Experiences with people while detecting at the Beach

[Soflhunter]

I am starting this thread to heard about other experiences while metal detecting at the beach.

So I usually hit the beach early in the morning before the beach gets crowded.
Today was different, there was a negative low tide at 3:30 pm.
I arrived at the beach about 12 pm and headed for the water and wanted to follow the tide out.
I walked over to a snorkel spot that's usually in about Three or Four feet of water, But today as the tide was going out
it was only about a foot or so.

Usually at the beach while detecting I get asked some questions and have good experiences with people.
Ex :"What is the best thing you ever found" or "What are you looking for".
"What is all the stuff you have on' .

Today was different, Lets get back to the snorkel spot.
I walked over to the snorkel spot and I moved my metal detector around the rocks and I banged into a rock.
A woman popped here head up and said to me" Your not supposed to touch the coral reef"
My response was "it was a accident that I banged into the rock and its not a coral reef its just rocks"
She then said " Do you know what a coral reef is?" and I responded "Yes a coral reef is made up of hard and soft corals and these are just rocks"
She then said to me " I just wanted to know if you knew what a coral reef is" My response " Yes but theses are just rocks'
She then walked away and headed back to shore.
Then a man , maybe he husband said "Your selfish" and I said " They are just rocks"
and he headed for the shore also.
She then preceded to watch my from shore with her hands on here hips as if I was destroying the ocean with my metal detector.

They both collected there things and headed for the Life Guard tower.
As I watching them move toward the Life Guard tower, i decided to meet them there.
So I headed toward the tower also.
But before I met them at the tower, they were already leaving the beach.
So I asked if they complained about me and he said "Yes they did"
He also said 'I explained to her they are just barnacles on the rocks'
He also said to me " No Worries" and I headed back to the rocks.

What bothers me is she made me out to be the bad guy ,when she had no knowledge of what a coral reef is.
Me like many others detecting at the beach pick up all the plastic and trash off the beach.
I believe all of us should receive my credit for what we do in taking care of the beach.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

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[rykroll]

I use one word responses lol

 

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[Honest Samuel]

OBN, # 20. Do you have pictures?

 

[OBN]

OBN, # 20. Do you have pictures?

Unfortunately no 2009, Little before the cell phone days for me.

 

[RustyGold]

Clueless people are high on my list to ignore. Showing the lifeguards the sharp metal objects you've collected to recycle goes a long way to diffuse that ignorance. Best of luck out there guys!

 

[RVRoamer73]

Sometimes I think the lurkers watching us detecting are often thinking " look at that guy, he's going to find something someone has lost and keep it for themselves, boy!! that is
selfish.) Or maybe some are jealous, and wish they were doing it and finding the goodies..... just never know what's on their minds, maybe just sitting in the sun enjoying their buzz.....JMO

 

[diggummup]

I've had many, Most very good and just curious to how I was doing. I guess the strangest was in Virginia Beach, Middle of the night, a young oriental girl came up to me and asked if I had found anything good and what was my best find, I was speechless for a few seconds but was able to get out a few words. After that I bought a headlamp just incase it ever happened again, I'll let you guess on what she was, or was not wearing.

I would have said you little darlin, you are my best find tonight now let's get out of here and do something about that.



As for the others sticking their nose where it doesn't belong... It's people like this that are the problem in this country today. You should have just got rude with her from the get go after you gave her a lesson on the definition of a coral reef and she continued on anyway. At that point she deserved no respect. She deserved to be lambasted.

 

[ARC]

I have so many I would not know where to start.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

I gave up a long time ago trying to figure people out.......

Actually, it can be a finely honed skill in discernment, in being able to read someones facial expression, body language, gestures, etc.....

We're lucky, down here, being in a mainly vacation destination, most ppl are nice (plus they're from outta town and usually won't/don't know how far to push someone..... they come for a good time, not a hassle).
You can usually tell the tourists from the locals. The locals all usually have the worst attitudes, where the tourists are trying to have fun and enjoy themselves, lol.

I tell the little kids (and adults) that question what I'm doing, "I'm looking for buried treasure , but, I usually find mostly buried trash".
I've joked with little ones, "You seen any pirates burying big treasure chests around here"? Some of them will get excited, start looking around, "MOM/DAD, there's pirates here!", LOL.
Sometimes, I'll see the parents explaining to the little ones, what I am doing. I often get groups watching me, laughing talking among themselves on the beach, no biggy, they're enjoying themselves, the day, the beach.....
The men alone, with the phone cams, acting like he's not taking pics or filming, I find creepy. I appreciate someone coming and asking if they can take pics, vs being all sneaky creepy about it. There's always one in the crowd.
Sometimes, I end up photobombing, someones family vacation pics (unintentionally, of course).
Lotsa tourists.......

"Just plowing the ocean, one scoop at a time"!

 

[NeilinFR]

That's what I do too.

