Hi all...Water Newbie here who recently picked up a used Garrett XL500 Sea Hunter made in the 90s and I'm anxious to get out in the water and try it out! I've been dirt detecting off and on since the 1970s when my dad was stationed in Germany and started with an old Sears/Whites $19 detector. I scuba dive and live near the ocean in Rhode Island so thought this might be a fun way to bring together a number of my interests but didn't want to jump in with a brand new unit incase reality wasn't as fun as I think it will be. After reading tons of reviews and getting a little lucky to find this unit as I was looking for a PI detector, I sent it off to Garrett and had it checked out, and had the batteries and seals replaced. My big question to all the old timers out there who are familiar with this detector is do they know were I can find one of the optional 13" coils that were originally offered, and are they worth having, or am I just going to get frustrated digging down to China for an old nail. It sounds as this PI with the 8" coil already goes very deep in salt water but I thought there might be an advantage to covering more ground with each swing...the unit does allow you to set the search depth somewhat so the 13" coil might still be of use if I can find one...they don't seem to ever show up on ebay so looking for some insight from others before I waste my time and money trying to run one down. All help is greatly appreciated and hope to see some of you out in the surf...Thanks!
