Do I need to buy a bottle to report a find?
No. Use the details on the bottle you found. Buying a new bottle would create a separate journey.
Found a message in a bottle?
Look for the Your Message in a Bottle website address, bottle number and instructions on the bottle or inside the note. If it belongs to this service, your report can add the discovery to its existing journey.
Check the bottle number
The bottle number identifies the journey. Keep any accompanying password with the bottle instructions; it is used to verify the report, not to identify the bottle publicly.
If you can read the number, browse the journey directory or use Explore to look for the matching bottle. Check the number carefully before entering a report.
Record the discovery
- Sign in or create an account when the reporting page asks you to.
- Enter the bottle number and its verification password as shown on the bottle instructions.
- Add the discovery location and the details requested by the reporting form.
- Include a short account of how you found it. Your update helps the sender understand what happened after the bottle left them.
If the number or password is unreadable
Contact support with the readable bottle number and a description of the problem so you can get help with the correct journey. Creating a new record would separate your discovery from the existing bottle.
If the bottle has no connection to this website, it may belong to a different project or simply be a personal letter. Follow the information in its note; this service cannot look up every message bottle in the world.
After you report it
The report becomes part of the bottle journey. You can view its recorded locations and continue the conversation using the features available on the bottle page.
If you decide to send the same bottle on another journey, use its retoss action. Keeping the original number preserves the connection between the sender, your discovery and later finders.
Your questions, answered
Should I share the password in a public comment?
No. Use it only in the verification step. The public bottle number is enough for other people to identify the journey.
Why can I not see a new location yet?
The map relies on submitted reports. Check that your report completed successfully. If the update is missing, contact support with the bottle number.