40 Beach Discoveries That Left People Shocked, Smiling, Or Totally Baffled

The beach is one of those magical places where nature, mystery, and human curiosity meet. Every tide brings with it surprises: some beautiful, some puzzling, and some that just make you laugh out loud. From strange creatures washed ashore to artistic arrangements by Mother Nature, beachgoers around the world have shared photos of the wild, wonderful, and downright weird things they’ve stumbled upon during a walk along the sand.

#1 There’s An Exposed Coal Seam In The Cliff At My Local Beach

Image source: tim—mit

#2 Abandoned Houses In Mirlo Beach, A Once Thriving Oceanfront Town On North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Image source: zb0t1

#3 Hanging Out At The Beach

Image source: CharlieDarwin2

#4 7 Lb Piece. This Behemoth Came Out Of Lake Erie In March Of 2024. Prior To Finding This I Had Never Collected Sea Glass But Now It’s A Hobby For My Wife And I

Image source: PresentTime8955

#5 Was Walking On The Beach For Some Exercise And This Tough Guy Beach Bully Decided That I Was Trespassing On His Territory

Image source: zytukin

#6 Not Something You Find On The Beach Everyday

Image source: JazzlikeSpare9

#7 I Found A Door (And Nothing Else) On An Abandoned Beach

Image source: elastizitat

#8 Dropped My iPhone On A Beach And The Magsafe Case Attracted Titanomagnetite From The Black Sand

Image source: sendintheclouds

#9 35 Rings Found On The Beach

Image source: Meprado

#10 I Found This Small Chunk Of Driftwood On The Beach, However I’ve Never Seen One Like This Before. Apparently, It’s A Burl

Image source: Jarveyy

#11 Mother And Girlfriend Found This On The Beach Today. Any Idea What It Is?

Image source: Horrorwolfe

geared4war:

Dofleinia armata, the armed anemone. Also called the striped anemone.

#12 My Amazing Find, The Sea Biscuit (Sea Urchin) I Didn’t Know What It Was. As Always, Google Helped Me Out

Image source: instaseaglass

#13 Sea Urchin Teeth I Found In Croatia Years Ago

Image source: HesitantlyCobbler

#14 I Found A Bunch Of Baby Hermit Crabs Wrapped In Some Seaweed At The Beach

Image source: MJGlocks

#15 This Washed-Up Jellyfish Looks Like An Iris

Image source: bastardlyDan

#16 These Things Washed Up On A Beach In East Australia, Anyone Know What It Is?

Image source: ThomasIFC

Redditor froguille replied:

“Blue glaucus (glaucus Atlanticus) I believe they’re also called blue angels. Only reason I know is I used to research sea slugs and sea cucumbers during my high school study halls…..”

User ActuallyAdrien added:

“All I can say is don’t touch!”

#17 I Found This Thing On The Beach, But I Haven’t Seen Anything Like It In Real Life Or Online Before. It’s A Pin Cushion Starfish

Image source: bloop1boop

#18 Found This Cool Bottle On A Beach In Raritan Bay

Image source: Xenu4President

#19 What Happens When You Have A Mix Of Very Cold Temperatures, Sand, Snow, And Tidal Water From The Ocean? Frozen Sand Slabs On The Ocean City Beach

Image source: OceanCity.com

#20 Snow On The Beach In Florida

Image source: SwinnieThePooh

#21 I Found A Fossil At The Beach Today

Image source: rejectedtuna

#22 Found This Little Guy While Working On The Beach. He’ll Have A ~14ft Wingspan Within Two Years!

Image source: Szechwan

#23 Wife And I Found This Today. No Idea What Is, But We Are Stoked

Image source: Lanky-Chard7828

#24 Every So Often I’ll Come Upon A Lobster Tail That Is Empty But Still Glistening In The Sun

Image source: beautifullyhurt

#25 Pacific Football Fish Washed Up At Oregon Beach. Only 31 Specimens Have Ever Been Documented

Image source: guyoffthegrid

#26 Found A Large Metallic Cylinder On The Beach Of Husavik, Iceland. What Is This?

Image source: TheRealWarrior0

We asked around and it turns out that these are submarine detectors, nothing to worry about, no explosive inside!

#27 What Is This Thing? Found On Jones Beach, NY, About 1.5-2 Inches At Widest Point

Image source: redratus

TheVambo:

European Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) seeds

#28 What Is This Fiber/Sand Ball? Found Among Thousands Like It On A Beach In Spain. It Weighs Almost Nothing

Image source: ErikBech

User 4-me responded:
“Sea grass ball – send me some”
BrightestHeart added:
“That’s lovely. Aquatic tumbleweeds.”

#29 Sealed Glass Vial On The Beach

Image source: GlassHalfFullback

We found this small sealed glass vial with an orange liquid inside that had washed up on the beach in Scotland. Any ideas what it could be? Should I resist the urge to crack it open.

occasionalrant414:

It’s in too good a condition to be, but it sort of looks like the acid ampoules the British used on limpet mines and other demolition munitions during WW2.

They worked by being put into the detonation system, then being crushed. The acid would eat through copper wire (different thickness of wire slowed down or sped up the time). Once the wire split, the detonator would trigger and bang.

The ones I saw, admittedly years and years ago, were a bit flatter? I saw them in a museum in Portsmouth back when I was at college – 20+yrs ago. They came in a impact resistant case.

Can’t be, but looks similar.

Secret_Artist_8092:

The North Sea is full of WW2 weapons that were dumped.

#30 Found This On A Beach In New Zealand- There Were Thousands Of Them At The High Water Mark. What Is It?

Image source: goforajog

Anonymous:

it’s a bluebottle.

didnt sting you because a lot of them lose their tentacles when theyre washed up. theyre pretty common.

it seems to be attached to some pebbles and a Vellela.

#31 In 9 Years Of Diving Venice Beach, FL. My Best Meg Tooth Appears, 4.25 Inches. Took Out My Regulator And Kissed It I Was So Happy. Judge Me Freely, Don’t Care

Image source: Lizalfos13

#32 My Dog Found A Huge Bone At The Beach Today

Image source: stellar6388

#33 Glass Beach, California

Image source: Alaric_Darconville

#34 Just Found This Tooth On The Beach

Image source: Excellent_Example395

#35 Found A Shark Egg In Santa Barbara

Image source: Flushedawayfan2

#36 I Found Whale Baleen On The Beach

Image source: Mxzebraxdude

#37 This Buoy From The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Recently Washed Up On The Shores Of Ireland

Image source: reddit.com

#38 Flying Cruise Ships Illusion (Fata Morgana) Spotted Today 23/06/21 On The South East Shores Of Cyprus

Image source: LSD25hoffmans-potion

#39 Largest Seaweed Bulb I’ve Seen In The 15 Years I’ve Lived At The Beach

Image source: StoneyJoJo

#40 Found Skate Egg Pouch On The Beach

Image source: Ceu_64