Competition on the beach: How much is there - really?

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,410
30,018
White Plains, New York
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Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
A friend of mine commented that he had seen almost a dozen guys on the beach with metal detectors while on vacation in the Bahamas last week. He asked me if, with that much competition, I thought I really had a chance of finding enough to actually pay for my machine. I told him that as an old gold prospector, the one thing I know for sure is nobody gets it all. Then we started discussing the "competition."

WARNING: :BangHead: The following is PERSONAL OPINION, and not FACT BASED. Thank you.

I think metal detecting is like every other hobby or sport in the world. You have "recreational" players, "amateur" players, "semi-pro," and "professionals." I think (I know.. you're shocked I'm thinking and you don't smell smoke yet), that a full 95-percent of the people that own metal detectors fall into the "recreational," and "amateur" catagories.

These folks may think of themselves as real treasure hunters, but their physical abilities don't allow them to hunt for more than an hour or two. Then there are the "Rolex Warriors." Even though they have the "best" detector on the market, they never swing the coil any closer than 5" to the sand, and walk willie-nillie all over the beach, maybe getting their ankles wet!

It is exactly the same in gold prospecting. Guys will buy a Minelab GPX5000 and run into the goldfields in their Cadilac Escalade. They detect for an hour, then sit in the shade and drink beer while other idiots stop by to admire their machine and look at the little nugget their Minelab dealer "helped" them find. Meanwhile, a guy with a Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ, or a Fisher Goldbug II - who has been gridding an area 50-yards away for nine-hours, comes home with enough to actually pay for his machine.

When I see other guys on the beach, the first thing I do is watch their technique - I really don't care what machine they are using. I know within 30-seconds whether or not I should be walking behind them or not. I know why certain folks find a lot more than most - Practice; Cumulative time spent on the headphones; and Location! If there is nothing there to find, well, that's that!

Most people never spy the guys and gals that are serious about making money, because they are out there at 430am with the low tide, or at sunset when everyone has gone home. Most beach goers only see the "wanna-bee's" and "look-at-me's" on crowded beaches during the day. It's no wonder they think of ALL of us that way..

OK, thank goodness I got THAT off my chest! :laughing7:
 

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stpauli914

Sr. Member
Jun 7, 2011
406
117
Gulf Coast FL
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur 2, Minelab Sovereign GT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Terry,

I think you are 100% correct. Now the million $$ question:

Which category do you fall in to? :tongue3:

I just wanted to know since I hear you're coming to FL and wanted to know if I should walk behind you or not :laughing7:

J/K of course :)

Aaron
 

OP
OP
Terry Soloman

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,410
30,018
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
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1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
stpauli914 said:
Terry,

I think you are 100% correct. Now the million $$ question:

Which category do you fall in to? :tongue3:

I just wanted to know since I hear you're coming to FL and wanted to know if I should walk behind you or not :laughing7:

J/K of course :)

Aaron

Oh yeah baby! LOL! :laughing7: I'm still a "wanna-bee" in the beach detecting catagory Aaron! You can come walk behind me for a while yet - but I'm working on it! :headbang:
 

pat-tekker-cat

Gold Member
Feb 23, 2011
6,335
8,486
S. Fl.
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal II, Garrett, Tesoro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
ROFLMBO! :laughing7:
Hey, the cat ain't telling no one,
how much what, she got where!:wink:
 

Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
4,373
2,000
St. Augustine, FL
Terry - Also, note the time of day. For example on the First Coast, the surf can pound you silly. The best times to venture out past the waist (besides low tide) is when the winds are coming from the West to lay the surf down or in the morning before the sea breeze kicks up. Watching some venture out with an onshore wind or an afternoon sea breeze, they are either a glutton for punishment or have never hunted the surf before. That being said, my favorite are those that are hacking weeds on the beach.
 

stpauli914

Sr. Member
Jun 7, 2011
406
117
Gulf Coast FL
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur 2, Minelab Sovereign GT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Terry,

If you are an amateur then I am about 10 steps below that :)

I wish I could get out for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time but that is all my work and home schedule permits at this time. I am learning every hunt and I think I am getting my technique down and learning what areas of shoreline to look for. One of these days I'll be posting some nice finds.

HH,
Aaron
 

Minrelica

Bronze Member
Mar 24, 2010
1,461
581
Minnesota
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab EQ 800, Minelab SE PRO, Minelab X-Terra Pro & 14 other machines
Primary Interest:
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LOL @ "Rolex Warriors"

This is only my second year of hunting but I'm proud to say that I don't fall under the "wannabe" or "Rolex warrior" umbrella and definitely not the "look at me". I'm fortunate enough to live in the land of 10,000 lakes and even though I get out almost every day I've only seen a couple others out hunting. There have been a couple times I've headed out to a local HUGE park and if I see 1 person out with there detector I won't even stop. I just move on to the next place. I'm still a newbie but I couldn't be any more serious about being a true treasure hunter :icon_pirat:
 

jyt2017

Hero Member
May 7, 2010
532
289
New England
Detector(s) used
Excal WOT
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Well said. Id go pro if I got laid off. But...when I do hunt...im in it for the duration. HH -Joe

Terry Soloman said:
A friend of mine commented that he had seen almost a dozen guys on the beach with metal detectors while on vacation in the Bahamas last week. He asked me if, with that much competition, I thought I really had a chance of finding enough to actually pay for my machine. I told him that as an old gold prospector, the one thing I know for sure is nobody gets it all. Then we started discussing the "competition."

