Sea Glass - Alki Beach, West Seattle, Washington

by Pete Suchon
(Washington, USA)

Alki Beach on a rare uncrowded day LOL

~ Alki Beach sea glass report submitted by Pete Suchon in Washington, USA

Sea Glass - Alki Beach, West Seattle, Washington.

Alki Beach has been a major party beach in the Seattle area for more than 50 years.

As a result there is lots of glass to be found here but it is mostly of the green brown and clear (frosted) varieties.

You will occasionally find green/blues from broken electrical insulators or other "industrial" trash.

Parking is plentiful and free along the waterfront and there are numerous places to eat or wet your whistle before, during or after your search.

How would you rate this beach for sea glass?: Fair (3-5 jewelry grade pcs. found per hour)

~ Alki Beach sea glass report submitted by Pete Suchon in Washington, USA

Thanks, Pete

Note that it does get sunny and beautiful...but it is also great when it's like this. You know the rewards: a small cafe, Seattle espresso, bagels with cream cheese....

David (editor)

Comments for Sea Glass - Alki Beach, West Seattle, Washington

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Feb 20, 2012

no jewelry grade
by: Anonymous

I was able to find a few small pieces, nothing jewelry grade, in about 2 hours.

Dec 27, 2011

Picked over!
by: Anonymous

Alki was great for sea glass in the mid 1980's, but it's really picked over now.

Sep 23, 2010

Seattle
by: Anonymous

We have friends from the Seattle area and it sounds like an incredibly beautiful and fun place to live. It's our goal to visit one of these years. http://www.glassking.com/arizona/auto-glass-chip-repair/

Apr 27, 2010

HOOKED at Alki Beach and Homer, Alaska
by: hvz

It was on Alki beach that I discovered sea glass. What a revelation! I could walk in that beautiful place and pick up beautiful little pieces of glass that the ocean had worked into these small enchanting pieces of glass that came from who knows where.

I have been hooked ever since.

I, last summer, walked the beach in Homer Alaska every day for three weeks and found some great treasures, one being a beautiful red piece.

I will be there for two months this summer and I will spend most of my time looking for sea glass again. I am HOOKED.

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June 2011 Alki Beach, Seattle - Sea Glass Catch

Alki Beach, Seattle - Sea Glass Catch

~ sea glass photo from Alki Beach submitted by Diane

June 2011 Alki Beach, Seattle - Sea Glass Catch

Great Day for beach combing!

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~ sea glass photo from Alki Beach submitted by Diane

Added Notes:

Some consistent wave action is needed to tumble glass shards to the point where they become nicely-frosted and rounded beach glass.

The Puget Sound, where this glass is from, does not receive a lot of wave action, so the rounded glass in this photo has got to be old - less waves, longer time needed.

From the official study done by the US Navy:

"Wave motion in the waters of Puget Sound is limited by the complex shape of the geography of the Puget Sound basin. Straight line distances are relatively short, so wave generation is restricted due to lack of fetch. In general, wave heights in most of Puget Sound are limited to approximately six ft with gale force winds (34-47 kt)."

Note that with rare gale force winds, some waves are generated, but this is infrequently.

Nicely-tumbled and frosted sea glass is found much more commonly when prevailing winds consistently blow over a water surface of at least 25 or more miles.

Although Alki Park is exposed to a greater stretch of water than that to the north, the prevailing winds are from the southwest or west, where distance is restricted.

The catch shown, again, would logically be much older glass than is usually found in similar sea glass elsewhere. The infrequency of waves means that it would take a significantly-longer time for the sea glass at Alki to reach a tumbled state that at a more exposed beach.

~ David Schneider @ OdysseySeaGlass.com