How Quickly Things Change/Sand

bigscoop · Apr 13, 2013

Have been hunting a couple of troughs lately, meager pickings but hitting enough to keep things interesting. A bit of a pain because of the currents and swells but also relaxing at the same time, if that makes any sense. Yesterday I stepped into the one of those troughs and started working it back and forth, just like always, about chest deep as usual. And then suddenly, there was no bottom! In fact, my feet never hit bottom after I went under, that hole just went straight down. After a swell helped me to escape the predicament curiosity caused me to checkout the actual size of the hole, which wasn't there prior to the last tide change. The hole was about 50 feet long and maybe 30 feet across, a large hole that was created during a single tide change. I have no idea how deep it was, maybe 8 feet or so. I should have seen it coming but I was already comfortable in that trough, let my guard down and was allowing my mind and eyes to wonder about other things.

Now I was never in any real danger on this day, shallow water being close at hand at all four sides of me, but the point I'm making is that "a whole lot of sand" got moved with just a single tide change and it is something you encounter quite often when hunting the troughs over here, especially when coming out of the monthly negative cycle or when a strong southeast or northeast wind has been driving water into the beach for day or more, both of which we had just experienced. Just a word of caution to those who enter these waters, "never let your guard down" as things can change in heartbeat.

GTzer · Apr 13, 2013

Only takes one tide. Sounds like a good place to fish on the next tide though.
Always good to bring up the safety points. Consider that another tide could make this a quick sand hazard for a while.
Glad you're ok. Thanks for posting this.

Beach Papa · Apr 13, 2013

You might need a scuba tank to see what is in the bottom of that hole. I found a similar hole, maybe 7' deep behind some rocks. Out of curiosity I stuck my detector out and down as deep as I could and did get a nice solid signal, but had no way to recover the target since it was quite a bit over my head and I was not equipped to dive for it. By the time I came back prepared to search the hole, it was gone...... Glad you are safe. HH to ya. Papa

bigscoop · Apr 13, 2013

This should also provide an interesting observation for a lot of hunters on just how much sand can get moved about with no real effort. Given what it was the day before, this newly developed hole represented a 50' x 30' x 4' (additional depth) area of beach. On the flip side, there were also two other areas that I had been hunting that were several hundred feet long and at least 30 feet wide and about 4 foot deep they got "nearly" completely filled in with one just one changing of the tide. So when we think about heavier items being lost in these shifting sands it's easy to see why they disappear into the depths so quickly.

Sandman · Apr 13, 2013

Norm of http://web.archive.org/web/20080202045558/http://thegoldenolde.com/ fame told me to be on the look out for these deep holes and to wear a floatation vest just in case. I was only able to dive on only one such trough with good luck, but that was 20 years ago.

bigscoop · Apr 13, 2013

It's amazing how steep these holes can be, which is why I always try to keep my coil in contact with the bottom. Usually you can spot these likely holes just by observing the surface currents ahead of you, but not always. I don't think I'll be doing anymore "dark water" hunting in these troughs without a PDF of some type. This marked the first time I've stepped into a hole and not been able to hit bottom.

s1u2r3f4 · Apr 13, 2013

Hope you wear a PFD! I just got one.

bigscoop · Apr 13, 2013

s1u2r3f4 said:
Hope you wear a PFD! I just got one.

I'll be looking at some. :icon_thumleft:

Treasure_Hunter · Apr 13, 2013

Be careful out there Scoop, I was hunting the backside of the outer sandbar at Daytona one day, got a nice low growl that gold usually makes on an Excal, while trying to recover it the back wall of sand bar gave way and I sunk like a rock, holding a 6 lb scoop and 5 pound detector it wasn't hard to sink, it was only about 8 feet deep, problem was eveytime I tried to walk back up the wall of sandbar it gave way, I couldnt swim with scoop and detector, I was on the verge of letting my scoop and detector go when I managed to get a good footing and walk back up.....

Drowning is not an option in this hobby.....