I have done good in the near chest deep water, also waist deep and sometimes knee deep. It just depends. If the water is calm, I will often use the bathers as a sight and work that line without bothering bathers.
If there is surf of any size, this is often a lot of work and timing of the waves. I've also lost a bit of stuff for various wave induced reasons.
That said though, some days, the shallow water has the goods and you don't find out until you are tired and need a break from the surf.
It can sometimes be unnerving while detecting and schools of bait fish are blasting all around you, or you feel the "thump" on the coil and see a larger fish hit it a few times. Once had a manatee avoid every bather and come right up to me and turn away inches from me.
What I would like to know, is it worth it to MD with a snorkel just slightly deeper water, the point where the natural underwater cut seems to be. Like where you step off into the deep end.
PK