WARNING: :BangHead: The following is PERSONAL OPINION, and not FACT BASED. Thank you.

I think metal detecting is like every other hobby or sport in the world. You have "recreational" players, "amateur" players, "semi-pro," and "professionals." I think (I know.. you're shocked I'm thinking and you don't smell smoke yet), that a full 95-percent of the people that own metal detectors fall into the "recreational," and "amateur" catagories.

These folks may think of themselves as real treasure hunters, but their physical abilities don't allow them to hunt for more than an hour or two. Then there are the "Rolex Warriors." Even though they have the "best" detector on the market, they never swing the coil any closer than 5" to the sand, and walk willie-nillie all over the beach, maybe getting their ankles wet!

It is exactly the same in gold prospecting. Guys will buy a Minelab GPX5000 and run into the goldfields in their Cadilac Escalade. They detect for an hour, then sit in the shade and drink beer while other idiots stop by to admire their machine and look at the little nugget their Minelab dealer "helped" them find. Meanwhile, a guy with a Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ, or a Fisher Goldbug II - who has been gridding an area 50-yards away for nine-hours, comes home with enough to actually pay for his machine.

When I see other guys on the beach, the first thing I do is watch their technique - I really don't care what machine they are using. I know within 30-seconds whether or not I should be walking behind them or not. I know why certain folks find a lot more than most - Practice; Cumulative time spent on the headphones; and Location! If there is nothing there to find, well, that's that!

Most people never spy the guys and gals that are serious about making money, because they are out there at 430am with the low tide, or at sunset when everyone has gone home. Most beach goers only see the "wanna-bee's" and "look-at-me's" on crowded beaches during the day. It's no wonder they think of ALL of us that way..

OK, thank goodness I got THAT off my chest! :laughing7:
 

Aka Nameless

Full Member
Aug 13, 2008
132
29
West Coast
Detector(s) used
Infinium LS, Tejon, F3, CZ21
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think I am lucky where I live, I have seen 2 people detecting in all my trips to the beach. Both guys were walking at a very fast walk, missing so much ground it isn't even funny. Never seen someone detecting in the water.
 

biggmike

Hero Member
May 27, 2010
750
724
Florida
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CZ7A Pro / CZ21 / F75 LTD
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Aka Nameless said:
I think I am lucky where I live, I have seen 2 people detecting in all my trips to the beach. Both guys were walking at a very fast walk, missing so much ground it isn't even funny. Never seen someone detecting in the water.

Excuse me :o When you describe my "GRACELAND" please give an exact location. Including GPS coordinates. In a PM of course :tongue3:
 

Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
4,373
2,000
St. Augustine, FL
biggmike said:
Aka Nameless said:
I think I am lucky where I live, I have seen 2 people detecting in all my trips to the beach. Both guys were walking at a very fast walk, missing so much ground it isn't even funny. Never seen someone detecting in the water.

Excuse me :o When you describe my "GRACELAND" please give an exact location. Including GPS coordinates. In a PM of course :tongue3:

I'll volunteer my turf. St. Johns County, FL. The number of water hunters that I've seen I can count on both hands. Most don't have the machines capable, and those that do don't have a clue. For example: There was a woman that used to frequent my area with a shiny new excal 2 and shiny scoop. Never, ever seen her get past ankle deep water. More often, I'd see her high and dry in areas that no-one parks, walks, or frequents in general. Haven't seen her in a year, and I assume her excal is either hanging in the garage or has been sold on craigslist cheap.

My area is rough. Most of the old-timers don't have the strength and stamina to be crushed by the surf. The younger crowd doesn't have the equipment to vernture past the wet sand. If you can take a beating, then St. Johns county might just be your "Graceland". Also, you have to be wary of the rips and sharks. Mickler's Landing seems to be a hot spot for bathers get nibbled on. And a couple of times a year, there are swimmers that end up as floaters in the inlet as they succomb to the rips.
 

biggmike

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750
724
Florida
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I'll volunteer my turf. St. Johns County, FL. The number of water hunters that I've seen I can count on both hands. Most don't have the machines capable, and those that do don't have a clue. For example: There was a woman that used to frequent my area with a shiny new excal 2 and shiny scoop. Never, ever seen her get past ankle deep water. More often, I'd see her high and dry in areas that no-one parks, walks, or frequents in general. Haven't seen her in a year, and I assume her excal is either hanging in the garage or has been sold on craigslist cheap.

My area is rough. Most of the old-timers don't have the strength and stamina to be crushed by the surf. The younger crowd doesn't have the equipment to vernture past the wet sand. If you can take a beating, then St. Johns county might just be your "Graceland". Also, you have to be wary of the rips and sharks. Mickler's Landing seems to be a hot spot for bathers get nibbled on. And a couple of times a year, there are swimmers that end up as floaters in the inlet as they succomb to the rips.

