Beach Hunting Tips for 600?

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

I have a pretty good handle on relic hunting with the 600. I’ll be beach hunting for the first time with the 600 later this month in the Outer Banks, NC.

My last detector did quite well in the dry sand, but not so much in the wet. I plan on going no further than a couple feet deep in the ocean if I get a couple calm days, maybe out to a couple sand bars at low tide, but most likely wet/dry sand hunting.

Any tips for maximizing results at the beach?

What kind of depth should I expect in dry, wet sand, in the water? Can I / should I crank sensitivity? There are usually only small occasional patches of black sand at my favorite beach.

Many thanks!

 

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[hunt2day]

I just went to the beach with my 600 and used the preset beach 1 and 2. The detector was very stable and I was very impressed. I did not dig much as they had just filled the beach with new sand. I did detect some pennies that were about 6 inches deep, and a pair of sunglasses, fishing stuff and a few small pieces of unknown junk. I was very happy with how stable it was in both dry sand, wet sand and the water. I think you will be happy ! By the way there is no black sand in my area of Florida so I cannot comment on that.

 

[vferrari]

You can get away with just about any mode in the dry sand but the pickings will be slim there as you can only rely on fresh drops. In damp sand use beach 1 (or switch to beach 1 if you get a lot of falsing). In wet sand/surf use Beach 2 and consider using tracking GB because surf constantly varies the salinity concentration and ground balance point. Crank sensitivity as high as you can while running stable because there is a wide variation in detectable deth vs. sensitivity in sand. Look for cuts on the tide line or packed sand.
Check your dig holes to see if there is a target pattern. If you are able to pull deep nickels or fishing sinkers then it will only be a matter of time before you hit some gold if it is there. Beach hunting is an art form that relies mostly on one's ability to read the beach for erosion points than detecting skill. HTH.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

You can get away with just about any mode in the dry sand but the pickings will be slim there as you can only rely on fresh drops. In damp sand use beach 1 (or switch to beach 1 if you get a lot of falsing). In wet sand/surf use Beach 2 and consider using tracking GB because surf constantly varies the salinity concentration and ground balance point. Crank sensitivity as high as you can while running stable because there is a wide variation in detectable deth vs. sensitivity in sand. Look for cuts on the tide line or packed sand.
Check your dig holes to see if there is a target pattern. If you are able to pull deep nickels or fishing sinkers then it will only be a matter of time before you hit some gold if it is there. Beach hunting is an art form that relies mostly on one's ability to read the beach for erosion points than detecting skill. HTH.

Thx V. Do you disc out any numbers at the beach? Or dig anything from 1 on up? You have mentioned aluminum drink seals. Any common beach trash VDI’s?

 

[cudamark]

Scoop anything non-ferrous. Beach 2 works best in the water. Beach 1 in the wet or dry sand. You might also try Gold 1 in the dry. It's an interesting mode there. I run the basic program and crank the sensitivity up as high as it will stand. If there's not much iron or trash, I lower the recovery speed to 3 or so for added depth. Around the fire rings I'll bump it way up......to 8 sometimes depending on how bad it is. With you having the 600, that would mean 1 and 3 respectively I guess.

 

[ColonelDan]

You can get away with just about any mode in the dry sand but the pickings will be slim there as you can only rely on fresh drops. In damp sand use beach 1 (or switch to beach 1 if you get a lot of falsing). In wet sand/surf use Beach 2 and consider using tracking GB because surf constantly varies the salinity concentration and ground balance point. Crank sensitivity as high as you can while running stable because there is a wide variation in detectable deth vs. sensitivity in sand. Look for cuts on the tide line or packed sand.
Check your dig holes to see if there is a target pattern. If you are able to pull deep nickels or fishing sinkers then it will only be a matter of time before you hit some gold if it is there. Beach hunting is an art form that relies mostly on one's ability to read the beach for erosion points than detecting skill. HTH.

This advice is right on target!

