Shallow water at night?

[flgliderpilot]

Low tides lately are hitting right at sunset... I'm a water person but a little nervous about wading in waist deep water at night with a shiny metal scoop. To me it seems like a bad idea.

Do any of you hunt waist deep in the dark?

 

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[penzfan]

NO!!!

 

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[TheRingFinder]

So, all this talk of sharks.......My question to everyone is:

Has there ever been a confirmed case of a metal detectorist being attacked by a shark?

 

[lookindown]

So, all this talk of sharks.......My question to everyone is:

Has there ever been a confirmed case of a metal detectorist being attacked by a shark?

Odds of getting attacked by a shark are low to begin with...with detectorist making up a such a low percentage compared to all the people in the water, I think its safe to say no one detecting has been attacked by a shark...but if there were as many people in the water at night as there is in the daytime, I think the number of attacks would be much greater...only way to prove it is to get in there at night.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Yeah but you guys have Dexter

Just wear a t-shirt that says you are not a serial killer and you're good!

 

[flgliderpilot]

So, all this talk of sharks.......My question to everyone is:

Has there ever been a confirmed case of a metal detectorist being attacked by a shark?

Not yet.. I don't typically worry about sharks during the day on the gulf coast unless I have an injury... but at night..well.. I've been bumped by something big a few times surfing at night and it scared the crap out of me. The session was quickly over and I don't do that any more.

 

[jeepGold]

lil billy sure got a good joke in on that day..

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

As often as I can, especially when the moon is full and there is a minus tide.
Protected lagoons are best as you do not have to worry about waves and sharks like to be able to get to deeper water fast.

I would not carry the scoop on my shoulder, as it makes it more difficult to hold your balance.
Instead, I use it as a staff, slightly in back of me for balance and move it forward to push me back to shore if I get in to deep.

Using a light, scuffing your search coil on the bottom, and digging tend to attract bait fish which often follow. At times fish after the bait fish, or the bait fish will attack the flash from the shiny basket. I definitely, would spray paint the basket of my scoop with a dull neutral color primer, such as black, if you hunt in an area where there are great barracudas, which would be a greater fear to me than sharks.

Further, wear protective gear, again black is best - especially if your skin is white, to avoid tempting a shark, and protect your self against stings by man of war/ box jelly fish and shower as soon as you can after you get out to avoid the itchies.

Large sharks often come in shallow at night to feed and leave when it gets light.
If you think, that you are safer in knee deep water, think again.
I have seen them in surprisingly shallow water (ankle deep) feeding.

I have yet to see a large shark, since I moved to Hawaii, while shallow water hunting.
I don't expect to see any close, as I suspect that the electro magnetic field from the search coil, would confuse the sense that a shark would use such as a hammer head to zero in on a buried flounder in the sand. The great white shark also relies on an electro magnetic field when attacking, as it cannot see at the time because of a protective membrane across its eyes to protect it.


I fear my fellow man far more than critters with teeth in the ocean.
Fear is good, as long as you are able to control it since it adds to the excitement.
If you have to justify finding gold being worth the risk, you should not be out there at night.

Low tides lately are hitting right at sunset... I'm a water person but a little nervous about wading in waist deep water at night with a shiny metal scoop. To me it seems like a bad idea.

Do any of you hunt waist deep in the dark?

 

[jyt2017]

One night there were basically no waves and no wind. And something about it just sent a shiver up my spine.

Creepy. All I coul think of was the fact that I was the only thing moving in the water. I wandered about waist deep a few times. And that's plen deep enough for a shark.


Never again. Lol. There's other creatures out there. I'm all set with getting attacked. I've had my cool attacked before but that was fresh water and probably a bass protecting its bed. Still sent me flying outta the water!!! Hh Gl-Joe

 

[penzfan]

Sharks love the colors Black and Blue. They also hunt shallow waters primarily at dawn and dusk

 

[WaterWalker]

There is nothing like a mid January or February night hunt under a full moon and the glitter of gold in your scoop. Air and water temps in the mid 30s (F). I have found it no more dangerous than a mid day water hunt in the summer.

I have never had a problem in New England with the exception of a bad case of clam diggers itch and a couple of jelly fish stings and they were in the day time, not at night. I did get stung be a ray in Cancun mid morning about 4 feet from the water's edge.

When and where ever you hunt, KNOW the tide, bottom and other possible dangers and take the appropriate caution to protect your well being. It is ALWAYS best to water detect with a buddy. Good luck and enjoy each and every hunt.

 

[lookindown]

One night there were basically no waves and no wind. And something about it just sent a shiver up my spine.

Creepy. All I coul think of was the fact that I was the only thing moving in the water. I wandered about waist deep a few times. And that's plen deep enough for a shark.


Never again. Lol. There's other creatures out there. I'm all set with getting attacked. I've had my cool attacked before but that was fresh water and probably a bass protecting its bed. Still sent me flying outta the water!!! Hh Gl-Joe

You just reminded me of a time I waded in the water at a boat ramp casting for bass...something hit me hard in the leg and I screamed and high stepped it out out of the water...I walked back to edge and saw a big bass cruise onto a sandy spot...I had stepped into its bed...I caught it, weighed and released the 7 lber.

