20th gold of the summer

[Blak bart]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning.

Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

 

[Blak bart]

WTF !! This is just crazy....im so glad that each day is worth so much out there in the water....didn't even include the emerald ring in this calculation.....just a crushed scrap gold earring!! Unbelievable!!

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[surfnturf]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning. View attachment 2221592View attachment 2221593View attachment 2221594View attachment 2221595View attachment 2221596View attachment 2221597
Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

 

[surfnturf]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning. View attachment 2221592View attachment 2221593View attachment 2221594View attachment 2221595View attachment 2221596View attachment 2221597
Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

Ha ha, loose lips, sinks,ships! Keep killing it… BART!! Don’t give up your share 🏴‍☠️

 

[Crunchyhippo]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning. View attachment 2221592View attachment 2221593View attachment 2221594View attachment 2221595View attachment 2221596View attachment 2221597
Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

Great finds. Count your blessings that other detectorists haven't scoured your beach(es) clean of finds like they have mine. I'm at #0 gold for the summer; #1 for silver. You're in a detectorist's paradise.

 

[pepperj]

Well done Bart, great to see that you're still getting a nice share of gold.

 

[Sand Swinger]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning. View attachment 2221592View attachment 2221593View attachment 2221594View attachment 2221595View attachment 2221596View attachment 2221597
Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

Sweet finds BB!!

 

[Joe_NY_to_NC]

Wow nice finds. People suck! You actually got mugged while detecting? You need to carry.

 

[Blak bart]

Wow nice finds. People suck! You actually got mugged while detecting? You need to carry.

No sir...not a true mugging by definition,....just fierce competition between more than 3 detectorist for very small spots with tremendous traffic !! This is south Florida, and its very competitive for the best spots. Its not uncommon to see a half dozen detectorist in the water at once at south beach, and many other spots from the treasure coast, to key west, and back up the west coast to the panhandle. There are probably more detectorist per square mile than anywhere on the planet down here, and many are expert level. At the height of summer it can be like water world, or mad max, with top level hunters all battling each other for control of the top producing spots. The top spots produce gold every week for the first person to get there.....whichever spot it may be !! These spots are trampled by thousands of people a week, and getting to them early is key....Monday morning being the logical best time. Big weekends produce the gold, so Monday morning is the best time to hunt. Obviously everyone has there own style and strategies, but down here its totally on another level.

I've seen a guy come and sit at my favorite sand bar with his sailboat for 3 days !! He did the deep with a hookah rig, in the mornings, and when boat traffic started he would transition to the shallow sand and snorkel hunt that !! There are guys like this that are so good they make there living at it !! No t-net, no social media, just ruthless efficiency at treasure hunting on levels you never thought possible!! So here we are the locals, all banded together sharing info, but competitive, and the rest of south Florida all trying to butt in line and travel down to get some gold too....I dont blame them....I just have to play the game to beat them to the gold !!

 

[Blak bart]

Its very hard to describe what its like to live in view of some of the best detecting beaches in the USA....but when you live, work, and play at some of the best ground you gain insight into these spots that others dont have because you are there so much. Also....Miami, and the fl. Keys are very very very different in terms of metal detecting. Miami is what everyone thinks of when they envision hunting here.....the keys is a total different planet in terms of detecting....not even close in terms of beaches....we dont have beaches like Miami.....we all scuba or snorkel hunt because there are only a few places where the scoop type hunting works. So hunting the keys can be extremely frustrating for traditional beach hunters.

 

[Sand Swinger]

No sir...not a true mugging by definition,....just fierce competition between more than 3 detectorist for very small spots with tremendous traffic !! This is south Florida, and its very competitive for the best spots. Its not uncommon to see a half dozen detectorist in the water at once at south beach, and many other spots from the treasure coast, to key west, and back up the west coast to the panhandle. There are probably more detectorist per square mile than anywhere on the planet down here, and many are expert level. At the height of summer it can be like water world, or mad max, with top level hunters all battling each other for control of the top producing spots. The top spots produce gold every week for the first person to get there.....whichever spot it may be !! These spots are trampled by thousands of people a week, and getting to them early is key....Monday morning being the logical best time. Big weekends produce the gold, so Monday morning is the best time to hunt. Obviously everyone has there own style and strategies, but down here its totally on another level.

I've seen a guy come and sit at my favorite sand bar with his sailboat for 3 days !! He did the deep with a hookah rig, in the mornings, and when boat traffic started he would transition to the shallow sand and snorkel hunt that !! There are guys like this that are so good they make there living at it !! No t-net, no social media, just ruthless efficiency at treasure hunting on levels you never thought possible!! So here we are the locals, all banded together sharing info, but competitive, and the rest of south Florida all trying to butt in line and travel down to get some gold too....I dont blame them....I just have to play the game to beat them to the gold !!

