Beachcombing Destination: Havana, Cuba
By Ky Davis
Beach finds (Ky Davis).
The capital city of Havana, Cuba, is a sea glass destination mostly untouched by beachcombers. It is full of historic landmarks, classic cars, and beautiful architectural wonders. On my recent trip to the country, I explored over 40 miles of coastline by foot and discovered many amazing pieces of sea glass. This was my first visit to the country, and although I couldn’t find many reports of beachcombing locations in Havana from researching online, I assumed there must be some untouched places to explore for treasures from the sea in a country with such a long history of maritime trade.
Because the city is so heavily fortified from centuries of defending from foreign invaders, it was somewhat tough to find actual beaches. Much of the coastline was built into sea walls to not only add protective boundaries, but also to prevent erosion, which makes beachcombing a little more difficult. It was apparent that there was a lot of sea glass around the city underwater, but due to the time of year I visited, it wasn’t possible to snorkel underwater for glass.
Portuguese man o’ wars washed up on the beach (Ky Davis). The Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis), also known as the man-of-war, blue bottle, or floating terror (IrinaK/Shutterstock.com).
In January, the winds are extremely strong and create large waves which prevent most anyone from exploring below the surface. On top of that, Portuguese man o’ wars, which resemble jellyfish, but are actually a colony of organisms called zooids working together as a single life form, were quite abundant both in the water and scattered along the beaches. Though they are extremely beautiful, with vibrant blue, pink, and purple hues, they are also extremely venomous, making them quite dangerous to humans. During my trek of the coastline, I came across tens of thousands of these fascinating creatures washed up on the beaches.
Colonial buildings in Old Havana (Kamira/Shutterstock.com).
Since I wasn’t able to search underwater, which is typically my favorite way to discover interesting sea glass, I spent my time hiking along the shoreline searching for concentrations of trash turned treasure. To my delight, there were several locations in Havana where sea glass and other beachcombing riches were abundant.
La Cabana Fort Lighthouse, Havana, Cuba (Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com).
Havana has many large military forts lining the city with a lot of historical significance from a diverse past. The city served as a key hub for trading rum, sugar, and tobacco, which are still some of its most important exports even today. Under Spanish rule and then as a U.S. protectorate, it was a bustling city of commerce which lasted from the 1800s until 1960, when the U.S. implemented a trade embargo upon the country after the Cuban Revolution.
Map of the Greater Antilles (Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock.com).
Since then, the people of Cuba have experienced severe economic challenges. Prior to 1960, Cuba had more doctors and dentists than Britain per capita and a higher median income than many established countries in Europe. Today, Cuba faces a myriad of issues, including a lack of political freedom—the socialist state is still considered authoritarian and there are accusations of government corruption—and trade restrictions from other countries. These days doctors and lawyers make roughly three dollars per day practicing their profession, and most other jobs pay much less. Despite years of facing political and economic challenges, Cuban locals manage to remain resilient and hopeful.
Even though Cuba is only 90 miles from the coast of Key West Florida, most Americans aren’t aware that they are welcome to visit the country, so most tourists come from Canada, South America, and Europe. A tourist card, which is needed to travel to Cuba from the USA, can be purchased online ahead of time from various tour agencies. To make things easier, many Americans who visit make a layover in Canada before entering the country.
Scenes from Havana (Ky Davis). Bottom right: Mojito cocktail, Havana, Cuba (lena-wurm/Shutterstock.com).
Cuba is a very affordable place to travel to and the citizens are extremely welcoming and grateful for visitors. Havana offers accommodations at hostels for less than $10 a day, as well as extravagant hotels that are priced exponentially more. Main attractions include an array of antique classic American cars, which are used as taxis and for touring. Also, walking around the city to view the historic and grandiose military forts, as well as the colonial architecture, is a must-do activity. There are endless places to practice salsa dancing with the locals, and the Cuban people absolutely love to teach foreigners. The city is full of diverse cultural heritage, which is abundantly clear by the absolutely stunning works of art throughout the streets of Old Havana.
Despite many things being extremely cheap to buy such as souvenirs, street food, and cigars, other things can be quite expensive. It is difficult for the local people to get many ingredients, and by visiting the local grocery stores this becomes quite clear, as most shelves are empty. Therefore, most restaurants do not have many of the dishes that are on their menus and nice meals can be costly. If you don’t mind eating street food you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the flavors they offer with such meager supplies.
Beach covered with sea glass, pottery, and Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish (Ky Davis).
Although I was unable to find beaches made completely of sea glass like in Saint Kitts or the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), there were still quite a few honey holes in Havana. I’ve learned from my previous adventures to Caribbean Islands to check beneath the old forts that border coastlines for beachcombing hot spots. Generally, most rubbish was disposed of by tossing it over the walls of the forts and into the ocean. Many places I checked had absolutely nothing to offer in the way of treasure, but I was happy to find a few which had abundant amounts of very old sea glass. I was able to date some of my finds back to the 1800s.
