Glass Fishing Floats - The ultimate treasure from the sea

Hunting for the elusive, Japanese glass fishing floats.

Summary:

Fishermen around the world use floats of some kind to keep their nets suspended in the ocean. Originally, floats were often wood or cork. Today, they are frequently made of plastic or styrofoam. The choice of material depends on where you are.

We think the most attractive floats are made of glass. No longer in production, the last glass fishing floats were made in Japan in the 1970s.

When nets get lost or washed onto reefs, the floats continue their journey. We've been hunting for glass floats since we cruised with our kids in 2009-2010 after getting hooked on the search by friends.

Now that we're in French Polynesia, the search continues. We see them decorating homes, which means that a particular atoll (perhaps due to currents and prevailing winds) is a likely place to find them.

We found more in Takaroa, the farthest north inhabited atoll of the Tuamotus, than anywhere else. Would we be lucky there as well?

To learn more details of our search and to discover if we ever found a glass float of our own, listen to the complete podcast or check out Takaroa Treasures (https://www.fit2sail.com/countdown-to-cruising/2025/9/8/takaroa-treasures-atoll-6).

The next podcast will be a joint one with Carolyn and Nica and may be delayed. Look for it sometime in the new year.

Subscribe to the Boat Galley Newsletter! - https://theboatgalley.com/newsletter-signup-2

Links:

Nica email - nica@fit2sail.com