Hi Everyone! Thanks for stopping by....

I decided to start up a shop on here, due to my love of everything about the sea. From the way it makes you feel, to everything living under it, to the gifts it washes up onshore.

I am/was/hopefully will be again... an avid traveller. I love visiting different countries, meeting new people and hearing their stories, being welcomed by them and tasting new foods (and wines), making new friends and immersing myself in the culture and nature that each country has to offer. Scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, skiing, nature, photography and exploring are my passions....oh and beach combing of course :)

Unfortunately my world came to an abrupt end whilst I was in Guerrero Negro, Mexico in 2016. I went whale watching on a small panga to photograph Gray Whales. Normally you'd find me in the water snorkeling/diving with Orca's, Beluga's, Humpbacks, Fin whales or many varieties of sharks, but here you are not allowed to be in the water with them, boat trips only.

As we headed back to the pier (miles away from the main concentration of whales), I was sitting on one leg, looking at my photos from the morning trip. When, out of no where....SMACK, CRASH and the sound of bones being broken rang in my ears!!! A 30-40 metric tonne male Gray Whale landed/smacked across my back, and the top and side of my head. Then, as his mid section slid off from the other side of the boat and over me, ( i just remember seeing all the knuckles down his back, knowing the tail was about to come) i was hit again with his 10 foot tail. Only the boat driver had seen him ( he was standing steering the panga) as the whale was about to emerge from the murky waters....it was too late, he panicked and couldn't react. Time totally stood still, I couldn't move, i couldn't get a breath, I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i felt numb, desperately trying to catch a breath!! Yet, I was able to understand every single thing that had happened and everything played out in slow motion. I remember pushing my back and front together as it was the only way I could scarcely breathe, adrenaline was the only thing keeping me alive! I see and feel everything in real time even as I write this!

Every second I can replay in my mind....Multiple burst compression fractures all down my back, ribs, sternum, complete collapsed lung, bleeding on the brain and all through my upper body, fragments of bone from heart to neck, nerve damage and many other injuries from head to toe later.... I am somehow miraculously still here... to keep enjoying the treasures and mysteries of the sea :)

I started looking for sea glass accidentally whilst still in my back brace, walking slowly along the beaches and cliffs at home, when I was strong enough to walk for half an hour or so. The sea air uplifted me and the sound of the waves were the only thing that drowned out the noise of the tinnitus left in my ears. Always on the lookout for dolphins or whales, I was back in my happy place! Yes.... I still love whales and would do anything to be back beside them to heal!!

During my walks, I found a little cove that no one else visits. One day, I managed to climb down in my brace and just collapsed in the sand and started crying. It was such a huge achievement for me at that time and I just felt so happy that I had finally managed to get there.

Being completely exhausted, emotional yet feeling proud, I rolled over to try and get myself up. Right beside me was a beautiful piece of 'sea glass'!. It completely uplifted me and the biggest smile spread over my face. (I remember that moment to this day!)

In that wee cove, I would take my time to crawl on all fours to find these elusive mermaid tears and then collapse and relax ( the walk back was always the most challenging) It soon became my form of escape and the only way I could 'switch off. Even though it created SO much more pain to pick up glass....it was a different pain, but concentrating and diverting my attention would allow me to focus on something other than my body.
When i found a special piece of glass, it was like finding gold. All that searching reminded me of when I was diving and would spend time trying to find tiny pigmy seahorses in huge gorgonian fans or rarer species of nudibranchs on towering pinnacles. Never guaranteed but always a burst of excitement when I found something I hadn't seen before.

Every day I spend by the sea resets my mind. I am constantly amazed at what washes up on our shores and also very saddened by the amount of rubbish that is in our seas. Sadly there's many a day i pick up more pieces of plastic and rubbish than I do glass.

Frequently, I wonder the story behind a piece of glass, when i hold it in my hand. What were you? Where did you come from? How old are you? Pieces that are really frosted well, I think of them as 'something amazing, resilient!', after being completely decimated to fragments against jagged rocks and tumbled in the ocean waves for decades... it still survives! It may not be what it was once, it may not be a perfect shape but it is still this beautiful wee gem. Totally unique....individual.... one of a kind with a crazy story of its own.....

Through this recovery time I have walked every beach from Stonehaven to Cromarty and now I know where the best spots are for glass. It's actually been interesting, as the glass is totally different on each beach, from shards and unusual finds to well frosted shapes, colours also vary by beach too.

As of 2020, certain area's of pain have gotten worse and operations failed. Some area's have gotten much better however :). I am still in recovery and awaiting more operations and answers. A ruptured achilles, that has not healed properly due to nerve damage and other things ( was waiting to happen, it was the leg I was sitting on when the whale crushed me) set me back BIG time and brought fresh pain all over!! So I still require lots of physio from head to toe and I'm hoping that some of my pieces will sell on here to help me continue pay for my treatment. It's taken everything.

I don't make lots of pieces as it is too painful, but each piece I do make is made from the heart with love and to the best of my abilities.

So..... that's my story of how 'Whale of a Tale Crafts' started....

Thanks so much for taking the patience and time to read the above and having a look at my wee handmade pieces. You've put a huge smile on my face!

Wishing you all a Whaley good Christmas!
Much Love, Lynsey