Beach-house and nautical gifts

Some people carry the coast with them wherever they live: the beach-house owner, the sailor, the person who books the same seaside rental every summer. Nautical gifts are everywhere, but a lot of them are rope-and-anchor clichés. This guide is about choosing something coastal that still feels personal.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Every case $24.99 · free US shipping · free 30-day returns

Pick their kind of coastal

Coastal style comes in a few distinct flavours, and a gift that fits one can feel wrong for another:

Sunny and tropical: turquoise water, sea turtles, bright sand.
Classic nautical: navy, white, sailing and rough water.
Northern and wild: cliffs, puffins, cold sea and big skies.
Painterly and calm: waves and sunsets that look like art for a beach-house wall.

Look at how they decorate. Navy and white points to classic nautical; turquoise and sand to tropical; slate greys and weathered wood to the wilder northern coast.

For the sunny, tropical type

A sea turtle swims through sunlit turquoise shallows, its shadow on the sand below — about as close to a holiday snorkel as a phone case gets. A bold red patterned turtle on black is a more graphic take, and a sea otter floating on its back in calm mint water is pure seaside calm.

Sea Turtle phone case — Sunny coastal picks. Pick the exact phone model on each product page.

For the wild-coast lover

For someone who prefers windswept cliffs to sun loungers, a puffin perches on a rock against deep indigo, and the moonlit sea cliff shows waves breaking beneath a pale moon. A stained-glass colony of penguins suits the person whose coast is very, very cold.

For the beach-house art lover

Some coastal people want the sea as art rather than animals. Deep-blue waves curl with gold foam in a swirling, painterly style. Dark open water rolls toward a glowing sunset sky. Either would look at home next to a framed seascape.

For the sailor

Sailors spend their time on the surface rather than under it, and they tend to respect the sea more than romanticise it. Big water, weather and wildlife glimpsed from the deck suit them better than tropical scenes. The breaching whale in bold stained glass is the kind of sighting every sailor hopes for, and the dark open sea rolling toward a glowing sky is a familiar evening view from the cockpit.

A practical note for anyone who spends time on boats: a phone case is not a substitute for a waterproof pouch. Pair the case with a floating dry bag and you have a gift that is both pretty and useful on the water.

Other coastal gift ideas

A tide table or tide clock for their favourite stretch of coast.
A good beach blanket or a waterproof tote.
A framed print or map of the coastline they visit most.
A local field guide to shorebirds or rock-pool life.

Avoiding the clichés

If you are torn, pick the design that matches a real place or animal they love rather than a generic symbol like an anchor. A puffin for the person who goes to see them every summer, or a sea turtle for the snorkeler, shows you have paid attention. Specific always beats generic.

The practical bits

Every Abyssal Relics case is $24.99 with free US shipping, and orders ship within 48 business hours. Enter their address at checkout to ship it straight to them. If the phone model is wrong, returns are free within 30 days. We do not put notes in the package, so use the free reveal card to send or print a message with the design.

Unsure of their phone? A digital gift card lets them choose. The gift finder gives a shortlist in three questions, and the gifts page has every guide.

Nautilus Repeat phone case — New designs that also suit this guide

Deep Coral Garden phone case — New designs that also suit this guide

Try the gift finder All gift ideas

Questions

Are the cases suitable for the beach?

They are everyday phone cases. They are not waterproof, so keep the phone away from the water.

Which phones are supported?

iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Each product page lists the models available for that design.

Can I ship it to their beach house?

Yes. Enter any US address as the shipping address at checkout.

What does it cost?

$24.99 per case with free US shipping.

More gift guides

Gifts for ocean & deep-sea lovers — How to choose a gift for someone who would live underwater if they could.
Gifts for scuba divers & marine biology fans — Gift ideas for divers, snorkelers and the friend who can name every reef fish.
Gifts for kraken & sea-monster fans — For the person who roots for whatever lives at the bottom of the map.
Ocean gifts under $25 — Small ocean gifts for secret Santas, office swaps and stocking stuffers — shipping included.