Turks & Caicos

[ctdirtdigger]

I'm considering a trip to T & C later this year and with all the talk of new island restrictions (especially Jamaica) I was wondering if anyone has travelled there lately with a detector ? It looks like we would be staying at one of the all-inclusive resorts, so I'm guessing MD'ing there would be fine, however most concerned about customs and getting through the airport. Thanks !!

 

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[WaterWalker]

Like so many unenforced laws in the TCI. It is illegal to remove anything from their National Parks, which includes all of Grace Bay. It takes about 2 weeks to get a permit, or to have your request refused. The goes for all of the British Realm. Customs, upon arrival in the TCI may detain your equipment until the day of your departure. I personally would not bring a detector to the TCI. Having your equipment detained sure does put a damper on an otherwise wonderful vacation.

SEE: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/b...metal-detecting-turks-caicos-islands-yes.html

 

[CASPER-2]

there is a guy that used to post here that moved down there yrs ago and makes the rounds at most of the popular spots
that is why I changed my mind on going there

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Like so many unenforced laws in the TCI. It is illegal to remove anything from their National Parks, ...

Ha, I like how you slipped in "un-enforced...."

As for some genius coming up with that answer, to the question of "detecting in Jamaica?" : I would venture to say that you can probably find such laws/rules for every speck of public land here in the USA too. Yup, even where you and I routinely detect with no problems. It would fall under boiler-plate provisions that forbid "taking", "harvesting", "removing", etc.... of "park features".

If you doubt that, pick any spot you routinely detect, w/o issues. Then go to the administering agency of that place (park, beach, forest, school yard, etc...) and ask the powers-that-be : "Hi, can I remove park and beach features, for my own profit and enjoyment ?". And then sit back and relish in their answer. If it applies to not taking home the park benches, or harvesting the sand for commercial sale, then so-too can the same logic be applied to the type items we find when md'ing. They too can be construed as "park features".

I have a sneaking suspicion that such "silly answers" to "pressing questions" can happen on a national scale too. Ie.: ask enough border consulate lawyer types, and purist archies there, and .... "presto: You can not *remove* items". Then we can all sit around, post the reply we got for our FAQ's, and sit around and gripe about our "lack of freedoms". When odds are, it was just US IN THE FIRST place that went around swatting hornet's nests !

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... that moved down there yrs ago and makes the rounds at most of the popular spots....

Say it isn't so ! haha

 

[ctdirtdigger]

Thanks, Waterwalker, abit disappointing was hoping to combine a family vacation witha MD trip................we aren't locked in at this point so I'll keep searching for a suitable island.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... I'll keep searching for a suitable island.

What is your tactic/method for this researching ? Like : does there need to be an express allowance spelled out ? (ie.: a rule or law that said "Metal detecting allowed here" ?) Or is the mere lack of any prohibition (Eg.: rule or law that said "no md'ing", ie.: silent on the subject) enough to satisfy ? What if you found something, like as water-walker alludes to, that prohibits "removing" things ? To you, does that therefore mean "No detecting" ?

And how are you going about this research ? Eg.: To see if someone on an md'ing forum in the past (via key-word searches) has sleuthed out a "yes" or "no" before ? Or to go to that entity's rules/laws list, and key-word search there ? Or to email or call them and ask "Hi, can I metal detect there ?"

 

[WaterWalker]

For those that would like a SIGN (4th item down on the right side).
This sign is posted at the entrance gate to the beach and this is in St. Thomas.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

For those that would like a SIGN (4th item down on the right side).
This sign is posted at the entrance gate to the beach and this is in St. Thomas.

Ha. How do you figure that a rule or law-maker, way-back-whenever, got the notion to add that to the list of rules ?

And even if we grant that the "knee-jerk answer" they might give, would be usually along the lines of "cultural heritage" (never mind that all context has long-been-lost on moving beach sand anyhow), or "holes" (never mind that kids dig sand castles all the time). Does it constitute "harvest and remove" ? (then I guess that rules out picking up seashells).

Even though it's possible to someone to point to such rationales, yet ... you gotta ask yourself: Ok, but what triggered it, in the first place ? Do you really think that some politician or archie was walking down the beach one day, saw an md'r, and thought: "Oh me oh my, we must regulate this evil activity" ?

