First experience in the surf and let me tell you

[richg]

It was a total clusterf***!!! I was using a long handle scoop in water about 4 feet, I was picking up the targets with the detector then retrieving the target seemed just about impossible. Everytime I put my foot down to position the scoop a wave would wipe me out. I had one bust on me and it took the pads off the earphones. I did manage to pull out one earring then I could not do it any more, my long handle scoop was alll over the place while I was trying to detect. This is my first time using the sea hunter mark 2. I am used to the gti-1500 where I can pinpoint and dig the target, I guess that spoiled me somewhat. I did manage to pull out about $4 in clad in water a little higher than my ankles. I guess it takes alot of practice to get this technique down. Needless to say I am addicted to this hobby so on my next trip to the beach of course I will have to try it again. For now I guess I will have to stick to the dry land and wet sand areas until I could figure this out. Anyway HH!!

 

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[Charles,Oak Island]

always go in at slacklow tide.

 

[flagold]

Welcome to the water!!!!

Sounds like the first time I tried it in the Atlantic off Hutchinson Island, Fl -- was tangled, tripping, falling, and generally making such a spectacle of myself the crew of the Pandeon were watching me with binoculars and I could hear them laughing over the surf, 100 yards away.? From then on I always stick to the kiddie pool with the scoop (lakes) or use my Sea Hunter with SCUBA.

One of those things . . .

Matt Mattson
http://www.treasuresites.com

 

[richg]

Yeah I would imagine lakes with no waves would be much better so in a couple weeks when the swimming holes are done I will have to check them out. I dont know how to scuba dive but I really dont have the time for it either. I will give the lakes a shot and see what happens but I am sure it must be much better than getting beat around by 4 foot waves. I will keep at it and hopefully can post some pictures of some nice finds. Good Luck!!

 

[Gold_pinger]

Hey richg
Just keep trying. You will soon learn how to time the waves to help make recovering a little easier.
Try to go with the flow of the ocean not fight it. A wave may push you away from a target but the backwash should put you right back over it. As for lakes they may not have waves to deal with but they do have silt that clouds up the water with every scoop you make so practise pinpointing.

 

[lab rat]

One trick I learned is to put the detector over the target and hold it down on that spot. In between waves you can bring your scoop next to the coil-- you'll hear it when it gets close! Touch the coil with your scoop, then pull the coil away. Hold the scoop down there without moving it until you get a chance to dig fast and deep!

What coast are you on? I'm in Southern California, where half the beaches are hard-packed silty sand as sticky as mud, and the other half turn to quicksand when you start digging! Not too long ago I found a nice big silver ring w/ 3 amethysts in it, but just barely-- I had to dig -real- fast before it could sink out of range in the quicksand! I still wonder what those other targets were that got left behind because they sank out of reach while I was learning...

 

[richg]

I was on the beach in Delaware. I have to say that all the years I have been going to the beach I have never seen one person in the water with a detector. Everyone I see is doing the dry sand. I am sure there is plenty of goodies to be found. Some guy did come up to me 1/2 hour after he lost his presciption glasses and told me he would give me $50 if I found them, I got his # but I never did find them, It was packed at the beach as it was 92 and felt like 100. I am going to make another trip soon for the day and give it another shot. I will take all your advice and maybe it will be a little better next trip. Good Luck!!

 

[lab rat]

Good luck to you! Maybe the waves will calm down after the residual storm energy from the hurricanes passes.

The other day a fellow was in the water and shouted "I lost my diamond ring!" I made a note of exactly where he was, and when the tides were lower I went back to look for it. Well, the tides were lower but the waves weren't, and there was a nasty cross-current making huge sand ripples where he had been. If that ring really is there it is now too deep in the sand to find. Last night the waves were real calm, but the water is higher, and I'm waiting for all the extra sand to wash out anyway. Maybe in the winter I'll get lucky...

 

[richg]

You know it amazes me how many people wear their jewelry in the water. When I was out taking a swim I caught myself just looking at all the people and how much stuff they had on, I thought people had more sense than that but I guess they figure they will never lose the stuff, the guy that lost the glasses just said 10 minutes before he lost them "Oh I'll be OK". My little guy heard him say that then 2 hours later he is asking if I could find his glasses. I guess if your not into treasure hunting you just figure it wont happen to me. Anyway good luck on finding the diamaond ring!!

 

[Charles,Oak Island]

Sandman,
thanks for posting that. I had lost the The golden olde web site when I got my new computer and could not remember the site name.

It's calling for a light rain tomorrow, tourist are about gone, low tide at 9AM may just have to go hit the beach with the ole PIranha.

 

[flagold]

Has Norm passed away?

Matt Mattson
http://www.treasuresites.com

 

[Charles,Oak Island]

I am not supporting another web site by posting this article. But gives some good info on water hunting at the beach

http://www.losttreasure.com/tipoftheday.cfm

 

[flagold]

Some more tips for beach hunting

BEACHES

To work a beach properly requires a metal detector with a large search coil. The larger the coil the better off you are. If the beach has a dock, make your first pass in line with the dock, and work everything for the first few passes out to 20 feet past the end of the dock. Many scuba divers will work the area immediately below the end of the dock, but people diving or taking a running jump from the dock often land a good 10 feet out, and this is precisely when they lose their jewelry!

For the rest of the beach, start working where the water is about waist level to most folks, and work parallel to the dock. Never try to work parallel with the beach, as big holes will open in your patterns, and the object is to cover the whole beach, in the area specified. The reason to concentrate in the 3 1/2 to 8-ft. water depth is to cover the area beyond the trash line immediately next to the beach. The combination of the big coil and scuba equipment will move you into gold jewelry much faster than you could possibly expect by weeding through all the trash next to the shoreline. When you use the detector on beach sand, put it down hard, so you can see a pattern, then overlap the patterns slightly to get full coverage. Overlapping helps keep your perpendicular alignment too, and in this way, you will miss nothing.

There are some instances when you may want to get out of the water and search the beach proper. The recent hurricanes along the panhandle would be an example. Much of the overlying sand was carried up and over the dune line and deposited on the streets of local towns, leaving the limestone bedrock at the beach exposed in places. Under these conditions, the only thing needed to spot gold is a sharp eye. Of course, looking just after a heavy rain helps, because the surface coating of sand is washed away.

from "Techniques" page 1 http://www.treasuresites.com

Matt Mattson