Andres, Colombia
Google says it’s Chinese (Taiwan), doesn’t look like Japanese to me
A Creepy Polaroid On The Beach In Dublin
Oops... Something went wrong. A shame too, as the post seemed interesting
Here, too. I REALLY wish BP gave a damn.
Load More Replies...I found a lower jaw bone of an extinct sabe tooth cat, with 4 teeth still intact !
I don’t have a picture, but I recall when I was in my teens & I went to Portrush beach (in my native Northern Ireland) with my fam & we decided to do some “rock-pooling”. My niece found a couple of little crabs, my nephew found some anemones, but I had the most surprising find of all; I managed to catch a little fish as big as my index finger, with a prickly spine. As per the rules (at least back in those days), we had to take our new aquatic friends to the little place nearby where they take care of the more rare finds within a “touch pool” & show visitors what can be found in our waters. They were thrilled to accept my catch, though I kinda wish I’d been allowed to just let him go again, as perhaps he would’ve preferred freedom, even at the risk of being preyed upon. IDK, though. Not much point in fretting about it, as it happened so long ago (I’m 35 now & I was maybe 16 then). Also, it’s not like they were gonna fry him in batter with a side of chips, vinegar & salt! 🐟😅🤷♀️
If you copy the link and post it on google or whatever browser you use, you can read them that way.
Must be a you problem because my BP has worked perfectly since I started.
Load More Replies...Oops... Something went wrong. A shame too, as the post seemed interesting
Here, too. I REALLY wish BP gave a damn.
Load More Replies...I found a lower jaw bone of an extinct sabe tooth cat, with 4 teeth still intact !
I don’t have a picture, but I recall when I was in my teens & I went to Portrush beach (in my native Northern Ireland) with my fam & we decided to do some “rock-pooling”. My niece found a couple of little crabs, my nephew found some anemones, but I had the most surprising find of all; I managed to catch a little fish as big as my index finger, with a prickly spine. As per the rules (at least back in those days), we had to take our new aquatic friends to the little place nearby where they take care of the more rare finds within a “touch pool” & show visitors what can be found in our waters. They were thrilled to accept my catch, though I kinda wish I’d been allowed to just let him go again, as perhaps he would’ve preferred freedom, even at the risk of being preyed upon. IDK, though. Not much point in fretting about it, as it happened so long ago (I’m 35 now & I was maybe 16 then). Also, it’s not like they were gonna fry him in batter with a side of chips, vinegar & salt! 🐟😅🤷♀️
If you copy the link and post it on google or whatever browser you use, you can read them that way.
Must be a you problem because my BP has worked perfectly since I started.
Load More Replies...