Attention Scuba detectorists - looking to join the club. Advice?

[Bquamb]

Hello Tresurenet and all who read.

I'm a young, ambitious canadian lad looking to get his toes wet with some scuba-tecting.

I have a few questions regarding devices, depths, locations, gear and time... Likely a few more as well.

So, I live on beautiful Vancouver Island in Victoria (Capital of BC) and we have a lot of great lake swimming here. The ocean apparently has some of the best diving in the world, however it's a cold SOB. Generally our ocean hovers around 43-50 deg. It does get warmer in the hot summer, but i'm mainly looking at focusing on lakes, streams and bodies of fresh water.

I had a CTX until life got the best of my situation and had to sell it. I know it's not a deep water machine, but i know it was capable of going deeper than the 3m/10ft mark. I now have an Equinox 800 that i am loving, but would love to try pushing it's 10ft boundary to 15-20ft, however smart that may or may not be.

What detectors are currently most popular. Success depends on location and user.... I don't expect any machine to be a holy grail, but i would love to know more.

What does everyone use for gear? Is everyone in full wet/dry with all the fixins? I understand at depth, the water larches your core temp extremely fast, something like 20x, but before i fully delve in i'd like to get a proper understanding of what the "Norm" would be.

I am quite tall at 6'5" and size 15s, 240Lbs and am curious how sizing works as well. I know my size isn't normal, but i know i'm also not the tallest or only tall diver. Are all sizes readily accessable usually? Flippers 1 size fits all?

When hunting the lakes in your areas, do you go as deep as you want for your finds, or is their a common technique? I would assume... And assuming almost never is the best idea..... I assume that the 1st 10-15' of water from dry sand to 10-15' would be prime areas as well as rock jumping/ cliff diving areas. What do you find lucky?

Now for creeks and rivers... A
Obviously anything light will flow with the current until it stops, but rings and heavy metals should sink and settle. When it comes to the favorable finds, when they hit bottom, how deep are good finds being recovered at in an area that has constant flow? I haven't been to the bottom the the river i am hoping to try at, but i could assume their being a nice layer of gunk or silt/sludge. What do you do as to not create huge clouds of haze?

I really appreciate everyone that is able to chime in. Hope this post can also help others with their questions if it gets popular enough.

I have a hard, difficult and frustrating time trying to equilize. I always think i'm doing it right but i just find that 10ft mark a very very difficult depth to pass. I have a few times before... But what may be the cause? I have ready if i had lots of colds young or have bad heyfeaver allergies it could make it very troublesome to get that pop... But that's the internet and not a doctor, haha.

Thanks again and happy hunting everyone!

Btw, my first few hunts with the Nox have been very very good. After 5 years detecting i finally broke the 1800s, 3x now pic to come when home.

1872 canadian 5c
1893 UK 3 Pence
18?? V nickel
1919 canadian 50c
1937,1940,1943,1960,1962,1965 canadian dimes

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[Tom_in_CA]

If someone named "Scuba-detector" comes on here, chiming in to your post: Ignore him. He's not qualified. And if he alludes to scores of gold rings he's found : Don't believe a word of it. He's having psychotic delusions. We try to keep him on his med's , but .... sometimes he slips.

 

[Bquamb]

Check

Scuba-Detector, keep out of it. I only want real information

 

[ecmjamsit]

Get certified as a scuba diver. For safety reasons. I know of a guy claimed he was, he wasn't. Now he's dead.

 

[Bquamb]

I'm looking into getting open waters certified currently. Good thing scuba is relatively popular here. My grandparents were huge into diving, but they at late 80s now. No longer diving. 549+Tax and it includes rental and 6 dives. Likely do it in the late spring. Early summer.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I tried it , at regular ocean facing beaches in my area. Thinking I'd have "un-tapped riches", since normal md'rs, in the inter-tidal zone, can't get these under-water losses. eh ? But NNeeoohhh. I quickly learned that the underwater sand, is JUST as susceptible to sand movement, as the inter-tidal zone is. Hence you could find yourself in zones JUST as sterile and boring, as inter-tidal zone . Ie.: sand dunes move under water, EVEN MORE SO than sand in the inter-tidal zone. So it's almost like you have to look for low spots/erosion, JUST like you would on the upper beach. So what's the use ?

I recall digging for 10 minutes (fighting to stay on target while the currents are pulling me around). And each attempt to dig just clouds up the water and you can't see a thing. FINALLY get it to the surface : At 2 ft. deep, a shiny aluminum fresh dropped soda can. Showing the dunes are moving underwater all the dime. The bottom "isn't constant", so-to-speak. And while that problem is surmountable by above water hunting (you simply view 1000 yards in each direction, and perceive where the low spots are that day), there is no such liberty out in the water. You're lucky to see 50 ft. And moving is slow and cumbersome.

It only took me 3 such trips, even trying still-water cove beaches, before I realized this is not beneficial . At least not my area. Perhaps still-water bay-inlets in Hawaii. Or fresh water in-land swim lakes where the bottom is more prone to stay exactly "still".

 

[against the wind]

leisurepro.com

 

[Bquamb]

That.... Is an EXCELLENT resource. Thank you. Haven't found if the PFF shipping perc works internationally or just through the States. If this works for Canada, i'm sold. Those prices walk all over my local dive shop prices. I love supporting local, but in my economy saving 600$ i'm going to the lesser price.