Then, sure, they will fall back on the obligatory justification-lines of rationale. But I still wonder how it even got on their radar as something that needed "regulating", in the first place. You only have a few options: a) the archie (or whomever) happen-chanced to be walking down the beach and saw an "evil md'rs". Or b) past well-meaning md'rs went in asking "Hi, can we metal detect?". And I'm willing to bet it was option (b).

 

[ctdirtdigger]

Sign

For those that would like a SIGN (4th item down on the right side).
This sign is posted at the entrance gate to the beach and this is in St. Thomas.

Sign is pretty depressing, it seems like pretty soon metal detecting in the Carribean will be a thing of the past, as more and more islands "rubber stamp" laws in to place.

 

[ctdirtdigger]

Any thoughts of compiling a MASTER LIST of islands which still allow MD'ing and those that don't ? Seems a site like this would be perfect for it, and it should be STICKY'd to the Forum. Just a thought.............

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... pretty soon metal detecting in the Carribean will be a thing of the past, as more and more islands "rubber stamp" laws in to place.

I can tell you a sure-fire way fastest way to bring that into fruition.

Any thoughts of compiling a MASTER LIST of islands which still allow MD'ing and those that don't ? Seems a site like this would be perfect for it, and it should be STICKY'd to the Forum. Just a thought.............

The Devil is in the details. Because, any time such compendium lists have been attempted by md'rs in the past (countries of Europe, state parks divided-by-state in the USA, etc...) guess how the list-compilers get their information ? They ASK. Of course. And who-better-to-ask, than the powers-that-be there , eh ? Genius idea, eh ?

And then guess what self-fulfilling "vicious circle" ensues, with these "pressing questions" ? And even if we grant that some current list-compiler might have the "presence of mind" to look up possible laws/rules FOR HIMSELF . You still have a "devil in the details" problem: What does that list-compiler do, when he comes into grey-area 'catch-all' wording ?

Eg.: bothering sea turtles ? Alter and deface ? Harvest and remove ? Cultural heritage ? Is he to assume those things mean "no md'ing" ? Or does he only include the places with a distinct "no md'ing" rule ?

Faced with the latter "grey area" wording, guess what well-meaning sincere people do, to 'get it clarified' ? Drum roll ... THEY ASK. Are you beginning to see the self-fulfilling vicious circle ?

 

[sws33]

I think if any of these "officials" actually saw the amount of crap that I pull off a beach, syringes, broken glass, tent spikes that have rusted into sharp little needles... That they would be begging metal detectorists to continue to search their Beach. But no, they don't look at it that way. All they see is money that should be theirs slipping through their fingers. doesn't matter if you've saved untold numbers of people trips to the emergency room for tetanus shots and stitches.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I think if any of these "officials" actually saw the amount of crap that I pull off a beach, syringes, broken glass, tent spikes that have rusted into sharp little needles... That they would be begging metal detectorists to continue to search their Beach. ....

Ha, you just conjured up a perfect mental image in my mind :

Instead of skittish md'rs showing up at consulate offices, park dept. desks, and city halls asking "Hi, can I metal detect?" , here's how they should phrase it instead :

"Hi, Can I have permission to remove trash & dangerous sharp objects (needles, nails, etc...) from the beach ?"

They will pat you on the back, award you a medal, and say SURE ! And this will solve the problem of skittish md'rs who simply CAN'T detect anywhere, w/o someone else's princely say-so (and can't look up laws/rules for themselves). They will have satisfied their itch, by having talked to a live person. You are a genius sws33.

 

[bluediamounds 55]

For those that would like a SIGN (4th item down on the right side).
This sign is posted at the entrance gate to the beach and this is in St. Thomas.

I went to st Thomas a couple years ago an seen that sign also there used to be a member Tn that lived there an he said he hunts there all the time with no problems he said he would go in the evening time
More than likely they had problems with someone metal detecting all over the beach weaving in an out of people up in the dry sand in the middle of the day
So best time to go is in the morning or the evening more than likely nobody would say anything to you

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I went to st Thomas a couple years ago an seen that sign ....

Yet:

.... there used to be a member Tn that lived there an he said he hunts there all the time with no problems he said he would go in the evening time ...

Of course. How ELSE is he going to find the ring his wife lost there ?

 

[The Sanddigger]

Yep, saw the same sign with our detectors off and next to our towels