Traveling to GA and looking for beaches to MD

[divemaster63]

I am new to this so I hope this is not a real stupid question. I am going to be traveling to GA late October. Are there any beaches that I can legally use a metal deteector on without any kind of permit? I am new to this so I hope this is not a real stupid question.

[CaptainRobin]

Last I knew one could detect on Tybee and St. Simon's Island beaches. The dunes are off-limits. Don't know about Jekyll Island ~ something about being on the register of historical places. Have to check that one with the locals.

The three above are the only larger barrier islands with mainland access via auto ~ the others require boat, and are either under the state or national parks system ~ detecting strictly forbidden.

Robin

[BioProfessor]

I spend the winter on Tybee island. You can detect on Tybee and St. Simon's but not Little Tybee (actually larger than Tybee). The problem with the beaches around Savannah and further south is that they suffer from a huge amount of erosion. It is a combination of the extreme tides and the way storms hit the barrier islands. It got so bad and expensive that a few decades ago, Tybee actually removed their public beaches and replaced them with a seawall. That went over like a lead balloon. No beach, no tourist, no economy. They put the beaches back but they have to replenish them every few years with sand dredged up and brought in by barge and "sprayed" on the beach - maybe 6-10 inches worth. This sand has a very high mineral content. You can use a regular detector on the beaches but for some areas, you have to have a PI machine. Replenished beaches also suck for what is there. All kinds of ship junk. Mostly galvanized which drives you crazy - zinc over steel not good. You will dig ALOT of this stuff as it doesn't show up as iron and gives a good signal.

Contrary to what some of the signs put up by the condominium communities say, you can hunt ALL the beach. You can't go up onto their property (about the high tide mark) but they can't keep you off the beach.

All the dunes are protected. You are not even allowed to walk them.

There are beaches you can't get to. They are inside many of the gated communities and there is no beach access to their beaches. If you get to know someone who lives there, you can get a day pass and then you can hunt the beach.

There are also lots of places that are National Monuments (Fort Pulaski for example) and there is no detecting allowed on any of the property. Georgia also has a law that if the property is held in trust for any kind of nature conservancy (like Little Tybee), you cannot remove or disturb anything. You can metal detect, you just can't dig targets. Sort of like metal detecting hell.

When you get to the Savannah area, give me a holler. I'll tell do what I can to help.

Daryl

[garrets250]

i live in cartersville so the only beaches are ones on lake allatuna like at redtop mountian and sweetwater.there fun to hunt but all u find is stuff people lost.
fun for me cause im a beginner
going to get my medal detector some time soon!
getting an mxt then ill be a real tresure hunter
and wont have to use my freinds