Learn to read what the beach is telling you. Adjust your 600 to suit your particular conditions as Vfarrari advises. Go slow and methodically. Grid the area...N/S then E/W. When you find a target, spiral out from it...there could be more targets along that same line. In the dry sand, hit the areas around the beach entrance, areas of activity e.g. volley ball nets and along the "towel line." In the wet sand, hit the walk line, any scalloped, low and cut areas. Keep an eye out for black sand and hard pan...that's where a lot of good targets hang out. In the surf, look for trenches and low spots at a depth where most people play....low tide is best for this. When you start finding the heavy stuff, like fishing weights and quarters, stay there until you've "cleaned it out."

As for discrimination, I use all metal and let the tones tell me what's down there. Target masking is not your friend so you'll be digging alot.

Remember, this is a game of odds. Do your best to put those odds in your favor as best you can by applying all of the above.

Good luck...

 

[vferrari]

Thx V. Do you disc out any numbers at the beach? Or dig anything from 1 on up? You have mentioned aluminum drink seals. Any common beach trash VDI’s?

As others have mentioned, do not disc anything, run all metal, scoop all non-ferrous. You will dig bottlecaps, you will dig pull tabs, you will dig cans and can slaw, ketchup packets, and you will dig the dreaded foil freshness seal. Just scoop it and move on. There are tricks to to ID bottlecaps and cans and other foil trash using target interrogation techniques, but they are subtle (meaning you need a lot of beach swing hours to learn the tonal clues) or time consuming (use pinpoint mode to see if that sweet quarter tone turns into a beer can based on the target footprint) and not 100% fool proof. So just scoop it all and move on. You will need a heavy duty long handled scoop in the tideline or surf heavy wet sand. If you venture into the surf, be aware that coil drag, target recovery, and wave action will wear you out so stay safe, watch out for holes and rogue waves, tether EVERYTHING to yourself, and don't venture in if you are not a strong swimmer or don't have a rescue buddy keeping an eye on you. Wetsuit and waterproof, wired phones are a must if you go in beyond the tide line because you will invariably go down and dunk those phones. Stay safe! HTH.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Finally made it to the beach. The 600 is super stable on the NC coast. Seems like I can run just about any mode on the wet or dry sand. Comfort level had me bouncing between my Field2 go to mode and Beach2, both with iron on. I ended up sticking with Breach2, sensitivity all the way to 24. I did move recovery to the middle setting as I like to cover a lot of sand quickly.

Interesting observations. My Garrett rang bottle caps in the dime range. The 600 is hitting them from 15-19 on the beach. Everything is deep this time of year, no recent drops. Amazed at a super strong 13-14 signal an easy 20” deep in wet sand (pull tab unfortunately)

Tried hunting in the drink for the first time. Went out at low tide and targeted a stretch of beach that was relatively calm.(still 1-2’ waves breaking 20’ into the beach, not bathtub calm FL beaches up here for sure). Went out to knee deep. Had a hard time sweeping the coil because of the resistance of the water and the wave motion made it hard to keep the coil on the sand, almost felt like it wanted to float. When I did hit a good tone I had the target swept away booth into the beach and out to the ocean. I had a bit of a crowd gathered on the beach watching, It must have been an amusing scene watching me struggle. The juggling of the scoop and detector in the waves is a challenge. In the dirt I set my detector down when i decide to dig, definitely have a lot to learn.

 

[ColonelDan]

You can get away with just about any mode in the dry sand but the pickings will be slim there as you can only rely on fresh drops. In damp sand use beach 1 (or switch to beach 1 if you get a lot of falsing). In wet sand/surf use Beach 2 and consider using tracking GB because surf constantly varies the salinity concentration and ground balance point. Crank sensitivity as high as you can while running stable because there is a wide variation in detectable deth vs. sensitivity in sand. Look for cuts on the tide line or packed sand.
Check your dig holes to see if there is a target pattern. If you are able to pull deep nickels or fishing sinkers then it will only be a matter of time before you hit some gold if it is there. Beach hunting is an art form that relies mostly on one's ability to read the beach for erosion points than detecting skill. HTH.

99% of my hunting is on Florida beaches and what vferrari advises is all true...especially the part of learning to read the beach. You'll need to invest time and frequent visits to the beach to learn those techniques/lessons.