I've always envied you guys in FL due to the beautiful clear waters. Here in MD & DE, the ocean and bay waters are dark & murky. Once you get a foot or more deep, your black coil disappears, and you can't see your feet. And if you can't see your feet, you also can't see any ocean critters with large teeth that may be lurking nearby. Not being able to see what you're doing makes pinpointing much more challenging as you have to do what I call the "Pinpoint Dance", lol. Gotta take one of your feet, place it either to the back or side of the coil as a marker, then place your scoop either in front of or next to your foot to position it for digging. Not as hard to do in calm bay waters, but in the ocean, due to currents & waves, doing this dance can be somewhat comical as you try to balance & steady yourself against constant rushing water.

I think the increased competition we face is due to a combination of the price of gold & silver increasing substantially, along with the prices of very hi-tech detectors dropping within reach of more hunters. 10+ years ago, I would be the only guy hitting the wet and into shallow waters on the beach with my Minelab Sovereign Elite. All the other guys were dry sand bound, as they were all swinging SF detectors, and if they tried hitting the wet, their detectors started screaming, so back up to the dry they went. I pretty much owned the wet and salt water back then, unless a hunter with an Excal was also there. But today, most detectors are SMF's & waterproof, so they all can now hit the wet and into shallow water, I no longer own that part of the beach, so I recently picked up a waterproof PI to gain an edge over the SMF's in salt water. And with the prices of SMF's now being affordable to the masses, more guys can now get into the game to try their luck.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I've been quiet posting my golds for awhile now because of a few people mugging me in my own spots. But its been an incredible summer because even the smallest gold finds are substantial monetary values with gold so high !! So last week I hit #19, and #20 gold finds this summer.....since April. Its been quite a challenge to try and get to the spots before other hunters. It seems a couple people are really trying to beat me out of some of my traditional spots....thats fine....you know who you are and I dont care anymore that you figured out my spots....bring it on !! Anyway....I still got my 20th gold, and right in the middle of a moon scape of craters left by the scoopers. I have never even owned a scoop, and prefer to free dive my finds. I have little problem holding my breath and digging for up to a minute underwater. Hard to believe that gold has soared to the level its at now, and even a crushed 18k earring can earn 2 days worth of pay at a day job !! So here we are at the height of summer, and the golds are flowing at every spot....everybody must be hitting because I can find gold at each spot even with several hunters pounding it hard at every spot. South Florida is different level hunting competition....from the novice tourist, to the most die hard hunters attacking by boat, jetski, and kyak. Crowds are surging in the water, and no hurricanes have disrupted the crowds.....my motto is.....go more than everyone else, dig deeper than everyone else, and stay longer than everyone else. At the height of season im hitting spots twice a week, and even hitting it on Sunday evenings to cope with the Miami boys who come on Monday morning. View attachment 2221592View attachment 2221593View attachment 2221594View attachment 2221595View attachment 2221596View attachment 2221597
Sting rays dug up the gold and emerald ring, and pushed it out of a hole they were feeding in....note the coral growing on the gold....it was down a long time !

Killing it Brother! Congratulations!!

 

[Blak bart]

I've always envied you guys in FL due to the beautiful clear waters. Here in MD & DE, the ocean and bay waters are dark & murky. Once you get a foot or more deep, your black coil disappears, and you can't see your feet. And if you can't see your feet, you also can't see any ocean critters with large teeth that may be lurking nearby. Not being able to see what you're doing makes pinpointing much more challenging as you have to do what I call the "Pinpoint Dance", lol. Gotta take one of your feet, place it either to the back or side of the coil as a marker, then place your scoop either in front of or next to your foot to position it for digging. Not as hard to do in calm bay waters, but in the ocean, due to currents & waves, doing this dance can be somewhat comical as you try to balance & steady yourself against constant rushing water.

I think the increased competition we face is due to a combination of the price of gold & silver increasing substantially, along with the prices of very hi-tech detectors dropping within reach of more hunters. 10+ years ago, I would be the only guy hitting the wet and into shallow waters on the beach with my Minelab Sovereign Elite. All the other guys were dry sand bound, as they were all swinging SF detectors, and if they tried hitting the wet, their detectors started screaming, so back up to the dry they went. I pretty much owned the wet and salt water back then, unless a hunter with an Excal was also there. But today, most detectors are SMF's & waterproof, so they all can now hit the wet and into shallow water, I no longer own that part of the beach, so I recently picked up a waterproof PI to gain an edge over the SMF's in salt water. And with the prices of SMF's now being affordable to the masses, more guys can now get into the game to try their luck.

