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).

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

Links:

Nica email - nica@fit2sail.com

Carolyn email - carolyn@theboatgalley.com

The Boat Galley podcast is sponsored by FastSeas.com. Plan your next passage using FastSeas.com. Whether you are after speed or comfort, FastSeas will find the optimum route to your destination. FastSeas - making weather routing simple. Use coupon code GALLEY for an exclusive 10% discount.

Click to see all podcast sponsors, past and present. - https://bit.ly/3idXto7

Music: "Slow Down" by Yvette Craig