Dangers in the sand

[RRich]

I don't think peole realize how dangerous it is to walk bare foot on the beaches in Florida. I found a three inch fish hook in the sand a few days back. Something like that could have caused some great pain and damage to unknown joggers, surfers, and regular beach goers. Like all the other real treasure hunters, I put the hook in my trash bag and hope not to get hooked when reaching in to check my findings. I find needles, rusty nails, rusty cans, and other hidden trash waiting for that unexpected piece of foot flesh to come along. So when you see an MDer out on the sands, give him a thumbs up for keeping the beaches safe.

 

[Dano Sverige]

Unlikely to ever happen except from another detectorist on holiday. People have NO idea of the clean ups we do that help them and theirs. I find knives, forks, screwdrivers, tent pegs and even a buried axe once. Unless showing the over curious both sides of your finds pouch, beach goer's are oblivious to the rubbish clearing we perform.

 

[luckymin]

I totally agree with you both. Here in Minnesota, our lake beaches are often former fishing areas. I'll find broken bits of cans, fishing lures, nails, glass bottle shards with the metal tops intact, etc. etc. etc. Of course the usual mega garbage like shot gun brass, bottle caps and pull-tabs, including many of the old style sharp ones. I keep a bucket or two in my car to empty my pouch into, and it's amazing how much nasty crap is collected in just a few days' detecting. After detecting here, I'd recommend no one EVER go barefoot swimming, even if it seems like a nice clean sandy bottom. It isn't!

 

[coinshooter]

Yes, this is what I have found in the sand and the dirt over the last 5-6 years in San Diego.

 

[coinshooter]

another

 

[Frankn]

I recently spent 3 days beach hunting. At one OC MD beach I walked up to a life guard and handed him about 6 tent stakes and several app.3" long pieces of sharp rusty wire. He thanked me.
Frank

 

[Litewings]

I believe our beaches here in NC are just as bad. I've found some pretty nasty looking needles and sharps at Wrightsville Beach.

 

[deepskyal]

Was on vacation some years back in Panama City and saw a young girl step on the back spine of a dead, burried catfish. Penetrated her foot pretty deep and they had to take her to the hospital to get it cleaned.

I wear shoes on beaches simply because I have sissy feet that don't like the burn of the sand in the sun. 8)

Al

 

[boogeyman]

My little tip o de day. Hang on to some of the lethal looking trash you recover in your bag don't chuck it. I can't count how many times I've been approached by rangers cops & lifeguards over the years. I'll pull out some of the nasty looking stuff & caution them to be careful. Everytime I get an atta boy. On one occasion I had shown a lifeguard what I had pulled up with a beach cart from around the fire rings. He called another guard over and oogled the bucket of nails & junk from people burning pallets. When the beach was closing down one of the guards rolled up in the jeep & before I could tell him I was getting ready to go, he quitely told me I could hang out. The dangerous objects are a good promotional tool.

 

[cheryl2010#]

I agree with you about the dangers in the sand. I was in Florida last week and can't tell you how many partial beer cans I dug/picked up. I also picked up about 2 handfuls of broken glass along the way. I was amazed at the amount of trash people leave after partying all day.

 

[littlebill31]

I agree. I find it horrid the amount of trash, and dangerous trash, people leave behind. It sickens me. The worst I found was the bottom half of a recently broken pickle type jar, just inside of the surf. It was a crowded beach as well. I also saw a girl shred here foot on something and had to be taken away by ambo.
Making it known to people how much trash we pick up, and showing them as well, does a huge amount of good for our hobby and the safety of beach goers.

The sparkler rods, that get rusty quick, are another serious thread.
I commend any and all that promote trash removal.

 

[Bum Luck]

Hypodermic needles............ need I say more?

 

[boogeyman]

Hypodermic needles............ need I say more?

You must hunt near Newprot Beach. South of the Santa Ana river after a storms the worst. Between the syringes & Tampax thingies you hunt with shivers running down your spine.

 

[Monty]

I live near a large inland fresh water lake. There are many sandy beachesl all along the shoreline where I have hunted one time or another. There are no restrictions on ovenight camping on the beaches and many can only be reached by boat. These are my favorite areas to hunt but it didn't take me long to discover the greatest hazard was broken glass. It is not unusual for the younger populace to have overnight beach parties with lots of suds to go around. Then it is really funny to break the beer bottles and leave them on the beach for some unsuspecting child or grown up to find, usually with a cut toe or foot. I found some really inexpensive wading shoes at my local Wal Mart that has heavy rubber soles to prevent cuts. I always wear them when hunting beaches and shallow water. They are easy on and off, light weight and zip up one side. I highly recommend them. Monty

 

[kevkirki]

nice .50 cal coinshooter

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

Was hunting a beach in southern Illinois a few years back. While digging a target up came a very large and jagged broken milk bottle.

I took it over to the life guard as I didn't see a trash container to dump it in.
When I approached her and she saw the broken bottle she said she was about to ask us to leave, but seeing what we retrieved she had decided we could stay.

It does pay to clean up the areas you hunt in. Rick

 

[Chug And Red]

This Morning As we were Leaving On of Our Favorite area to Hunt The Supervisor For the City Cleaning Crew Stopped Us To ask A few Questions About Metal Detecting!!!! He was totally Surprised Buy the Fact That We Can Find Gold!!!!
Then We Showed Him Everthing else We Find Including the Fish Hooks ,Glass Shards Which we pick Up and Sharp Metal objects torn aluminum cans< Rusty Nails Etc He Thanked Us For Picking Them Up And Wished Us Luck!!! As His Crew eating there Lunch Were Eying the Bikinis!!!! Regular routine Around Here!!!

 

[Zephyr]

And the next time your local city council (or whatever) brings up banning MDing, bring in a pile of those nasty sharp objects and say "We find more of this stuff than coins. The only thing that will find them better is a child's bare feet." (And try to get the local paper to run a photo of the NSO's, too.)

(Please note that this may backfire, as they'll probably pass a law to make everybody wear shoes at all times.... )

 

[cntrydncr1]

When I see how many very large fish hooks I clean up then it makes me wonder how it is I havent' cut my own feet yet. I do wear booties more often than not though. I know it is really not smart to detect barefooted.

 

[Chug And Red]

We are extremely careful in the sand and NEVER go barefoot. It galls me to see parents telling their kids"Take off your shoes, don't want to ruin or lose them" Yea right, and yet they are the ones screaming the loudest when their little darlings get hurt! Being a diabetic, and having one leg going numb makes you stop and think! Red