Lighten up

Katie1715

Greenie
Oct 14, 2017
11
9
Palm beach county, fl.
Detector(s) used
Minelab go pro 60,
Minelab equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Newbie here, :hello: MD the Florida beach coasts.
What metal detector is good in wet sand and shallow water that I can lighten up , and how do I do it? Also I don't want to worrie about MD getting wet if rains or from wave crashing.
I understand people have favorites and that's cool, just eager to learn all ideas.
Appreciate input from your experience before I make a purchase thanks!.:dontknow::dontknow:
 

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cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,221
14,545
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hip mount an Excalibur and use a carbon fiber straight shaft in place of the stock one. Another option is to pre-order the Equinox and wait until they deliver them.
 

redcobra8u

Bronze Member
Jan 24, 2014
1,221
1,336
Los Angeles
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal II, Garrett AT Pro, CTX3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hip mount an Excalibur and use a carbon fiber straight shaft in place of the stock one. Another option is to pre-order the Equinox and wait until they deliver them.

Ditto. No better advice than that.
 

CASPER-2

Gold Member
Jan 3, 2012
17,158
19,959
NEW ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
WHITE'S XLT, PI PRO, GARRETT 2500, 3- FISHER CZ21s, JW FISHER 8X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
welcomeJ.jpg
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,422
30,105
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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
Welcome from White Plains, NY! Terry "Shannon" Soloman :laughing7:
 

RustyGold

Gold Member
Aug 16, 2013
9,372
10,901
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XP Deus I & II
Xterra Pro
Primary Interest:
Other
Welcome to the forum Katie! I would be looking at the new Minelab Equinox when it's available. Good luck!
 

ltd063

Sr. Member
Sep 28, 2016
291
400
NC
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800 & Excal II, Tesoro SandShark, White's DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Katie,
How much are you looking to spend on a beach machine? The Excaliber is a great machine (I have one). If you are looking for a new machine (I recommend it, just for the warranty) an Excal will cost you from $1250 + upgrades. If you want to spend less, a Tesoro Sand Shark (I have one of these too) will set you back about $600 brand new with a lifetime warranty.

Other than the price, the main difference between the two is that the Excal will ignore iron (or not), only non-ferrous metal will beep when in discrimination mode. The Sand Shark will not, every piece of metal causes it to beep.

Terry Solomon is a huge Sand Shark guy. He can tell you all of the benefits of the Tesoro.

If you don't mind digging bobby pins and bottle caps between your keeper finds, the Sand Shark is great in the saltwater and wet sand. If you only want to dig things that are not iron, the Excal is awesome.
 

s.c.shooter

Bronze Member
Jul 28, 2008
1,063
730
SC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Sov- AT PRO - AT Max - Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The excal is an awesome machine but if you just plan to hunt the beach and shallow water then the Sov. GT is a great alternative. If you plan to be in the water and don't have the budget for an excal then the Whites surf P I finds everything. Plan to do a lot of digging with it but its waterproof and reliable. Good luck !
 

Sir Gala Clad

Bronze Member
Jul 9, 2012
1,330
511
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Katie:
A heavier detector is better for shallow water as it is easier to control, especially where there are currents / surges.
I prefer a heavier detector in wet sand as it can easily be skidded on the sand on its protective cover, aka skid plate, to obtain maximum detection depth, as long as the wet sand is firm.
If the wet sand is not firm, rings will most likely have sunk below detection depth,.

Lighter anything including detectors work is best for dry sand.
The less weight you have to carry the better.
,A shoulder harness or swing thing really helps out if you are using a heavier detector., but you still have to carry extra weight.

As I most often water hunt, I like everything mounted on a carbon fiber straight shaft (Anderson Tall Man) - I am 6ft plus.
This keeps the weight down, and I don't have to worry about cable stress or a loose cable tangling - which can be dangerous, where there are strong surges/current.

I would stay away from metal shafts as there is more maintenance because of corrosion.





Newbie here, :hello: MD the Florida beach coasts.
What metal detector is good in wet sand and shallow water that I can lighten up , and how do I do it? Also I don't want to worrie about MD getting wet if rains or from wave crashing.
I understand people have favorites and that's cool, just eager to learn all ideas.
Appreciate input from your experience before I make a purchase thanks!.:dontknow::dontknow:
 

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