Hello all,
I am looking to improve my underwater detecting. So, I am going to tell you what I do with a good bit of detail, and see what tips and techniques some of you have to improve my technique or make life easier. What I do works, but I am hoping that there are a few others who have already worked thru my issues that don't mind sharing some knowledge.
I am using a mask, fins and a snorkel. I am wearing enough weight on a belt (right hand flip clasp to drop it if I need to) to keep me in contact with the bottom in fresh water. I have a White's Surfmaster PI, and a Garret waterproof pinpointer. I have a belt with an attached bag for finds/junk.
So far, I am just doing fresh water lakes with very little current. I would like to move up to ocean beach detecting at some point. I am doing up to about 12 feet or so deep right now.
My detector is slightly buoyant on the coils (which I like). My pin pointer will sink. I will also sink if not actively doing something to stay on the surface with the weight I am wearing.
I tied a bright orange bobber to my pin pointer with about 2 feet of string so if I drop it, it will sink and have a marker sticking up into the water so I can find it. I also have a 4 ounce pyramid fishing weight that I put about 3 feet of string on and another bobber. This is my marker. I also have about 7 feet of string tied to a foam floatie that I can use to rest on when I need to (tied to my belt).
I go to the bottom and sweep until I need to get a breathe or til I find a target. I carry the weight and bobber in my hand and drop it when I find a target, or have to surface, I drop the weight to pick up back where I left off. If I find a target, I let go of the metal detector and it floats up, remaining tethered to me by the headphones I am still wearing. Then I rip weeds and fan the bottom to find the target. I will often take the headphones off and put them on the floatie to give me more freedom of movement and to get rid of the annoying noise that starts when I turn the pin pointer on.
Now, here are the things that I don't like.......
My weight belt will often spin around on my waist. This tends to happen as I am contorting my body in various ways and I don't notice it when it does (usually). Having been thru water survival courses, I like things like the clasp to get rid of the weight belt to always be in the same place. If I have to get rid of it in a hurry, I would rather not be looking for the clasp. Any thoughts on something better? My belt is a one piece item with several pockets for weights. There are no pockets to the front that I might be able to balance the load with to reduce the tendency to spin.
My grid technique.....sucks. I stir up a lot of mud. There is about a foot of weeds on the bottom that I am forcing the detector thru. So the clear water often turns murky. Straight lines are not happening. I have read about sand anchors and rope, but think that would stay low and get into the weeds, becoming hard to see. I have thought about a variation on my weighted bobber......essentially 2 of those with 10 yards of string between the bobbers. I think that would give me a line suspended about 3 feet off the bottom to follow, but don't really like the idea of carrying bunches of string around while swimming.......lol
My pin pointer holder. It is a loop that you just slide it into. I am worried that it will slide out when I don't notice and create another target for me to find (one of the reasons I have a bobber on it). I did tie a string to it and have it tied to my belt, but it was getting wrapped up around everything I wear since the string floats around if not pulled taunt. Any thoughts on some different pin pointer holders that are a bit more secure but still allow you to get it out in a simple and fast manner?
In the lake, I don't worry about my detector getting away from me. But, if I have any real current or waves, I can't just let go of it like I do now. But, I don't see how I can do things without using both hands once I find a target unless I want to spend 3 times longer getting stuff. Any thoughts on tethering the detector to yourself so you can just let go of it?
I am thinking of getting my scuba again (before I get an answer to just do scuba.....lol). I actually have my open water license, but it has been so long since I last dived that I would probably be stupid to just go back to it without the classes again. But, even though that makes the breathing part easier, the murk, gridding and what to do with the detector problems still remain.
Thanks for any input, Robert
I am looking to improve my underwater detecting. So, I am going to tell you what I do with a good bit of detail, and see what tips and techniques some of you have to improve my technique or make life easier. What I do works, but I am hoping that there are a few others who have already worked thru my issues that don't mind sharing some knowledge.
I am using a mask, fins and a snorkel. I am wearing enough weight on a belt (right hand flip clasp to drop it if I need to) to keep me in contact with the bottom in fresh water. I have a White's Surfmaster PI, and a Garret waterproof pinpointer. I have a belt with an attached bag for finds/junk.
So far, I am just doing fresh water lakes with very little current. I would like to move up to ocean beach detecting at some point. I am doing up to about 12 feet or so deep right now.
My detector is slightly buoyant on the coils (which I like). My pin pointer will sink. I will also sink if not actively doing something to stay on the surface with the weight I am wearing.
I tied a bright orange bobber to my pin pointer with about 2 feet of string so if I drop it, it will sink and have a marker sticking up into the water so I can find it. I also have a 4 ounce pyramid fishing weight that I put about 3 feet of string on and another bobber. This is my marker. I also have about 7 feet of string tied to a foam floatie that I can use to rest on when I need to (tied to my belt).
I go to the bottom and sweep until I need to get a breathe or til I find a target. I carry the weight and bobber in my hand and drop it when I find a target, or have to surface, I drop the weight to pick up back where I left off. If I find a target, I let go of the metal detector and it floats up, remaining tethered to me by the headphones I am still wearing. Then I rip weeds and fan the bottom to find the target. I will often take the headphones off and put them on the floatie to give me more freedom of movement and to get rid of the annoying noise that starts when I turn the pin pointer on.
Now, here are the things that I don't like.......
My weight belt will often spin around on my waist. This tends to happen as I am contorting my body in various ways and I don't notice it when it does (usually). Having been thru water survival courses, I like things like the clasp to get rid of the weight belt to always be in the same place. If I have to get rid of it in a hurry, I would rather not be looking for the clasp. Any thoughts on something better? My belt is a one piece item with several pockets for weights. There are no pockets to the front that I might be able to balance the load with to reduce the tendency to spin.
My grid technique.....sucks. I stir up a lot of mud. There is about a foot of weeds on the bottom that I am forcing the detector thru. So the clear water often turns murky. Straight lines are not happening. I have read about sand anchors and rope, but think that would stay low and get into the weeds, becoming hard to see. I have thought about a variation on my weighted bobber......essentially 2 of those with 10 yards of string between the bobbers. I think that would give me a line suspended about 3 feet off the bottom to follow, but don't really like the idea of carrying bunches of string around while swimming.......lol
My pin pointer holder. It is a loop that you just slide it into. I am worried that it will slide out when I don't notice and create another target for me to find (one of the reasons I have a bobber on it). I did tie a string to it and have it tied to my belt, but it was getting wrapped up around everything I wear since the string floats around if not pulled taunt. Any thoughts on some different pin pointer holders that are a bit more secure but still allow you to get it out in a simple and fast manner?
In the lake, I don't worry about my detector getting away from me. But, if I have any real current or waves, I can't just let go of it like I do now. But, I don't see how I can do things without using both hands once I find a target unless I want to spend 3 times longer getting stuff. Any thoughts on tethering the detector to yourself so you can just let go of it?
I am thinking of getting my scuba again (before I get an answer to just do scuba.....lol). I actually have my open water license, but it has been so long since I last dived that I would probably be stupid to just go back to it without the classes again. But, even though that makes the breathing part easier, the murk, gridding and what to do with the detector problems still remain.
Thanks for any input, Robert
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