Sea Witchcraft 101: Oceanic Tools, Spells, and Rituals

When I first began feeling the pull of the ocean, I didn’t recognize it for what it was. There was no dramatic awakening. No big spell by the sea. Just a quiet tug. Like something ancient calling me home.

It started after a solo trip to Bermuda. I spent a lot of time near the water, walking the beaches, listening to the waves, letting the rhythm of the tide soften something inside me. I didn’t go looking for sea magick. But it found me anyway.

Since then, the pull hasn’t faded. If anything, it has grown stronger.

So this month, as we explore The Siren’s Call inside the membership, I’m walking this path right alongside you. Learning, experimenting, and reclaiming a part of my craft that feels both brand new and deeply familiar.

If you’re curious about Sea Witchcraft, here’s what I’ve discovered so far.

What Is Sea Witchcraft?

Sea Witchcraft is a practice rooted in the energy of the ocean and the spirit of water. It is intuitive, emotional, deeply cleansing, and often a little wild. Sea Witches work with the tides, with salt and shells, with the moon and mist and driftwood. You do not need to live near the ocean to be a Sea Witch, but it helps to understand the sea as both mirror and medicine.

This is not a path of rigid rules. It is a flowing, responsive practice that asks you to listen to your intuition just as much as the waves.

Oceanic Tools to Begin With

Even though I’m still exploring this path myself, there are a few tools I find myself reaching for again and again.

Shells

I use them as vessels to hold water on my altar, to amplify cleansing energy, or simply to connect to the sea’s presence. Each one feels like a message from the ocean.

Ocean Water

There is something undeniably magickal about real salt water. I use it to anoint candles, cleanse tools, or stir into spells that need emotional clearing. If you cannot collect it directly, you can create your own blend with sea salt and moon-charged water.

Driftwood and Sand

I have only just begun collecting driftwood wands, and the energy is different. Soft, worn, wise. Sand adds texture and grounding to altar work, especially for release and renewal rituals.

A Note on Ethical Collection

If you are gathering materials from the sea, please do so respectfully.

Do not take more than you need.

Do not disturb living creatures or nests.

Always thank the ocean when you leave.

This is not just good practice. It is part of the magick. Sea Witchcraft is deeply reciprocal. What you take, you honor. What you borrow, you bless.

But What If You Don’t Live Near the Sea?

Here is the thing. Water is water.

A stream. A lake. A rain puddle. Even the tap water in your home is part of a long, fluid cycle that has touched oceans at some point. If the sea is calling you and you do not live nearby, you can still answer.

Speak your spells into bathwater. Charge your sink water with intention. Use salt to create your own sacred seawater. Connection does not depend on geography. It depends on presence.

Why Sea Witchcraft?

For me, the energy of the sea is emotional and healing. It is where I go to cleanse the energetic wounds I do not know how to name.

The ocean does not need you to explain your feelings. It just holds them. Washes them. And returns you softer.

That is the magick of sea work. It does not ask you to be anything but real.

A Simple Sea Witch Ritual to Try

Shell Blessing Ritual (Beginner-Friendly)

1. Fill a bowl with water. Ocean water is ideal, but you can also use tap water with sea salt.

2. Place a shell in the water and hold it with both hands.

3. Whisper something you want to release into the shell.

4. Swirl the shell in the water, imagining the energy being rinsed clean.

5. Leave the shell outside overnight, or return it to the sea with thanks.

This is a gentle way to start connecting with water, with voice, and with emotional energy work all at once.

You do not have to be an expert. You do not need a perfect altar or a full library of sea witch books. You just need to listen to the call. If you feel it too, that subtle tug like salt on the wind, follow it. Let the sea shape your spellcraft. Let your magick flow.

We are in this together.

Blessed Be,

~Elle