Everything you say is truth....but here in the extreme south the competition is incredible. South beach is a site to behold when its happening.....there are locals in Miami that go every day, and can walk from the beach to a pawn/jewelry store and sell there find still wet and salty !! I prefer to stay on the island and never go to the mainland if possible. Our spots that are the best in the islands are all boating spots miles offshore.....there is no beach....only waist deep water at low tide. It takes serious dedication to hunt these spots, and you need a boat, kyak, or wave runner. Its not bad to have access to all 3 types of watercraft for different mission sets. The great thing is that there are literally 10s of thousands of spots where people swim....if you find one of these spots, and it hasn't been hit in a couple years it can be a gold mine. Im just starting to film underwater now, and I realize the interaction with all the different sea life is something everyone wants to see.....the critters are always startling me.

 

[Blak bart]

Killing it Brother! Congratulations!!

Thank you Terry...what's happening on those Yankee beaches up north....I saw the coin beach taking a beating from Erin!!

 

[Crunchyhippo]

But today, most detectors are SMF's & waterproof, so they all can now hit the wet and into shallow water, I no longer own that part of the beach, so I recently picked up a waterproof PI to gain an edge over the SMF's in salt water. And with the prices of SMF's now being affordable to the masses, more guys can now get into the game to try their luck.

It all depends on the beach you're at. Go in the water all you want, but some beaches, like the ones near me, are covered by detectorists like army ants. Nothing is left to be found in their wake, which explains my 34 successive detecting visits with only one tiny, silver bracelet to show for it.

 

[Blak bart]

It all depends on the beach you're at. Go in the water all you want, but some beaches, like the ones near me, are covered by detectorists like army ants. Nothing is left to be found in their wake, which explains my 34 successive detecting visits with only one tiny, silver bracelet to show for it.

Your luck will change....you fall into the same category as me....Florida competition is fierce.....where the biggest crowds are on Saturday and Sunday is where you should be in the water on Monday morning. Or even with the crowd Sunday afternoon. Im gonna go out and hit a spot on Friday, and then on Monday if possible....keep it nice and clean and tidy for everyone else !!

Big ass thunder head blew me apart last hunt !! I was 2 miles from shore....it was the kyak ride from hell !!

 

[Sand Swinger]

Everything you say is truth....but here in the extreme south the competition is incredible. South beach is a site to behold when its happening.....there are locals in Miami that go every day, and can walk from the beach to a pawn/jewelry store and sell there find still wet and salty !! I prefer to stay on the island and never go to the mainland if possible. Our spots that are the best in the islands are all boating spots miles offshore.....there is no beach....only waist deep water at low tide. It takes serious dedication to hunt these spots, and you need a boat, kyak, or wave runner. Its not bad to have access to all 3 types of watercraft for different mission sets. The great thing is that there are literally 10s of thousands of spots where people swim....if you find one of these spots, and it hasn't been hit in a couple years it can be a gold mine. Im just starting to film underwater now, and I realize the interaction with all the different sea life is something everyone wants to see.....the critters are always startling me.

Agreed. I've seen videos about the crazy large numbers of hunters down in FL. I'd love to hunt those clear waters, got my PADI cert many years ago in Cozumel, and before diving, I'd stick my mask into the water, and I could see 50ft down. Man, that was such a beautiful change from the dark/murky waters we have in MD & DE, lol. At least if there are any large toothy critters in the area, you have a better chance of seeing them approaching to prepare. In our waters, you won't know if danger is approaching unless you either see a fin, or feel teeth digging into your leg, which has a tendency of making one (at least me) a bit apprehensive when hunting in waist/chest deep waters. lol.

Gotta love those boat only access locations. The more barriers there are for people to gain access, the more that should help to cut down on the number of competitors. And like you said, there's 10's of thousands of places where people swim, so the odds are in your favor of finding a spot that hasn't been hit. You must be finding some of those sweet spots, as I've seen pics of your finds, and they're just incredible.

 

[Blak bart]

#21. Yesterday I saw Sting rays, a shark, a tarpon, a school of blue runners, crabs and conchs !! I was 2 miles from land with only a kyak. Very scary out there by myself. I was happy to see some boats show up at the end of the day.

 

[Bamasteve]

Be careful Bart you’ve got another hunter heading your way Monday!