Underwater Sniping.. Tips/Help/Thoughts/

[MadMarshall]

So I have been dedicating the majority of my time these last few months to underwater sniping. And so far I have been pretty successful. But on the other hand it has it's price.. For example the Chafing.. For me this is a huge problem. The fact that I am in the wetsuit for an average of 6hours a day and when I piss it burns so freaking bad.. Just wondering what I can use to stop chafing?


Well some things that I think that help me out with finding gold when underwater sniping.. First thing is mobility (this hold true for all aspects of Prospecting). I never ever pick just one place to spend my day. The only exception is when I am returning to further exploit an area previously prospected.
It is always easier to work your way downriver then it is upriver.. Often I park and then hike upriver for a ways and then get in the water and work my way downriver to the vehicle.

Areas in the river are often not very forgiving for Underwater Sniping. Lots of gravel covering bedrock.. bedrock to deep ect ect. So one has to make use of all opportunity's presented.. Find tools to increase the depth on which you can find and recover gold. I use crowbars and the handdredge to allow me to break and recover the gold..

When you find your gold find the easiest way to exploit it. This never ever involves TWEEZERS.. Snuffer bottles work poorly. Hand Dredge seems to work good though it's kinda a pain to carry around.

And Lastly Gold prospecting can get very Discouraging. Me I just tell myself.. " All it takes is one" Just one crack can pay for your day/ week/ maybe more you just never know.. But I find myself thinking those words a lot when I get in a slump.


Anyway any thoughts or such on how to get more gold Underwater Sniping or anything related would be nice.. I have became quite the fan over the last months..

 

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[TheGoldProspector]

To keep it short; when im in the pits of despair, thinking All the gold is gone, I go to basics, and tell myself Not to care about the daily total.

-Those days, I seem to collect the most Au

 

[fowledup]

Is your suit to small? Make sure and hose it out after every use, the salt from your urine and sweat is not doing nice things to your body. Gold bond lotion may help. Wear a liner, I don't know what they are made from, I think it's a type of Lycra. Under Armour makes a very spendy version but there are many other knock offs that are just as effective. Last thing check the seams thread fraying will eat you up as well. Good luck gotta be comfy!

 

[rodoconnor]

baby shampoo. It works really well

 

[Goldwasher]

Yea,victor you gotta wash it out when ever you can. And a good undersuit is a must. Are you using a good Bulb type snuffer? The kind that is like a really good turkey baster.They have the 1/4 inch aluminum tube. As you know narrow cracks hold great gold sometimes and a hand sucker just won't get in there.Take care pou there you don't want to build up callus's in the wrong places

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

I would love to do some sniping
But here in georgia most crevices are under around 4-6 feet of gravels
(Geologically not much exposed bedrock 'round here)

 

[Goldwasher]

I would love to do some sniping
But here in georgia most crevices are under around 4-6 feet of gravels
(Geologically not much exposed bedrock 'round here)

Well don't let that hold you back. It didn't stop the old timers

 

[Reed Lukens]

It's worth having a good underwater suit with a built in fly for pissin. Pretty much stops the chaffing. Pioneer sells them. Then wash the wet suit every week with soap and water. I've used Woolite, Baby Shampoo, etc but really, the wet suit soap that you can buy at Sierra Divers works great and it makes your wet suit feel cleaner than new every time. Imagine putting on a new pair of boots every other day°°° I wash the boots because they feel so good when clean. I don't wear a lycra undersuit anymore and haven't in years but if you feel the need then wash it a couple times a week also. I've also rolled a lot of tips off of slide hammers underwater but they do make it nice for really attacking those small cracks in the bottom.

 

[MadMarshall]

All my wetsuits are used. the 4mm is a real good fit but the 7mm is a little big. though it works out well with using the 4mm. behind my knees and my hips are the two spots that chafe really bad. Also using both wetsuits I noticed a considerable difference in flexibility. So far in the last few months I have had tennis elbow I have strained my hand multiple times and I am often sore all over.. I suspect this due to the restrictive restraints of wetsuits. Ultimitaly I got used to it. Anyway I thought about getting a new 7mm one that fits properly but on the other hand I am concerned about wear and tear. My 7mm has holes in the knees and this is from only months of use.. I can afford used wetsuits every 4-6months but not new ones. I will look into the undergarments for rash protection and try some lotions.. Something gots to work eventualy..

Goldwasher I have seen those bulb snuffers. My concern is that like the snuffer bottle more ackward then pratical. The hand dredge is not perfect but it provides depth and minimal classification is necessary.. When I was using snuffer bottle its was always clogging in the straw with pebbles plus it only sucked up a little material.. The hand dredge can get me a full pan of dirt in less then 5 minutes. The snuffer bottles ate up a lot of time ..

 

[NeoTokyo]

I make custom snuffer sniper bottles, I came up with the design my first year (3 seasons ago) and that is where ounces and ounces and probably pounds of gold have gone into by now.

It is my favorite tool and I wont snipe without it.
Its a very nice, long, curved tube that gets larger on the inside as it goes down to prevent clogging, except sometimes at the tip but its easy to get out there.

I do sell my bottles and I am going to pay my dues here next month to start offering them here too.

 

[NeoTokyo]

btw, would Baby Powder + Aloe/Vit E help?
Or once it gets wet would it be useless?

