- Joined
- Oct 6, 2009
- Messages
- 1,212
- Reaction score
- 2
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Florida- Somewhere in the middle
- Detector(s) used
- MXT 300/Excal II/Surf Dual Field
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
- #1
Thread Owner
Hit the beach again after a doctor appointment, and what a day full... The weather was about perfect, overcast and just a little wind. Was working a line that led to deeper water, and found a really nice 14k white/yellow gold earring.. Funny, but it seems that after you find one gold item, the pressure isnt so much to find more..
Anyway, my line led me to deeper water, but I could see a couple teens playing in chest deep water not more than 50 yds away.. "Must be a sandbar" I thought, and without thinking too much, decided to work towards where they were. As I was trying to maneuver my way to where they were, they had worked their way back to the beach and now I wasnt sure just where they were standing. I headed toward where I thought they had been, and next thing I new, I had no bottom.. I was swimming as hard as I could, but couldnt find the shallower water. At this point, I was about 100 yds from the beach and figured I had better head that way. I was able to keep the scoop on the bottom, and had just enough handle to keep myself barely above the surface, but soon it was even too deep for that. "Dont panic" I told myself, and turned over on my back... But after about 30 ft or so, I just couldnt keep swimming holding my detector and scoop.. I dropped the scoop, and also let my detector go except for the headphones and continued to swim toward shore... It HAD to get shallow soon.. I was amazed that it remained over my head till I got within about 40 ft from shore.. I was exhausted and had taken in a couple mouthfuls of salt water, but I made it (barely) to the shore... How could I be so stupid??
Normally, if I am in an area I am not real familiar with, that could have tricky currents, I wear inflatable suspenders... I hadnt planned going even near deep water, so I left them at home.. Never again.
After resting for a good 30 minutes, I walked back to my truck and thank goodness, I had brought my snorkle and mask. I had a general idea of where I dropped the scoop, but wasnt real optomistic about finding it.. It would have served me right to lose it..
I stripped off my shirt and finds pouch, hat, gloves, and even my shoes, and headed out... Thank goodness for crystal clear water, I could see the scoop standing up in about 20 ft of water, and I was able to retrieve it.. LESSON LEARNED!
I continued to hunt that area and found a very nice bottom, I could tell the sand had moved... I soon began finding garbage, and several pocket spills.. Then I got a very strange signal, low, but also intermittently high, and after the first scoop, the signal became very broken... Since my Excal has been repaired, the tones are different, and things dont sound even close to what they did before.. After scoop number five, I almost said "to hell with it" since it was a broken tone.. I'm glad I didnt.. The sixth scoop came up, and there it was shining back at me!! Not a big gold band, but 3 really pretty diamonds on it!!! "WOW, two gold!"...
Into my pouch it went, and I continued hunting. I was in about thigh-deep water. Kept finding coins here, coins there, a sinker, then another, and then got a BIG signal that I though sounded like a bottle cap.. But it had this little "ring" to the tone, so I dug it.. 3 scoops later and I see this HONKIN ring in my scoop!! 10k class ring (a hefty 15.3 g)... "OMG, 3 gold in one day??"..
I kept hunting and found more clad, and someones "medic alert" bracelet for a severe peanut allergy.. I think it is their number on the back so I will try to call it today.. Clad total was $3.45 for the day..
Finally, was just too tired to continue, although the weather and hunting conditions made me wish I could go until dark.. Total of 6 hrs hunting, and I am sure feeling it today... A couple years ago, I could have done that for 12 hrs and been ready for more..
Stay safe all, I cam as close as I want to to drowning... And it was my own stupidity that made it happen, not the conditions..
Lot's of pic's, hope you all dont mind..
Anyway, my line led me to deeper water, but I could see a couple teens playing in chest deep water not more than 50 yds away.. "Must be a sandbar" I thought, and without thinking too much, decided to work towards where they were. As I was trying to maneuver my way to where they were, they had worked their way back to the beach and now I wasnt sure just where they were standing. I headed toward where I thought they had been, and next thing I new, I had no bottom.. I was swimming as hard as I could, but couldnt find the shallower water. At this point, I was about 100 yds from the beach and figured I had better head that way. I was able to keep the scoop on the bottom, and had just enough handle to keep myself barely above the surface, but soon it was even too deep for that. "Dont panic" I told myself, and turned over on my back... But after about 30 ft or so, I just couldnt keep swimming holding my detector and scoop.. I dropped the scoop, and also let my detector go except for the headphones and continued to swim toward shore... It HAD to get shallow soon.. I was amazed that it remained over my head till I got within about 40 ft from shore.. I was exhausted and had taken in a couple mouthfuls of salt water, but I made it (barely) to the shore... How could I be so stupid??
Normally, if I am in an area I am not real familiar with, that could have tricky currents, I wear inflatable suspenders... I hadnt planned going even near deep water, so I left them at home.. Never again.
After resting for a good 30 minutes, I walked back to my truck and thank goodness, I had brought my snorkle and mask. I had a general idea of where I dropped the scoop, but wasnt real optomistic about finding it.. It would have served me right to lose it..
I stripped off my shirt and finds pouch, hat, gloves, and even my shoes, and headed out... Thank goodness for crystal clear water, I could see the scoop standing up in about 20 ft of water, and I was able to retrieve it.. LESSON LEARNED!
I continued to hunt that area and found a very nice bottom, I could tell the sand had moved... I soon began finding garbage, and several pocket spills.. Then I got a very strange signal, low, but also intermittently high, and after the first scoop, the signal became very broken... Since my Excal has been repaired, the tones are different, and things dont sound even close to what they did before.. After scoop number five, I almost said "to hell with it" since it was a broken tone.. I'm glad I didnt.. The sixth scoop came up, and there it was shining back at me!! Not a big gold band, but 3 really pretty diamonds on it!!! "WOW, two gold!"...
Into my pouch it went, and I continued hunting. I was in about thigh-deep water. Kept finding coins here, coins there, a sinker, then another, and then got a BIG signal that I though sounded like a bottle cap.. But it had this little "ring" to the tone, so I dug it.. 3 scoops later and I see this HONKIN ring in my scoop!! 10k class ring (a hefty 15.3 g)... "OMG, 3 gold in one day??"..
I kept hunting and found more clad, and someones "medic alert" bracelet for a severe peanut allergy.. I think it is their number on the back so I will try to call it today.. Clad total was $3.45 for the day..
Finally, was just too tired to continue, although the weather and hunting conditions made me wish I could go until dark.. Total of 6 hrs hunting, and I am sure feeling it today... A couple years ago, I could have done that for 12 hrs and been ready for more..
Stay safe all, I cam as close as I want to to drowning... And it was my own stupidity that made it happen, not the conditions..
Lot's of pic's, hope you all dont mind..
