Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II

[sprailroad]

Any thoughts on the Garrett Mark II. I've detected some 25+ years, on land. Have always wanted to do a little water hunting, shallow water only, and will start with learning to snorkel, the AT Pro should work find with what I'll be doing I think, knee to waist deep. If I find I really enjoy it, and build up enough confidence, the snorkel will come into play. The Mark II is the least expensive, $600, which will be find for my plans, it is a PI detector, of which I have never used, learning curve? Again, if you have or do use the Garrett Mark II, thoughts?

 

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[dewcon4414]

I dont use the machine....... but i assume you will be fresh water hunting when you talk about using the AT Pro. If so yes.... good choice at the price and has a TID screen. Being single freq will increase your chances for smaller gold targets ect. Just remember the PI is a DUMB machine..... it sees it beeps on ALL metal. Unlike salt water it takes forever for things to desolve........ flooding really can increase the amount of trash as well. As a dirt hunter you may have the patience for digging everything. You also have to think of HOW you plan on recovery......as well as the use of a magnet so you can find those tiny specks of iron. Also...... choose wisely because you dont have a coil or headphone swap its hard wired. A used Finny with several coils and a lower Us might be a better choice.

 

[FLORIDA KEYS PIRATE]

I'm thinking the Sea Hunter Mark II will be my next machine for Gulf beach hunting. The price is right , and there's not much trash in the water where I like to hunt. Anyone know how it handles black sand ?

 

[cudamark]

If you're hunting fresh water, the AT Pro will work good for you. Salt water is a different animal. The Sea Hunter, like most PI machines, will work fine.......if you like to dig every single sound. That means, if you have an iron infested beach, you're going to go crazy. If you want discrimination and not dig iron, you're going to have to step up in price. The best ones for salt water are the Minelab Excalibur, CTX, and Fisher CZ21. There are other multifrequency machines that will work also, but, they're not totally waterproof. Use them at your own risk! One misstep and you're looking to get a new one.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Don't waste money! If you are hunting FRESH water - Tesoro TIGER Shark. Saltwater PI - Tesoro SAND Shark.

 

[sprailroad]

Thank you for the reply's fella's. My water hunting will most likely be infrequent, and most all of that will be fresh water. My thought was at some point have a dedicated machine for water, different tools for different jobs. If I were to EVER to become more confident in it, meaning staying underwater longer than a deep breath, (snorkel or even one day an air tank) then I thought the Mark II, because of the price for the amount of time used. I know only about PI detectors by what I've read, those being used by guys who actually dive or hunt in serf. Also, the rare times I do go to the coast, I could leave the wet sand and go at least knee deep or so, and if dropped, I did not just fry a $1000 detector such as the Safari. It SEEMS like the Mark II does have Discrimination on it, two types in fact, If I could cancel out most iron, that would be a nice thing. If I were to spend most of my time at costal beaches, in water, than cudamark is right, and I could justify the prices for them. But for now, I'm just starting this (new to me) area of detecting, and at one step at a time. Terry, about the Tesoro Sand Shark, I know of it by name only, I will read up on it. If there is a question in regards to metal detecting or equip. used or preferred, such as my question posted, T-Net is a good place to start.

 

[ColonelDan]

I did a focused report on the discrimination capability of the SH Mark II for Kellyco awhile back. You may find it somewhat useful.

https://www.kellycodetectors.com/catalog/fieldtests/index/view/id/105

Good hunting....

 

[sprailroad]

ColonelDan OF the 11th ACR "Blackhorse", good infro. Thank you.

 

[sprailroad]

Don't waste money! If you are hunting FRESH water - Tesoro TIGER Shark. Saltwater PI - Tesoro SAND Shark.

Terry, went to the KellyCo site and looked them up, how did I miss those? Having read a couple of reviews, perhaps in the future the "Tiger Shark" may be MY best bet, I see it's not a PI, but operates at 12.5 freq. whereas the "Sand Shark" is a PI detector. In the couple of reviews, one did say that the "Tiger" did very well in salt water, and my time at a costal beach would be small. On the dry sand, and the wet, (out of the surf) I do like my FBS Safari, but of coarse, if to go out into the surf say knee deep, to somehow drop it, would be to kill it. And so, bottom line is that I will need to decide. Baby steps first, the AT Pro to get my "feet wet" in a manner of speaking, for fresh water, perhaps chest high, and stay on dry/wet sand with the Safari at the coast. If at a later date I become serious about fresh water hunting, again, the "Tiger". Now, I'll look into wet suits, the high chest waders are fine for knee deep water, because most area's here are rocky, and will need to get down on one knee with pinpointer, any thing deeper with chest waders, should one step into a hole or slip and fall, he would then be wearing an anchor, not good. Great great help fella's, thank you. You guys are kind of like a "Consumer Reports" of metal detecting.

 

[Jim in MA]

Don't waste money! If you are hunting FRESH water - Tesoro TIGER Shark. Saltwater PI - Tesoro SAND Shark.

Listen to Terry. I am a diver and have been detecting while diving for 6 years 30 to 50 dives a year, I have a Infinium and an Excal . I have used the Infinium once!!! you have a limited amount of time on the bottom and to spend it chasing every piece of hair pin , nails, beer caps, and screws, that are on the bottom and will not rust away like in salt water. As for the discrimination part of the SH 11, I dont know how it works and if it did what you say or want many many more people would be using them. the only PI detector that I know is the ATX witch has a iron check and a healthy price tag.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Stick with the AT Pro until you need more. Then, I suggest NOT going with a PI machine. I use a CZ-21 now (salt water), and more than half the targets I find sound off as solid IRON. I don't dig iron... I really have no interest in rusty bottle caps, nails, screws, and piece of sparklers from the 4th. Some people like to dig old rusty bits of bombs... I do not. I am looking TREASURE (silver, gold, or coins).

I used a PI machine briefly back when I was water hunting with my AT Pro, and it was like being tossed into detecting hell. To escape I needed to find the golden key in a beach littered with bits of pull tabs, bottle caps, nails, sinkers, hooks, etc. I could see I would be there for eternity digging every bit of trash, and quickly handed the machine back! I was using an AT Pro at the time and found a huge honking gold ring in the water the same day. Might have missed it digging all that trash until sunset with a PI machine. And the AT Pro is considered almost bare minimum for salt water so go figure!

Happy hunting.

 

[sprailroad]

flgliderpilot, sound advice, and I'm taking it. It is pretty much the thought I have come to. Yesterday gave some shallow water hunting a good go, not as easy as you fella's make it look, but everything has a learning curve. I know now I want to do more.

 

[dewcon4414]

Jim, many PIs with a pulse delay will disc by turning up the delay. Learning where targets are disc out helps....... but ive never liked guessing at what that target was i left. The Finny has a HI-LO disc.