Just an idea because I use it when I need to go on long hikes in the heat, keeps the chub rub away.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I always wear a pair of spandex knee length biker shorts under my wetsuit. It stops all the chaffing for me...

 

[Higgy]

I always wear a pair of spandex knee length biker shorts under my wetsuit. It stops all the chaffing for me...

As a diver myself, I've had to undergo a learning curve for stuff like this. I like your biker shorts idea. I used to wear some very thin silk long underwear in my suit, with no chafing or discomfort whatsoever. As far as peeing goes, you gotta do what ya gotta do. I find that staying nicely-hydrated is key to being comfortable.

Now mind you, I'll say right now that I've never prospected for gold, but I am interested in it, so I am reading a lot in here and taking notes from what you guys are saying. My experience comes from being a certified PADI diver since '78 and all the dives I've done.

Peeing in your suit is a natural thing. Just whizz away! But, staying hydrated - really hydrated - not only keeps you healthy, but prevents your suit from getting too stinky if you are on a boat for a couple days, or at a site for a week and have no means to keep your suit clean.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I don't mine but I do beach hunt and I always wear a camelpac that holds 2 liter, I put 1 liter of water in it and freeze it, then when I go hunting I put another liter if fresh water in it, this way I have cold water to last all day. My bungee for my detectors hooks to my camelpac....

 

[Hoser John]

NEVER EVER PEE IN YOUR SUIT. Don't spend the day in a urine filled wetsuit. Zipper mandatory or jump out and do the deed. The urea and other chemicals in urine are murder on your ski,rots the rubber in your suit and stinks to high heaven. Each and every time you bend over your pumping pee into your top and hood and infections abound from there. Do you put your head in a toilet to wash it?? Fill a tub with warm water and add the required amount of"Sink the Stink" available at most dive shops at least once a week. Divers spend a few hours in a wetsuit and miners spend many more hours than they ever do. We do 100sX time the physical motion so a nice thin undersuit is always a great addition. A t shirt and panty hose-yep panty hose-works also if you can take the ribbing as eliminates the rubbing and makes getting in/out of that suit a breeze. The suits at Franks are FANTASTIC as since I bought one in 2006 or so I've never EVER fired up my wetsuit heater since as new technology in closed cell rubbers keep ya toasty. Takes about 8lbs more lead to offset additional buoyancy but to be nice and toasty no big deal. Cheap 99 cent store white cotton gloves under plastic/rubber/whatever gloves keep your hands nice and warm and protected from chafing also. Wet socks keep them feet warm too even in hightop sneakers or good felt soled boots for safety. Hygeine is mandatory due to extreme time underwater,do it right or pay a horrendous price-John

 

[Oakview2]

Victor, nothing wrong with used suits, I never had a new one. If you go to a skate shop, a good pair of knee and elbow pads will save the suit. I have used cheapies from Harbour Frieght, and they will last a season, or use plasti dip, for the high wear areas, just paint it on the knees and elbows. Looks to me like you are moving towards dredging, perhaps, even legally next summer. I would start looking for a good chunk of river to claim, as the state may try and keep all dredging to federal minning claims. Good health and good hunting.

 

[bug]

Those bulb type snuffers work! I have two semi pro sniper friends, and that is all they use.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Well don't let that hold you back. It didn't stop the old timers

So im suppose to haul 2-3 yards of gravel to get to crevices
Theres a reason there never has been or isn't much crevicing in ga its just not productive

 

[Higgy]

I don't mine but I do beach hunt and I always wear a camelpac that holds 2 liter, I put 1 liter of water in it and freeze it, then when I go hunting I put another liter if fresh water in it, this way I have cold water to last all day. My bungee for my detectors hooks to my camelpac....

Excellent idea!

 

[Higgy]

NEVER EVER PEE IN YOUR SUIT. Don't spend the day in a urine filled wetsuit. Zipper mandatory or jump out and do the deed. The urea and other chemicals in urine are murder on your ski,rots the rubber in your suit and stinks to high heaven. Each and every time you bend over your pumping pee into your top and hood and infections abound from there. Do you put your head in a toilet to wash it?? Fill a tub with warm water and add the required amount of"Sink the Stink" available at most dive shops at least once a week. Divers spend a few hours in a wetsuit and miners spend many more hours than they ever do. We do 100sX time the physical motion so a nice thin undersuit is always a great addition. A t shirt and panty hose-yep panty hose-works also if you can take the ribbing as eliminates the rubbing and makes getting in/out of that suit a breeze. The suits at Franks are FANTASTIC as since I bought one in 2006 or so I've never EVER fired up my wetsuit heater since as new technology in closed cell rubbers keep ya toasty. Takes about 8lbs more lead to offset additional buoyancy but to be nice and toasty no big deal. Cheap 99 cent store white cotton gloves under plastic/rubber/whatever gloves keep your hands nice and warm and protected from chafing also. Wet socks keep them feet warm too even in hightop sneakers or good felt soled boots for safety. Hygeine is mandatory due to extreme time underwater,do it right or pay a horrendous price-John

I'm not disputing what you are saying, John, but I've been doing it for 37 years, and never had one single gear-related problem due to whizzing. A lot of people will still do it. Casper wears a wetsuit all year long - even winter - just for this reason.