Destination: Saint Martin
By Jennifer Lonoff Schiff
Located in the northeastern Caribbean, in the Leeward Islands, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten—the island has a French side and a Dutch side—is known as the Friendly Island. And if you have ever visited the island, you will know why.
In addition to having friendly people, the island boasts delicious food, especially on the French side, and a wealth of sea glass—if you know where to look.
Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock.com.
My family and I have stayed on both the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) and the French side (Saint Martin), but prefer the quieter, less populous French side, particularly the town of Grand Case. Grand Case sits on the northwest side of the island, on the Anguilla Channel, and boasts over two dozen fine dining and casual restaurants (known as lolos, for local, low price), as well as bars along the main drag.
It is thanks to those eateries and bars that you will find large deposits of green, blue, brown, and white sea glass strewn along the mile-long beach. And, if you are lucky, you may find some beautiful shells, such as gaudy nauticas (colorful moon snails), West Indian top shells (Cittarium pica), and cowries, too.
While there are treasures to be found year round in Grand Case and at different times of the day, in November I had the most luck finding sea glass and shells when I went beachcombing early in the morning during a low or negative tide.
The best places to find sea glass were along the wrack line and in the nooks and crannies near the foundations of the various beach bars and lolos.
I found shells more typically near the water.
Note: You are not allowed to remove shells from the beach. However, as sea glass is considered trash, you can take your sea glass finds home with you. Also, because you will find some glass that has not been tumbled by the sea along with smoothed and frosted glass, it’s best to wear shoes with rubber soles when hunting near buildings/bars.
Even if you don’t find a lot of sea glass or shells, the views from Grand Case are priceless and well worth the trip.
All photos by Jennifer Lonoff Schiff except as marked.
Learn more about seashells
Learn more about identifying shells, the history of seashell collecting, great shelling beaches, and the lives of the animals who make the shells we find on the beach. Articles ›
No live shelling: Be sure shells are empty and sand dollars, sea stars, and sea urchins are no longer alive before you bring them home.
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 53 March/April 2026.
