Beach hunting questions

[2muchstuff]

Let me start off by saying it's been more than a few years since I've done any swinging of my detector. The Mrs has never seen an ocean before so next month we are going down to Miramar Beach, Florida. I keep telling her that it's not an ocean but a gulf. Not having any beaches here in the Midwest, what should I expect, is it worth it getting a sand scoup, is it safe out there at night? I'm sure there are many questions that I haven't thought of yet. Any tips or help would be great. The detector that I will be swinging will be a Garrett GTA1000. Thanks.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Terry Soloman]

Let me start off by saying it's been more than a few years since I've done any swinging of my detector. The Mrs has never seen an ocean before so next month we are going down to Miramar Beach, Florida. I keep telling her that it's not an ocean but a gulf. Not having any beaches here in the Midwest, what should I expect, is it worth it getting a sand scoup, is it safe out there at night? I'm sure there are many questions that I haven't thought of yet. Any tips or help would be great. The detector that I will be swinging will be a Garrett GTA1000. Thanks.

Hello! You have a great DRY-SAND machine! You will have to play with the sensitivity if you get into the wet saltwater sand, and will only be looking at 2"-4" in depth because of the conductivity. On the dry sand your machine is a monster(11"-12")! Get a $20 hand scoop from one of the sponsors here. Long handled scoops are great for the water, but hand scoops are faster in the dry sand. I actually use a short handle 5" trenching shovel on the dry sand, because I run a Pulse Induction machine and it is easy to stick the nose of the shovel in about 5" and kick out the bottle cap (or nickel!). Be aware and use your head. You aren't going to Somolia, you will have a GREAT time!

 

[Killer Angel]

Being on vaca the advice to buy a hand scoop is good. A plastic hand scoop can be had for about $15. They are more durable than most of the steel/alum hand scoops which have a tendancy to bend at the handle if you do any prying motions in deep or wet sand. Don't waste your money on a cheap long handled scoop. There is a reason experienced beach hunters pay up for long handled scoops. Many of the inexpensive models offered just don't hold up. Some not surviving the first hunt intact. Some dealers won't tell you this.


For the rest, use your judgement. i hunt at night, but carefully pick my places. Situational awareness while hunting at night counts bigtime.

 

[wildman4910]

For dry sand hunting I use a mesh basket scoop, it will crumple if used in the wet sand or stepped on with your foot but for fast dry sand recovery it rocks.

​

The above started life this way and I added the long handle​

​

Check out http://www.kellycodetectors.com/accessories/longhand.htm for scoops.

 

[Sandman]

Your detector is fine for hunting the dry sand but will be unstable in the wet stuff. There you can turn down sens but then you'll only get about 4" deep. Tune for the dry sand and if crossing into the wet, retune again and vise versa. For scoops a hand held is the back breaker, get one with a longer handle like the one pictured with a screen type basket. http://www.rtgstore.com/rtgscoops.htm

For reading on how to do it, visit this site. http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

Pick up a nail apron for the finds and trash that your bound to pick up. When you find a nice ring or coin don't do the "Happy Dance" and let everyone know what you found. Slip it away like it was trash and continue hunting. You never know who or what is watching you.

Don't forget the mirrored sun glasses so the eye candy doesn't see you staring at them.

 

[Can Slaw]

If you plan to hunt very much then a cheap hand sand scoop is going the wear you out bending over each time to retrieve a target. If you have a bad back, a hand scoop is not worth a trip to the chiropractor while on vacation. If you are only going to dig "a little bit" then a hand scoop will serve your needs. If you are going to dig a lot, you might think about one of the break down long handle travel scoops. Much easier on the back and they offer better protection for night hunting.

One important thing is get the fastest sifting scoop you can find, not the cheapest. Time is limited when on vacation, I see so many tourist here with slow sifting scoops that they have covered very little beach during the few hours they have to hunt that it was almost a waste of time. The ones i love are the guys with kitchen colanders from the Dollar Store takes them 5 minutes to sift for a penny.

 

[Terry Soloman]

...Don't forget the mirrored sun glasses so the eye candy doesn't see you staring at them.

Sandman you Devil! See, what Sandman didn't mention (you sly dawg!) is the technique that you MUST use with the sunglasses - gives newbs away EVERY time! Head slightly down (seemingly focused on the coil), left eye looking at breast level, right eye constantly scanning for significant other (I call it the 'Iguana') - and whatever you do, NEVER stop swinging and shout "Holy Mother of Pearl!"

 

[Killer Angel]

I like the advice to get the mirrored sun glasses!

I got the impression that the OP is not a beach hunter and is visiting FL on vacation. Thus my advice to buy a plactic hand scoop. Light weight, strong, and easy to transport. More durable than its metal counterparts and for a few hunts while on vaca, his back should be fine.

Anyone considering more serious beach hunting, all the advice on this thread is excellent. Especially the eye wear suggestion!!!!

 

[lookindown]

Does anyone else dig targets in the dry sand with their foot, using a side to side motion? I can dig an eight inch target with my foot twice as fast as I can scoop it. I do the same thing in wood chips.