Got my AT-PRO !!! Request Florida beach info

[RedBaron]

At last I now own a Garrett AT-PRO!! Next, to the beach!! To bad I live in Lakeland, Fl. Either way a good drive to any beach, but willing to travel/overnight it. Hey retired, got lots of time. Any good ideas on which beaches to start with? Lets say starting from Clearwater north or south for about 100 miles on the gulf, and 100 miles north or south from Daytona. Any ideas on detecting the treasure coast? I do not mind walking long stretches of open beach. I do feel uncomfortable detecting crowed beaches though I know that is where the jewelry is mostly found. Late evening or very early I'd feel more at home with. Are Treasure Coast beaches know more for "lost at sea" coins? I know I could spend hours, days, months or years!! detecting such beaches and never find a coin wreck related. But I cannot find one unless I put in the time. I know, a long post with many request for info. I would be interested in pairing up, or with groups detecting both land and beaches. I'm a retired 65 year old former US Coast Guard. Thanks, Bill

 

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[ColonelDan]

Welcome aboard!

I live near Orlando and have detected multiple beaches on both the east and west coasts. I'm going to assume you're new to FL beach hunting so I'll provide just a few basic thoughts. If you're already familiar with any of the points below, so much the better...

You'll find the Gulf side surf more calm than the Atlantic side with the difference between High and Low tide much less on the Gulf side.

Although I use my Excalibur and CTX 3030 on our beaches, I have taken my AT Pro to see how it would do and it did better than I expected. The key is to properly ground balance in the area you'll be detecting then adjust sensitivity to achieve the sweet spot regarding detector stability. The AT Pro, being a single frequency machine, works better on some beaches than others depending on the level of mineralization. I was able to stabilize my ATP pretty well on our beaches....even in the surf. Again, the key is to ground balance each time you change environments. Example, if you ground balance on the wet sand then go into the surf, you'll have to GB once again or the ATP won't perform as well at all.

Look for the low spots along the surf line...especially during low tide...go slow and grid search a smaller area thoroughly rather than trying to cover a larger area quickly.

Dry sand is best detected along the "towel line" and along the high tide line in the evening when beach goers have left or early in the morning before they get there.

I normally focus on beach entry areas as that is where most of the "depositors" hang out and where most of the activity takes place.

Invest in a good scoop. I use the Stealth 920iX or the 720i...pricey but worth it. If you stick to dry sand only, a good aluminum scoop from RTG works well. Suggest you get the widest scoop you can easily handle. My 920iX is 9 inches wide and the 720i is just over 7 inches wide. Kellyco in Winter Springs sells the T-Rex also...a scoop many use around here.

The Treasure Coast is best hit after a storm. We're pretty sanded in right now. Additionally, stay out of the water all along the treasure coast...that's all leased area. You can detect along the wet sand area up to the surf line and the dry sand with no problems.

Take alot of water with you and stay properly hydrated.

I wear long digital camo pants, long sleeve white evaporative shirt, flap hat, crocs with socks and use alot of sunblock. Why all the cover up? I had to learn the hard way regarding sand fleas, sunburn and jelly fish.

Good luck and soldier on...

 

[RedBaron]

Thank you for your tips. Hope to be on the beach (where?) next week. Any info on clubs or groups would be helpful. I'll guess I'll keep my feet wet and nose in the sand, or dirt that is. Or is that scoop in the sand and shovel in the dirt?

 

[ColonelDan]

Florida Clubs and Hunts:

Florida

 

[RustyGold]

Welcome to the club! You are going to love the ATP! Thank you for your service and best of luck out there!

 

[RedBaron]

Thank you for your tips. Hope to be on the beach (where?) next week. Any info on clubs or groups would be helpful. I'll guess I'll keep my feet wet and nose in the sand, or dirt that is. Or is that scoop in the sand and shovel in the dirt?

 

[Darkjenn162]

Did you ever find a club close to Polk County? I am in Bartow.