Glass maker’s mark (Ky Davis).
One of my favorite finds from below the fort walls was a perfectly worn glass maker’s mark with a bell on it which came from Vandenbergh & Co, a gin-making company in the 1860s and 1870s. Another prized piece I discovered was a piece of pottery with raised lettering that read CUBA, which was at the bottom of a moat that lined the walls of another fort.
Cuban beach finds (Ky Davis).
Surprisingly, I only found a small handful of marbles. Since glass marbles were extremely popular in the Caribbean for a long period of time used not only for a children’s game, but also for gambling by adults, I typically find great numbers of them. In Saint Kitts, I found over 500 in one week, and in Bonaire I found over 2,000, with 166 being my record for a single hunt. Most folks assume large conglomerations of marbles on a beach are due to seeding, but typically in the Caribbean this is not the case. Most of the marbles I’ve found are vintage pieces, which would make them worth more if they were in mint condition, untouched by the sea.
Cuban beaches and finds (Ky Davis).
Another fascinating and popular beachcombing find that you’ll see at nearly every beach in Cuba are coins from their past and current currency. Many of the Cuban people practice the religion of Santeria and therefore give offerings to the deity Yemaya Assessu, who is often depicted as a mermaid. Practitioners seeking guidance, luck, and especially assistance with fertility will visit the coastline to present the Goddess of the Ocean with gifts by tossing seven coins, white flowers, pottery, and her favorite food, watermelon, into the sea. I didn’t know this when I first arrived, so I collected a few handfuls of coins to give to less fortunate children who would ask me for money. I wondered why the kids thought this was so funny, and then I learned that the coins are basically worthless. You’d need to collect thousands of coins in order to exchange them for something as cheap as a bottle of water. Once I realized they were there as a gift to the deity, I stopped collecting them for the children, and to make up for it I gave Yemaya some U.S. coins worth much more than what I’d collected, just to be safe.
Cuban beaches and finds (Ky Davis).
You’ll find rumors online claiming that U.S. dollars are banned and not to be used in Cuba, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, most locals prefer to be paid in U.S. dollars and you won’t be able to visit the country without them! Once you enter the country, credit and debit cards from the U.S. no longer work, which means you can’t pay for anything with them or even use the ATM.
Cuban beaches and finds (Ky Davis).
I had no inkling that this would be the case, so I only brought a few hundred dollars with me. Luckily, most things in Cuba are very affordable, so I was able to make that cash last about ten days, though I had to remain quite frugal for the entire duration of my stay. It’s best not to bring euros as they are exchanged at an equal rate to the U.S. dollar, even though they are worth more. Also, its important to note that if you exchange your cash for Cuban pesos at the airport or with an official Cuban money changing business, you will receive less than half of what you will by exchanging with a local on the street. Local money exchangers on the streets of Havana are prevalent and you’ll be asked dozens of times a day by folks if you need to exchange your money for theirs.
Cuban beaches and finds (Ky Davis).
Most websites also do not work in Cuba, as the internet is heavily policed by the Cuban government which blocks the majority of U.S. business pages. It’s best to set up a VPN (virtual private network) service on your computer or phone before traveling, to encrypt your internet traffic and make bookings and any business you need to do online quite a bit easier. I typically don’t book return tickets or places to stay before arriving in a new country, and I like to wander around once I arrive to choose an accommodation. This is a little tougher to do in Cuba with internet restrictions blocking your ability to research which places are best. Even more difficult was booking a flight to leave once I ran out of cash, since I was unable to use any of the airline booking websites.
The district of Old Havana is very well patrolled by what seems like an endless supply of police, and crime by locals is low due to this presence and the heavy penalties for anyone who wishes to prey upon tourists. I felt especially safe while exploring the city and never heard of travelers being in any danger during their visit. Outside of the city it is best to travel with locals or in large groups, as the police are not nearly as prevalent.
The city of Havana is one of the most beautiful cities in the entire Caribbean to visit, and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone looking to discover a new place full of rich cultural heritage. The people are kind, helpful, and extremely outgoing. By visiting their country you’re helping to stimulate their economy in a much-needed way. Though it’s not my top sea glass hunting destination, I’d still highly recommend it to any beachcomber looking for an adventure. Many Caribbean islands have a very similar feel from one to the next, but Cuba is quite unique and lovely in so many ways, which will become apparent to you within moments of your arrival to the city of Havana.
If you’re interested in visiting and would like to discover some beach treasures of your own, feel free to reach out to me for a sea glass treasure map of the city. If you’d like to make your trip even more delightful, be sure to bring gifts for the children whom you encounter in Cuba. Simple things such as paper, colored pencils, candy, and second-hand clothing go a long way in making friends with locals and enriching your experience of the country. As always, be sure to collect some trash while you’re exploring the beaches, and if you haven’t yet, apply for your passport today!
Learn more about the best beaches and destinations for sea and beach glass, seashells, fossils, rocks, and more beach finds around the world. Articles ›
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 43 July/August 2024.