 

[Jason in Enid]

My advice is to get scuba certified for its own purpose. Doing it just to scuba-detect on occasion is a VERY expensive proposition. Keep in mind what you will need. You are going to have to own all your gear after certification, so that means your C-class ($300 and higher), drysuit (if youre doing this in Canada, I highly recommend DS over wetsuit) which also means a DS training class (figure $1000 - $2000 for DS), then you need regs ($500 - $1000), mask ($150), fins ($100 - $200). You also need your air tank ($200 and up) plus the cost of air fills. And you also need a BC (buoyancy compensator) (another $200 - $500). Probably need some lead in there too, especially if youre going drysuit, so figure about 40 pounds of lead weight at whatever those cost now.

So now that you spent all that and gone through your C-class you need to spend some time really just diving. Scuba is deceptive. It seems really, really simple but it can kill you if you arent paying attention. You need time to learn the gear, how it functions, how it feels. You need time to learn buoyancy skills because that WILL kill you or leave you crippled for life if screw up. You need to learn how to navigate and orient yourself while diving. It takes a little time and practice of putting all those skills (and probably a lot more I'm overlooking this moment) to use to get comfortable BEFORE you start putting a distraction like a metal detector in your hand and in front of your face.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

My advice is to get scuba certified for its own purpose. Doing it just to scuba-detect on occasion is a VERY expensive proposition. Keep in mind what you will need. You are going to have to own all your gear after certification, so that means your C-class ($300 and higher), drysuit (if youre doing this in Canada, I highly recommend DS over wetsuit) which also means a DS training class (figure $1000 - $2000 for DS), then you need regs ($500 - $1000), mask ($150), fins ($100 - $200). You also need your air tank ($200 and up) plus the cost of air fills. And you also need a BC (buoyancy compensator) (another $200 - $500). Probably need some lead in there too, especially if youre going drysuit, so figure about 40 pounds of lead weight at whatever those cost now....

Good post Jason. This is exactly what was going through my mind when .... after several scuba dives for "supposed un-tapped riches" just slightly-off-shore. Where the "mere mortals can't reach them". After taking stock of all the expenses I'd incurred to get certified, all the time spent suiting up, lugging gear etc.... Then all the time struggling to stay-on-target, find the elusive penny, dime , soda can, etc.... Then all the time un-suiting, cleaning gear, returning rental equipment, blah blah blah. And now I'm left looking at .77c in change, a silver earring, and assorted junk.

The whole time I'm thinking: Gee, I could have found this much, with zero effort, if I'd just plied the regular sand @ the inter-tidal zone.

In fact, at the exact time we were trying all this, at Lovers Point Pacific Grove, CA: The beach was a tad lower (ie.: a "cut"). So we detected the cut during that time, and ended up getting lots more THERE (even old silver coins), than we ever got under the water. Doh.

So that spelled the end of my aspirations to scuba for md'ing.

The only exceptions I could think of, when it comes to fumble fingers losses (as opposed to mel fisher type wreck diving) , is if you had some isolated exception like fresh water lakes where bottom-terrain is fairly constant, yet reams of swimmers frolick. Or still-water bay-inlet-coves, like in Hawaii which mimic bathtub conditions, etc....

 

[Bquamb]

I really appreciate the posts, @Tom_in_ca & @Jason_in_Enid they are full of useful information, suggestions and experience.

I will mainly be focusing on fresh water once I have a set of diving skill and experience acquired. I used to get all the glory stories from my grandparents, as well as real life situations. I am not a reckless individual and have quite a good appreciation for risk and safety, both of which would be a primary goal even before entering the water. I have no plans on doing anything over my head and ability, hence the courses i plan on taking and really focusing on. It's not just some other hobby like fishing or detecting. This is a life or death risk every time, no doubt. So i really appreciate the realistic approach in your posts.

I know it's not ever a guarantee when we go detecting we will strike it rich, i find it's the opposite, 99% trash to 1% treasure but i just love getting out and the thrill of actually finding something is always the cherry on top. I know for certain their are 10 or so rings that i know of on the bottom of the river i'll be one day hunting. It's a large Lakeside unity and we all know the stories of the lost ring/ watch/ sunglasses/ beer.... And I want to find it. Even if it's a dive cleaning the river bed, i just love to explore and see the lesser seven things in life. Always go against the grain traditionally but i always learn from what i do right and wrong. I hope to keep what i learn in scuba to be right every time. Too much to risk and lose.

As for water machines, Excal 2 and the CTX seem to be the most used 10-30ft machines i have seen online. What were you two, and everyone else who chimes in using?

 

[Jason in Enid]

As for water machines, Excal 2 and the CTX seem to be the most used 10-30ft machines i have seen online. What were you two, and everyone else who chimes in using?

For anything beyond wading, the excal is your only option unless you want a PI.

 

[johnwon2]

For anything beyond wading, the excal is your only option unless you want a PI.

I agree that Excal is probably best, because PI in my mind is for salt and not fresh water. I don't scuba with mine, but have the Tesoro Tiger Shark for under water. I think the Excal is the better choice though.