Remembering the natural Treasure Coast

[Southern_Digger]

This was the treasure coast I knew and loved. Pictures taken in 1976--long before it was destroyed by politicians who tried to imitate God. It should have never been developed and will never be the same again.

 

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[JKPK1]

On a similar but slightly different note. Two times while detecting I have had conversations with people that knew about or lived along the coast years ago.

One was a man, now easily in his 40 or more. I was passing by in front of his families beach home they had owned for may generations. He explained how the beach line was located when he was a kid. Definitely much different than today.

The second was a guy MD'ing. He found this huge wrench deep in the sand. Far deeper than a normal detector would hit. He was using some custom equipment he built. We talked for a bit, obviously this man was hardcore and had plans to locate big finds. I applaud him for that. He did mention that the road along the beach in the Sebastian area has been moved from where it originally was. That was the reason for finding the wrench where he did.

PK

 

[billinstuart]

I'm appalled at the arrogance and incompetence of our county "coastal engineers". Most wouldn't know what real "beach sand" is if you buried them in it (now there's a good idea...). All they do is take advice from the corps of engineers, an equally incompetent bunch.

Speak up! Attend public meetings and voice your disapproval. We on the treasure coast see firsthand the damage all this "renourishment" is doing.

 

[old man]

Great pictures. Reminds me of what it was like detecting those beaches in the late 60's, early 70's. Thanks for bringing back memories to an old guy that can't remember what he had for breakfast yesterday.

 

[aquanut]

Great pictures. Reminds me of what it was like detecting those beaches in the late 60's, early 70's. Thanks for bringing back memories to an old guy that can't remember what he had for breakfast yesterday.

What's breakfast?

 

[capt dom]

A lot of money changes hands up and down the line when it comes to beach nourishment.

It is like a bureaucratic money tree! "Talk about shoveling crap against the tide!" For years I have been
attempting to throw our "hats into the ring" with what some of us believe can be an all win situation but
the problem is, "It is Just too good of an Idea".... take a look at the link below:

CHUMS

I may just end up using my last quote as a title to my next book!
If anyone is really interested in this concept PM me or what the hell
respond to this thread.

 

[ropesfish]

I can't remember what I eat most days, but what I really need to do is forget to eat.
You can see the unfortunate side of beach renourishment every day there is much wave action...that brown stain that makes the ocean look like a pond in the Midwest is one of the many benefits of trucking or pumping sediment to replace beach sand.
Perhaps we could try a new approach to keeping this from happening..beach renourishment reduces visibility....reduced visibility in the water has been proven to be a factor in many shark attacks....shark attacks are bad for tourism...therefore renourishment is bad for tourism.

I do like the pictures of what it was like before the developers got there. Randy Wayne White, in one of his novels about Florida, says(paraphrasing) that what has happened to Florida is that she has been taken advantage of by people that have no connection to her and therefore can and will exploit her with no thoughts of her future.
Too damned true. Like pythons, land developers are an invasive species.

 

[ScubaFinder]

I've only been here 6 years and I can see the damage happening, I can only imagine what you guys who have been here 50 years have seen. Scott Thomson and I used to watch them pump the crap sand onto Jupiter Inlet Beach Park...then we would log onto the Jupiter Inlet web cam and literally watch the sand get stripped off the beach, go right into the inlet. A few months later, another dredge boat would come and clean out the inlet sand trap, a few months after that, the process would be repeated.

I also used to dive on a nice living reef south of Sebastian, FL. when I first moved here in 2006. By 2008 it was completely covered in the crap sand, by 2009 it was exposed again, but the whole thing was dead. Thank god we have the environ-MENTAL groups to keep the evil treasure hunters from damaging the reefs, otherwise there would be no reefs for the coastal engineers to kill.

Mother ocean will have her coastlines wherever she wants them, end of story.

 

[stevemc]

At about 2 million dollars a mile, it is a complete waste of the taxpayers money, it will just get washed away, sometimes within weeks. Many of these beaches get renourished at least each year. That is about as stupid as painting your car with water paint, and each rain having a paint shop paint it again and again and again........JUST STUPID!!!!! Almost as stupid as me working hard for money and taxing the hell out of me, and taking that and giving it to someone who wont work. Its all is quite upsetting what they do with taxes. The first time they piled sand on the beaches South of Sebastian inlet, they used crushed granite, ripped up aluminum cans, and lots of dirt. And they say they did that to attract tourists!

 

[ECS]

Not just the coasts,but we have lost so much of Florida to the developers.Been here since the 1950's,and watched the change inch by inch.
Now in Marion County,they are giving our aquifer water to a large Canadian cattle concern.The springs are down,the Oklawaha is down,and so is the St Johns.
Florida resources for sale to the highest bidder!

