Saltwater Sean gives bottles a second life

A local environmental activist and content creator has amassed over a hundred thousand followers across Instagram and YouTube, where he shares the treasures he finds in Nova Scotian waters. 

Sean McMullen — also known as Saltwater Sean — takes special interest in bottles and their history, which he finds while snorkeling.

This year, he has started a new business, Saltwater Glass Candle Co., selling hand-poured candles that he places in those bottles. 

In an interview with The Signal, McMullen discussed the origins of Saltwater Sean, his interest in bottles and his new company. 

How did the project (Saltwater Sean) come about for you? 

It started five years ago, in May 2020. I was at home locked down, like all of us were at the time, and running out of things to do. I started watching videos on YouTube of people doing odd hobbies and I remember thinking, oh, that’s cool.

I remember as a kid, I loved snorkeling and looking for bottles in lakes and the ocean. I did it off and on throughout my teens and my 20s. So, I went and got a wetsuit, borrowed some fins and a mask from my dad. And then I went and (dove) in the Northwest Arm. 

It was cold, but it was fun. I went in, I found some Pepsi and Coke bottles from the 60s and I (thought), this is great. I forgot how much fun it was to do this.

From there it took on a life of its own. I started going frequently to different spots around Halifax. I wasn’t known as Saltwater Sean, it was just something to do. I wasn’t sharing anything. Then I did a dive out in Peggy’s Cove with my dad (in July 2020). We took out a whole bunch of stuff from the water and placed it all on this dock and Dad said, you get in the water, I’ll take a picture of you with it.

And so, we did, and I shared it online that night and then it went viral. 

Could you take me through what a day looks like if you’re diving? 

I’m kind of a spontaneous person, so I don’t really plan ahead with dives. 

We’ll pick a place and then explore it. That to me is the fun part. I just love exploration. I’m a very curious person, and I don’t mind being in water. A lot of people don’t seem to like it, but I do. 

What gear are you using when you dive?

I use a wetsuit, boots, fins, gloves, weight belts (and) masks with a GoPro attached to it, because I film everything from my point of view. 

I have different wetsuits for different times of year. I don’t use tanks because I’m not certified. I had an accident in 2021 where I lost my hearing in my right ear, and then I developed tinnitus. I just stay at depths that are safe for me. A lot of the stuff I find usually is in 10 to 20 feet of water anyway. 

Are you using anything besides a GoPro to document your dives for social media?

My iPhone. That’s how I do all my stuff for YouTube and Instagram, TikTok (and) Facebook.

Do you dive on your own or do you go with others? 

Mostly on my own. Some people in my life that are close to me (would say) it’s not the safest, but I do have some people that come with me. 

How did recovering lost items become a part of what you do? 


That was never on the agenda, but … this mom reached out in (the summer of) 2021 and (said), my daughter lost her iPhone off the dock at the St. Mary’s Boat Club and it had all her prom photos on it. Would you be able to find it?

I (thought), I think I’ll give it a shot. I did find it, and I got it back to them, and the encounter’s recorded on (my) GoPro. 

I remember how happy they were to get it back. 
And I didn’t ask for money, just did it because I (thought), I can make content out of this. But they gave me money anyway, which was nice. I still do recoveries for people and I’m not a paid service, so I just tell people I’ll give it a shot.
 And if I find it, that’s great. If not, at least I tried. 

I’ve even found things that are lost from a long time ago, and I can kind of reconnect with the owner somehow through the power of social media. 

I found this hunting card in Prospect in a purse in 2024. There was still a name and address on it, and I put it out there on social media. I ended up finding the owner and I was able to give it back to her 30 years later. It was bizarre.

When did you become interested in bottles?

From a young age. My dad’s a scuba diver and he would bring home bottles from Halifax Harbour. I loved them, and I thought they were so cool and so I started developing an obsession.

Glass usually survives underwater pretty well. It’s undisturbed and it sinks. So when you find it, it’s kind of like a glimpse into our past. I’ve found historic bottles from Halifax’s history, so you can learn a lot about how people lived and businesses they owned because they put their names on these things.

Glass usually survives underwater pretty well. It’s undisturbed and it sinks. So when you find it, it’s kind of like a glimpse into our past.

Sean McMullen

How are you learning more about the bottles after you find them? What is your research process? 

Researching online through Google. Chat GPT, which can crawl the internet for information. Consulting diver friends who found stuff before, looking at Nova Scotia Archives, crowd sourcing information.

I like putting up stuff I don’t know (on social media). 
If I don’t know what it is, I don’t pretend that I do. I kind of make it involve my community: I found this, do you guys know what this is? And then people who follow along find that fun to engage with. 

You have announced on social media that you’re starting to make candles using recycled bottles. 
How did that idea come about? 

That was an idea I had in the summer. I had so much glass and I didn’t know what to do with it.

We’ve been making them around the clock using soy wax and learning as we’re going. They’re all sold out. People are going crazy for them. 

These things that I take out of the water, they’re important, but it’s also reusing what I find, or teaching people about prevention. You want to prevent stuff from ending up in the water, too.

Maybe these candles can also be a reminder of (that). These were once lost and no one thought anything of them, and now they’re sitting in my living room, and I’m using it as a light. I think there is something poetic about that.

These were once lost and no one thought anything of them, and now they’re sitting in my living room, and I’m using it as a light. I think there is something poetic about that.

Sean McMullen

What is your favourite item you’ve found? 

A Felix J. Quinn ginger beer bottle. It’s a stoneware bottle, made of clay and then glazed to protect the design.

I’ve found many of them, but the first one I found is tied to a story with my dad. My dad came home with the same bottle when I was a kid, and I remember thinking that the bottle was so cool and I would love to find my own one day. 

Then I went out with my dad, 30 years later, in Terrence Bay and I found that bottle while diving. To me, if I can tie that bottle to a human, let alone my dad, I think that’s really special. 

What does it mean to you to share this hobby with your dad?

It means a lot. My dad is my best friend. He gives me my sense of adventure, my sense of caution comes from my mother. 

Dad is always up for an adventure with me, so I owe a lot to him for teaching me to be curious about the world and to explore it.

What do you hope people learn from what you are doing?

I hope that people see what I do, and whether it’s diving or whatever it is for them, they just go do it. Just buy the wetsuit, get in the water, take action and do it. Don’t wait around and think about it. 

McMullen will give a public talk at the Halifax Central Library on Dec. 11, highlighting his treasures and lessons learned while exploring Nova Scotia waters.