Terms of use

Last updated 2 November 2026

OceanFinds.net is an independent guide to sea glass beaches in the UK and around the world, run by James and El from the UK. In these terms, “we” and “us” mean OceanFinds, and “you” means anyone using the site. By using OceanFinds you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the site.

These terms work alongside our community rules, which cover what you can post, and our privacy policy, which explains how we handle your information.

Using the site

You can read the guides, beach pages and map without an account. Please use the site for its intended purpose: finding and talking about sea glass and beachcombing. Don’t try to break, overload or get around the security of the site, and don’t copy or scrape large parts of it automatically.

Accounts

You need an account to share photos or post in the forum. Anyone can review a beach; signed-in members review under their profile name. You can sign in with an emailed link or with Google. You must be 13 or older to have an account.

When you join, you choose the display name and profile address other people see. They don’t have to be your real name, and we never show the name or photo from your Google account or your email address. Until you choose them you can’t post, and your account isn’t shown to anyone.

Keep access to your email account secure, because anyone who can open your sign-in emails can use your OceanFinds account. Don’t choose a name that pretends to be someone else, belongs to a brand you don’t represent, or is offensive.

You can delete your account at any time from your account page. We may suspend or delete accounts that break these terms or the community rules.

What you post

You’re responsible for what you post: reviews, photos, profile details and forum posts. Only post things you have the right to share, such as photos you took yourself.

You keep ownership of everything you post. By posting it, you give us permission to show it on OceanFinds (for example on beach pages, the map, your profile and the forum), to resize it and to remove hidden data such as location from photos. This permission isn’t exclusive, so you’re free to share your work elsewhere too. The community rules explain what happens to your posts if you delete them or your account.

Reviews must be genuine

Reviews must describe your own visit to that beach, honestly. Don’t post fake reviews, reviews of places you haven’t been, reviews written for someone else, or reviews you were paid or rewarded to write. Every review is checked before it appears, and we remove any that we think are fake or misleading.

Moderation, reporting and complaints

We moderate the site ourselves:

• Reviews and photos are checked before they appear. Forum posts appear straight away, except a new member’s first post, which we check first.
• We remove content that is illegal or breaks the community rules, and we may suspend or delete accounts that do, especially repeatedly or seriously. Where we think content is illegal, we may also report it to the police or other authorities.
• Anyone can report something using the Report link next to it, or by contacting us with a link and a short explanation. We aim to look at every report within a few days, and sooner for anything that could cause harm.

Complaints and appeals. If you think we got a decision wrong (for example, we removed your post or didn’t act on your report), or you want to complain about how we run the site, contact us and explain why. We’ll look at it again and reply, normally within 14 days. Complaining won’t count against you.

Advertising

OceanFinds is free to use and is partly paid for by ads from Google AdSense. We don’t choose individual ads and aren’t responsible for advertisers’ products or websites. You can control personalised ads through our cookie settings, as explained in our privacy policy.

Beach safety and collecting

The coast can be dangerous. Tides come in fast, cliffs fall, rocks are slippery and sea glass can still be sharp. Always check tide times and local warnings, keep away from cliff edges and bases, and never put yourself at risk for a find. You visit beaches at your own risk.

Rules on collecting vary from beach to beach and country to country, and some places don’t allow it at all. Our guides give general information, but it’s up to you to check and follow the law and local rules where you are.

Our information

We work hard to keep beach guides accurate, but beaches, access, parking and rules change, and much of what we share comes from other hunters’ reports. Information on OceanFinds is general guidance, not professional advice, and we can’t promise it’s complete, current or right for your situation. Please check important details, such as tides, access and collecting rules, before you go.

Photos of beaches come from us, our members, or freely licensed sources, credited on each image and on our photo credits page. The text, design and logo of OceanFinds belong to us. Please don’t copy our guides to publish elsewhere without asking.

Links to other sites

We link to other websites, such as tide tables, councils and maps. We don’t control them and aren’t responsible for what’s on them.

Our responsibility to you

OceanFinds is free to use and is provided “as is”. We don’t promise the site will always be available or free of errors.

As far as the law allows, we aren’t responsible for any loss or harm caused by using the site or relying on its information, including injuries or damage on a beach visit. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for anything that can’t legally be limited, such as death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or fraud. If you’re a consumer, you also keep your legal rights.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time, for example when we add new features. We’ll change the date at the top when we do, and for significant changes we’ll let members know on the site. If you keep using OceanFinds after a change, you accept the updated terms.

Law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you live elsewhere in the UK, you can also bring a claim in your local courts.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Use our contact form.