 

[billinstuart]

When I wuz a kid in Daytona ('50's) there were artesian wells everywhere. The Indian River lagoon was healthy but smelled really bad from sulfur dioxide..the source of the sulfur was spring water with Iron sulfide in it. Now, the aquifers have been pumped so low that the Indian river citrus groves are dying from salt water intrusion into the ground water.

Beaches? All had natural beach sand, not the shi..crap they have pumped onto them. The corps of engineers has literally ruined our coastal environment..hell, they've ruined much of south Florida. Yet, our politicians and hired county employees still listen to everything the corps recommends. Why? Their track record is abysmal!

 

[liverock]

View attachment mast.pdf I lived on Patrick AFB in 1960 in a duplex, and Dan Thompsons garage was connected to ours. We would walk across A1A from the housing area almost everyday and enjoy the beach. At that time the only thing on the beach was the officers club..and the shack before real eight got it.....all the way to Sebastian. We would have bonfires on the beach, and wait for the nesting turtles to come and and lay their eggs. The beach was huge and almost deserted most of the time. Dan and I and my brothers would go out snorkeling on all the inshore reefs, was an amazing time. One day while I was digging the bonfire pit, came across something very big and very old way up at the sea oats line on the dunes. I went back to the house and got Dan, we uncovered it and was a mast of a ship.....Dan was convinced it was one of the 1715. We dug it all up...and then he reburied it, saying 'we don't want anybody to see this"

He was hinting about a wreck just off Melbourne beach right out in front of where we used to play. In the pic is me sitting on the plank trying to move the mast...my Dad in the white shorts, and Dan in the dark shorts and one of my brothers.....

 

[aquanut]

View attachment 678769 I lived on Patrick AFB in 1960 in a duplex, and Dan Thompsons garage was connected to ours. We would walk across A1A from the housing area almost everyday and enjoy the beach. At that time the only thing on the beach was the officers club..and the shack before real eight got it.....all the way to Sebastian. We would have bonfires on the beach, and wait for the nesting turtles to come and and lay their eggs. The beach was huge and almost deserted most of the time. Dan and I and my brothers would go out snorkeling on all the inshore reefs, was an amazing time. One day while I was digging the bonfire pit, came across something very big and very old way up at the sea oats line on the dunes. I went back to the house and got Dan, we uncovered it and was a mast of a ship.....Dan was convinced it was one of the 1715. We dug it all up...and then he reburied it, saying 'we don't want anybody to see this"

He was hinting about a wreck just off Melbourne beach right out in front of where we used to play. In the pic is me sitting on the plank trying to move the mast...my Dad in the white shorts, and Dan in the dark shorts and one of my brothers.....

I tried to clean up the photo a little . just click on it to enlarge...

 

[seeker41]

I tried to clean up the photo a little . just click on it to enlarge...

i have seen this pic before. in a book?

 

[mad4wrecks]

Southern Digger...those were cool pictures. Looking forward to more if you have them. I have been diving the Treasure Coast since the mid 70's and do indeed miss the way things used to be.
Liverock, I see you are new here. Welcome aboard. Got any more Real 8 stories?

Tom

 

[liverock]

i have seen this pic before. in a book?

No....first time I ever put it out on the net.........I did take it to the cookout this year...........got a couple more somewhere in my parents slide collection.......

 

[liverock]

Southern Digger...those were cool pictures. Looking forward to more if you have them. I have been diving the Treasure Coast since the mid 70's and do indeed miss the way things used to be.
Liverock, I see you are new here. Welcome aboard. Got any more Real 8 stories?

Tom

Yes, we lived next door to Dan for two years...I remember sitting in his garage on a cannon, and playing with stacks of silver plates, and buckets full of coins......he would always come next door and show the new gold when he found it.....wish I was a bit older back then I would have been out there with him

Have been a long time lurker here......since I met Joe...and Ron.....a range saftey officer that was also at the cape when we were there.......a few years ago.....here in Tampa....

 

[liverock]

I tried to clean up the photo a little . just click on it to enlarge...

That looks great John, Thanks!

It is a print made from the original color slide.....

It was really long and we are digging on the small end of it...the other end was larger...and it was about two feet deep as I remember....been a long time ...... 52 years ago.....

 

[Booty Salvage]

I watch the sand they pump on south beach in Ft Pierce wash away days after they finish. It makes no sense. The beaches should have been able to move naturally. Not to mention sea turtles need rock climbing gear to get up the constant 5' beach cut that exists for miles.

To make matters worse they are ruining the Eco system with all that dumping from lake ockeechobee.

They say treasure salvors ruin the reefs and beaches? Yea, that must be it

 

[Trembull]

No....first time I ever put it out on the net.........I did take it to the cookout this year...........got a couple more somewhere in my parents slide collection.......

If I remember right Seeker41, They where the pictures in those frame on this table