I use one word responses lol

 

[Indian Steve]

Ya'll must not be in Virginia. 99% of the people that I meet are great and friendly. The kids are fun most of the time. I try to get them used to the idea of picking up trash and not littering and to use sunscreen. I had a great kid " helping" me last year the even picked up cigarette butts along with the trash. I let him use the pinpointer and keep the clad. When I mentioned that he needed to go put on more sunscreen, he said he didn't need it. I told him about my skin cancers and how the doctor had to cut them off because I didn't wear sunscreen as a kid. He ran off and came back covered in white sunscreen. He looked so funny but went right back to sweeping the sand with the pinpointer and picking up trash. The very few kids that annoy me, I tell them about the giant man eating catfish that I am trying to catch. The detector calls them and then I bash them with the scoop.

 

[jeepGold]

It's not off the beach, but once I was park detecting. Doing rather well actually. I found a really cool looking older coin and this 60+ yr old was walking laps at the park He was near me and I said, "Excuse me sir. Can I ask you a question?" "Do you know what this coin is?" Thinking he might know.. Rudely he barks, " I don't know! I'm from Europe (explains a lot right there)." "Is it really worth it to be digging all these holes for change?" ~~~Ok.. now normally, being that he's older and I'm generally a respectable guy, I wouldn't of said anything back...but the way he said it... I had to.~~~~ My response: "It's more rewarding that walking in circles like some hamster.." You have a GREAT day sir and have a SAFE trip home.

 

[fongu]

Nothing worse than ignorant people who are so sure they are right and everyone different than them are wrong. Let it go and pray for them.

 

[SouthFLdigger]

Idiots abound,i was walking along FT Lauderdale beach with my girlfriend headed for a peer area to detect. On the way there one impolite idiot tells me "don't dig up turtle eggs". I Asked him do you see me digging up turtle eggs? I told him turtle nests are clearly labeled and i stay far from them. He said just don't do it a patronizing tone, i told him don't be an ignoramus making unfounded accusations and mind your own business, he approached me i dropped my gear and headed towards him. He saw i meant business and backed down. In retrospect i should have ignored him, but yes idiots abound.

 

[flgliderpilot]

I think I met that same lady a couple of years ago at one of the beaches you hunt...She told me I shouldn't be digging because Im disturbing the "creatures" in the sand...I asked her if she lived nearby and she pointed at a house and said "right there"....I said real loud "I knew it, have a good day lady" and went on digging....I would of liked to have said more but locals could cause detectorist a lot of trouble so I take it and go about my business.

You should have reminded her that the sand IS dead sea creatures. It's not earth, but the pulverized skeletons of once living sea organisms. She is standing on skeletons. You couldn't make a difference with your scoop if you spent your entire life trying!

 

[dewcon4414]

Obviously she was looking for something and may have felt you were looking for the same things. I run into people snorkeling all the time looking for jewelry. Im a magnet for crazies ive have then yell at me for no reason from shore to coming out demanding i let them use my cell phone....... which i dont carry in the water. some of the conversations get funny....... some you just put both hands on the scoop and watch um carefully. People are people......... so you are going to get the best and worst of um.

 

[cudamark]

You should have reminded her that the sand IS dead sea creatures. It's not earth, but the pulverized skeletons of once living sea organisms. She is standing on skeletons. You couldn't make a difference with your scoop if you spent your entire life trying!

Our beaches here in SoCal are eroded sandstone and other pulverized rock from our rivers and streams. I've had wackos claim I'm causing the cliffs to erode prematurely by digging in the sand! You just have to shake your head sometimes.

 

[jeepGold]

I've got you beat Joe
I was hunting a beach here in San Diego on a Saturday around 3 am. There are bars near the boardwalk and I try to keep my head on a swivel for jocks who are wasted and might want to mess with that idiot metal detector guy over there.. Well I was walking the tide line and looked back and 2 college girls and a guy were walking near/past me. One girl was topless and looked just like Taylor Swift.. WOW!!!! The other one was a brunette and was totally naked. They didn't seem to drunk or whatever and certainly didn't care that I saw. I was hesitant with my gawking because of the guy.. They ran out into the water and started skinny dipping... I was simply shocked....Didn't find any jewelry that night but my God it made me smile and feel REAL OLD!!!

Unfortunately no 2009, Little before the cell phone days for me.

 

[fongu]

You got some southern exposure that night, jeepgold....In more ways than one.

 

[NWMP]

Last year I was at a fresh water lake beach. I was about ten feet away, swinging back and forth, as I walked past a woman on a blanket. She said "watch your rings" to another lady near by her. At the same time she snatched her hand back like I was going to vacuum them off her fingers as I went by. Never saw a reaction like that before, bloody amazing.

 

[RVRoamer73]

Our beaches here in SoCal are eroded sandstone and other pulverized rock from our rivers and streams. I've had wackos claim I'm causing the cliffs to erode prematurely by digging in the sand! You just have to shake your head sometimes.

You also have to wonder what they think of the "little ones" that are digging Canyons and 10ft high sand castles with and in the sand. Are they harming
anything? Why No!! The Tide will take care of these sculptures, never to be noticed again...

however,,,,if tide going out late evening, I will cover deeper scoops holes a 'bit' so people walking beach after dark will not break their leg, or ankle, and or neck in
one of my holes.....pain for sure....but necessary.,,,