I have returned from a wonderful nine days in Hawaii. Though most days were devoted to sunning, snorkelling and boogie boarding, I did hike about five miles one day in 86 degree heat to sea glass hunt. With 40 plus mph offshore winds, the waves were high and the beaches were well churned up. This makes for prime conditions to wash fresh beachglass debris shoreward.
I hit a several mile stretch of beach that was virtually uninhabited. Though remnants of ancient homesteads built of stacked lava rock, dotted the dry, barren coastline, no one lived there now. Below me along the shoreline, cove after cove was carved
with black rock that thousands of years before was molten and had rushed downward to the sea from a volcanic eruption. Tidepools had formed in the crevices of the cooled lava rock and occasionally an oasis of white sand and coral rested there in a patch. A spot of color (usually soft teal blues and seafoam greens) would stand out against the pebbly background. Sea glass! It beckoned as a smoothed, rare treasure amidst this harsh environment.
with black rock that thousands of years before was molten and had rushed downward to the sea from a volcanic eruption. Tidepools had formed in the crevices of the cooled lava rock and occasionally an oasis of white sand and coral rested there in a patch. A spot of color (usually soft teal blues and seafoam greens) would stand out against the pebbly background. Sea glass! It beckoned as a smoothed, rare treasure amidst this harsh environment.Many of these pieces were clearly from ship refuse; bottles jars, and even fishing floats that were smashed against the rough shoreline.
When one spends a lifetime along the water's edge hunting for sea glass, one also enjoy the benefits of the other treasures and the wildlife that the sea offers. About mid-day, the protected, Pacific Sea Turtles would gradually make their way toward shore to spend an hour or two warming themselves on the sand. On my last day there, I was also blessed to be able to view two humpback whales breaching in a bay.
Ancient, carved tiki statues lined one beach I visited. I learned that over 500 years ago, this beach was a haven with religious significance for those seeking refuge and safety. There are many stories told of Hawaiians who swam for miles just to reach this very beach.After a good 8 days on those sunny beaches, I began to get a bit crispy which, even for my olive skin is often difficult to do. Note the beach chair, poised and ready in the back of the car in case I happen upon the perfect beach.
All photos and text: Mary Beth Beuke - West Coast Sea Glass
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6 comments:
I wish I had known you were here on my island. (I recognize the tikis at Honaunau in your picture.) I would have taken you to a beach where you can find little pellets of olivine mixed with the coral sand. It's sea glass of sorts, given to us from the volcanoes. I bet you'd love it.
Bobbie
Beautiful beautiful site, photos and color. I love collecting sea glass but never knew there was so much history behind it. I have collected in California (LA) area, Along the entire east coast of Australia, Tasmania's north coast, the coast of Maine, and in Mexico. After seeing this site I am going to go through my tins of sea glass and "sea" what I've got. How fun. Love the color on this site. I am a color-holic.
Hello Sea Glass Lovers,
Thank you for visiting The Sea Glass Blog. Your comments and sea glass enthusiasm are always welcome. And thank you for your patience as we navigate this whole blogging thing. We'll be posting again soon.
Mary Beth - www.WestCoastSeaGlass.net
Great story...oh how I would love to come upon a spot where I could just scrounge among the coral without having to worry about the waves :-) Will just have to keep looking :-) Diane
Love your blog.
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