Dang Dude... It sounds like a Metal Detecting trip to Beirut might be safer. Thanks for the info but I think I will just stay closer to home. :thumbsup:
 

Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
4,373
2,000
St. Augustine, FL
biggmike said:
I'll volunteer my turf. St. Johns County, FL. The number of water hunters that I've seen I can count on both hands. Most don't have the machines capable, and those that do don't have a clue. For example: There was a woman that used to frequent my area with a shiny new excal 2 and shiny scoop. Never, ever seen her get past ankle deep water. More often, I'd see her high and dry in areas that no-one parks, walks, or frequents in general. Haven't seen her in a year, and I assume her excal is either hanging in the garage or has been sold on craigslist cheap.

My area is rough. Most of the old-timers don't have the strength and stamina to be crushed by the surf. The younger crowd doesn't have the equipment to vernture past the wet sand. If you can take a beating, then St. Johns county might just be your "Graceland". Also, you have to be wary of the rips and sharks. Mickler's Landing seems to be a hot spot for bathers get nibbled on. And a couple of times a year, there are swimmers that end up as floaters in the inlet as they succomb to the rips.

Dang Dude... It sounds like a Metal Detecting trip to Beirut might be safer. Thanks for the info but I think I will just stay closer to home. :thumbsup:

It is safe if you can time the low tide/west wind/morning hours. That will be when it is calmest. The problem is that St. Johns has 40+ miles of coastline. The area north of St. Augustine Inlet up to Mickler's is the most dangerous. It drops off quick with some nasty currents. With the quick drop-off, it produces big surf close to shore. Perfect conditions for the jewelry to be lost in. Also, perfect conditions to die in when strapped down with gear focusing on recovery of a target. It explains why I rarely see someone venture past the waist. It is also why I don't fret over the increased competition by announcing the location on a public forum.
 

Can Slaw

Sr. Member
Nov 20, 2007
461
47
So Gulf Coast, FL
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You can title it, color it, or call different types of hunters anyway you want. It all boils down to one thing....he who has found he most gold is the most successful. I have seen some first year hunters do OUTSTANDING there first year of detecting. Succesful hunters normally aren't doing what "the crowd" is doing.
 

ron lord

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Apr 2, 2007
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Zephyrhills Fl
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Terry you can call it what you want ,but I seen them come and go ,I seen guy think they know what they are doing but it boils down to one thing.And that is you can't find it unless you Pass your coil over it! In order to do that you have to hunt alot. I hunt 6 Days a week ,4 to 5 hours that a time. High tide or low tides,it doesn't matter. The best place to find stull in the Water is _______ ! Well I 'm not going to give away that secret, you are going have to learn that.Watch the People at the beach. HH Ron Lord some where in FL. :icon_sunny:
 

biggmike

Hero Member
May 27, 2010
750
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Florida
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Hounddog said:
Ok out of the two guys detecting you posted pics of who would you walk behind?

I would follow the more thin guy because he seems to be in a rush. He probably takes 3 steps between swings and the closest the coil comes to the ground is about 3 inches about 10% of the time and he also looks like he's digging with the hotel's ice scoop. The big guy looks to maybe have decent form and a pouch full of something(i guess that could be M&Ms though) and if he collapses I don't want to be the first one there to perform any medical attention he may need.​
 

Can Slaw

Sr. Member
Nov 20, 2007
461
47
So Gulf Coast, FL
Detector(s) used
Excalibur, CZ-21 Sov. GT, Sea Hunter MK II, CZ-6a, Troy X5, MXT, Ace 250
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
biggmike said:
Hounddog said:
Ok out of the two guys detecting you posted pics of who would you walk behind?

I would follow the more thin guy because he seems to be in a rush. He probably takes 3 steps between swings and the closest the coil comes to the ground is about 3 inches about 10% of the time and he also looks like he's digging with the hotel's ice scoop. The big guy looks to maybe have decent form and a pouch full of something(i guess that could be M&Ms though) and if he collapses I don't want to be the first one there to perform any medical attention he may need.​
HA! the big guy is hunting with too small of a coil for beach hunting, (missing alot or covering no ground) and he is wearing wimpy set of headphones that would be hard to hear over the background noise of the surf. Again, successful hunter do not follow the crowd, equipment or otherwise.
 

Lorrain.

Hero Member
Apr 29, 2011
978
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab GT & Minelab Elite
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In my humble opinion, the gentleman wearing the blue shirt will soon have a backache as the coil appears to be too far away from his body.

I believe that if he swung the coil closer to his toes as he walked, there would be less strain on his arm and back.

Lorraine
 

truckinbutch

Silver Member
Feb 15, 2008
4,607
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Morgantown,WV
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Bounty Hunter Landstar
IMOHO ,
Hobby= fun . Havin fun =profit . Bein dedicated enough to make great finds is great . When a hobby becomes work in a quest for profit ; WHATINELL DID YA QUIT WORKIN FOR ?
Follow those that are not so dedicated . No need to make fun of them . By their own actions they didn't 'steal' anything from you . :tongue3:
 

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