 

[finderzzs]

I hunted at night a couple of times when I lived in Hawaii, lots of cool "Glowing" critters, plankton or something. But all I could think about is how I couldn't see a shark sneaking up on me. I had to get out and haven't hunted any ocean at night. Lakes, rivers, anything but the ocean at night.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

I would like to know more on what your statement " Sharks love the colors Black and Blue is based on (references, experience, opinion)?" Intuitively, it makes sense as whales are dark grey to black and seals are brown, plus black is easier to see in murky water
or when looking up from the bottom on a bright moonlit night. However your statement is controversial as it contradicts everything that I have read, as well as my experience with sharks.

I know of surfers who have gone so far as to trim the outside edge of their surfboards in the pattern and color of posioness sea snakes.
I also know others who purposely avoid the color red on the edge of their board or fin.

Everything, I have read indicates that the colors to avoid where there are sharks are Red, Orange, jokingly referred to as At a Boy Red, Oh Boy Orange, and Yum Yum Yellow (high visibility colors of survival gear) . Also, there are numerous reports of sharks biting the most whiteish portion of an exposed limb such as the bottom of a foot, in preferrence to a tanned native.

If what you say is true, it would be riskier to be in the water wearing a wet suite (usual color is black) than wearing a flashy pair of bathing trunks, which I find hard to believe.

It kinda makes me feel like that baby skunk, beeing scolded by its mother: " you don't stink" and never will". To think of all those years in the water, dressed as the best shark lure possible, without even a nibble (sigh)!

There are many reasons, including feeding, for sharks being in shallow waters, primarily at dawn and dusk.

Sharks love the colors Black and Blue. They also hunt shallow waters primarily at dawn and dusk

 

[penzfan]

FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Statistics of Shark Attacks on Divers

 

[TheRingFinder]

FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Statistics of Shark Attacks on Divers

I think the data is kinda skewed as the huge majority of divers wear black or blue wetsuits.......

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Same Source ICHTHYOLOGY at the Florida Museum of Natural History:
Different article: "What Color Apparel or Gear Should I Wear in the Water?"

Sharks see contrast particularly well, so any high contrast color apparel or gear used by a human in the water is especially visible to sharks. The bright yellow color traditionally used in water safety flotation devices and rafts is readily seen by human rescuers looking for missing persons in the sea and likely is seen easily by sharks as well. As a result, shark researchers laughingly refer to this color as "yum yum yellow!" Should one replace all these devices with more drab colored items? Of course there is a trade-off involved, but most would agree that the benefit of increasing one's chances of being rescued far outweigh the minimal risk of attracting a shark. By contrast (pardon the pun), divers and swimmers probably can reduce the chance of an interaction with a shark by avoiding bright swimwear or dive gear. I personally prefer to use dark blue or black fins, mask, tank, and wetsuit while diving and make a point of wearing my dive watch under the cuff of my wetsuit, thereby eliminating any chance of light reflection off the face of the watch attracting a shark or barracuda. Similarly, one always should avoid wearing jewelry because the glint of light reflecting off metal approximates the glint of light off the scales of fishes, the normal food items of most sharks.


© George H. Burgess, International Shark Attack File
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

 

[Rivers rat]

I was once attacked by a Kracken but i prevailed........the night is magic i have to say...



RR

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Most shark(s) see exceptionally well both in and out of the water.
Even if a shark is colorblind, which is controversial, the color and patterns that you wear are important
as the shark will see what you wear as a contrast against the water, or if its head is out of the water against the sky/horizon.

Sharks, can sense movement as well as non movement such as a buried flounder under the sand by the elctromagnetic field it generates.

Even though sharks smell minute amounts of blood - it takes a continuous stream for them to be able to home in on.

What is less known, and probably more important to treasure hunters is that sharks have salinity sensors.
That is why you will often find sharks near river outlets to eat waterever is flushed out of the rivers after heavy rains. They are more dangerous at this time as the water is usually murky making it more difficult for the shark to visually see and identify their prey. Under theese conditions a shark is more likely to home in and attack on vibrations that a wounded fish or animal would give off.

Um...
Sharks are color blind.

Sharks sense movement...
And have a sense of smell that defies rational thought.

BUT... I will add that they see "patterns".
I wear striped gear. Y/b WHICH by no means scares them away. heh

 

[beendetected]

There is nothing like a mid January or February night hunt under a full moon and the glitter of gold in your scoop. Air and water temps in the mid 30s (F). I have found it no more dangerous than a mid day water hunt in the summer.

I have never had a problem in New England with the exception of a bad case of clam diggers itch and a couple of jelly fish stings and they were in the day time, not at night. I did get stung be a ray in Cancun mid morning about 4 feet from the water's edge.

When and where ever you hunt, KNOW the tide, bottom and other possible dangers and take the appropriate caution to protect your well being. It is ALWAYS best to water detect with a buddy. Good luck and enjoy each and every hunt.

Panty-hose helps protect against jellyfish. But,beware, they can be addictive. I feel I look rather fetching in mine


Sent by carrier pigeon

 

[Fletch88]

Nope... Only abandoned equipment that has washed up on shore.

I will let Lookindown and you guys test that hypothesis.