AT Pro in the Ocean

[tomnkari]

Hi all. I'm rather new to metal detecting; I bought my Garrett AT Pro about this time last year. I really enjoy detecting in the water at the all the fresh water lakes in Michigan. However, I'm planning a trip to FL this summer and I'm curious whether the AT Pro is suitable for salt water. I've read that the PI detectors are best for this. Does anyone have experience using an AT Pro in the ocean?

 

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[Sandancer]

The AT Pro is a great machine but it does not work well in salt water, at least not here on Cape Cod. Previous posters are correct, by the time you ground balance and reduce sensitivity it's detecting abilities are severely compromised. On the dry ocean sand it is very good, but move to the wet sand or the salt water and it can't handle it.

 

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[lookindown]

The AT Pro is a great machine but it does not work well in salt water, at least not here on Cape Cod. Previous posters are correct, by the time you ground balance and reduce sensitivity it's detecting abilities are severely compromised. On the dry ocean sand it is very good, but move to the wet sand or the salt water and it can't handle it.

There are beaches where it doesn't work well. Here in Florida the beaches are very mild and the AT pro works well in the salt wet sand and water. The original poster was coming to Florida.

 

[Doug H]

lookindown, in your list of detectors you have a cz21 listed. from all I've read if I had a cz21 I would never pick up the at pro for a saltwater beach. Do you actually take the pro out on the beach anytime over your cz21

 

[lookindown]

lookindown, in your list of detectors you have a cz21 listed. from all I've read if I had a cz21 I would never pick up the at pro for a saltwater beach. Do you actually take the pro out on the beach anytime over your cz21

Nope, the CZ21 is deeper and doesn't pick up some of the tiny targets that the AT hears that I don't want to hear. First day in the salt water with my CZ21 I found two gold rings and the AT became a freshwater machine. In freshwater I can run the AT on max sens and I find gold earrings and chains that the CZ cant pick up, even when rubbed on the coil. AT weighs half what the CZ weighs. I used my AT pro in the salt water for one whole summer before I got my CZ21 and made some nice gold finds. In tests at the beach my AT was only about 2 inches shallower in the wet sand than the CZ but that's enough difference to use the CZ in the salt.

 

[doverturtle]

I tried using my ATPro in the water two weeks ago at Wildwood, NJ. The first day wasn't too bad after ground balancing when in the water, but the second day it kept falsing for some reason. I think I am going to purchase an Infinium LS for the beaches.

 

[penzfan]

Due to very high mineralization. That's why they manufacture PI units. GL.

I tried using my ATPro in the water two weeks ago at Wildwood, NJ. The first day wasn't too bad after ground balancing when in the water, but the second day it kept falsing for some reason. I think I am going to purchase an Infinium LS for the beaches.

 

[doverturtle]

Yes, I am aware of that. What I don't understand is why I didn't have falsing the first day. I didn't expect the AT Pro to perform good in the water since it was not really designed for that, but it is all that I had at the time.

 

[tomnkari]

Returned a couple days ago from my trip to FL. Went down for a weeklong conference in Orlando that started on Monday. I arrived late Saturday afternoon so I was only able to spend one day (Sunday) detecting on the beach at Lori Wilson Park at Cocoa Beach. It was so hot & humid (92 F) that the wife dragged me out after 2 hours. Anyway, after watching the Saltwater Tips at the Garrett website and reviewing everyone's posts here this is how it went down. I arrived at low tide, about 1:00 in the afternoon, and made directly for the surf. After auto ground balancing my AT Pro, I took it down manually to about 17 or 18. I was in Pro Zero mode with the iron discrimination up to about 35. I also took the sensitivity down a couple bars. At that point the chatter was bearable. The only thing I found in the water was a clad shield penny that rang out loud and clear above the chatter, right at what it normally would have on land (about 76). After an hour in the water, I moved to the beach for an hour, re-auto ground balanced for the sand and found and additional $1.12 in clad including a bicentennial quarter, a couple bottle caps and a fish hook. I want to thank everyone who posted a comment to this thread. I know the AT Pro isn't the best choice for salt water, but that's really not why I chose it. Most of my water hunting is in Lake Michigan or fresh water inland lakes in MI. I just wanted suggestions for using what I had in an environment I was unfamiliar with. You guys are great. Thanks again.

 

[gamiller]

At pro in the ocean, yep if that were me that's where it would have ended up.

 

[lookindown]

At pro in the ocean, yep if that were me that's where it would have ended up.

Yeah, you wouldn't have figured out how to set it up...they are pretty complicated.

 

[goldluvr]

I have an at pro use it in the ocean often here in miami I just ground balance it back down on the sensitivity 1 or 2 and it works flawlessly.

 

[barrywk]

just my two cents worth ...I was at a sc beach a few weeks ago with my AT pro.I used the nel attack coil and found quarters and bottle caps over six inches deep....i had to manually turn gb down to 9 to 11 but ran sense all the way up with minimal chatter

 

[ODA 226]

My at pro HATED the beach , that's why I got my SH 2

SAME HERE! My AT Pro kept falsing at the Croatian Coast last year, so I bought a SH MK 2 and had great success this year in the sea!

 

[Auriemma]

I have an AT Pro and I've used it at the beach and in the ocean. The key is GB, SENS, and where you are. When I hit the dry sand, GB 80-95, as the sand gets wetter, the. GB continually drops to 9-13 when the coil submerged. Only then do I lower the SENS to cut the chatter. And don't scrub the bottom, it falses with every touch. If you can deal with all that, you can succeed. I found 2 boobie pins around 8-9 inches, as 2 separate targets in 2 locations. If it can see those, it can see more valuable items. I hunted in south NJ, so my beach mineralization may be very different from yours.

All that being said... My AT Pro hasn't seen the beach since I got my Sov XS.

 

[Jrufus@msn.com]

GREAT in salt water, just be sure to keep it ground balanced all the time.