HUNTING THE TIDES

[tabjunkie]

Got to the beach yesterday at full high tide. There was only 50 ft. or so of dry sand to hunt,so I start finding
coin spills from where towels were laying. I start following the tide out a bit and walk a line where larger rocks
and debris was deposited. High tide line Right? Anyway, I start hitting quarters following this line and they seem
to have been on the beach a while (not all shiney but black and tarnished). I move down further as the tide is going
out and start to find aged nickels and further still pennies and then dimes. I'm guessing that the heavier coins stay
higher up on the beach. Is that accurate to say? And if so, why would you not find rings higher up on the beach
after the tide has fallen as they weigh close to quarters or nickels. I always read posts from guys hunting the surf and
finding all the gold but not much from the beach area. Any better suggestions or tactics I could use to improve my finds?
Oh Yea! I did manage to eyeball a nice digital camera that I returned to a guy walking back toward me.

 

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[Sandman]

You might think gold rings weigh about the same as quarters, but the weight is in a smaller package or more dense so they won't be in the same areas.

http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

 

[bigscoop]

Ah....good topic!
Coins have more surface area so they are easier for the water to move around, they are flat and fairly light. Quality rings on the other hand, are heavier with less surface area so it is harder for the water to move them. These rings will also sink faster and deeper then the typical coin, which is why you hear so many experienced beach hunters desiring machines that hunt as deep as possible. Hope this simple explanation helps.

 

[tabjunkie]

Thanks for the link Sandman. Already got it in my favorites! Thanks bigscoop. I knew somehow
science would come into play

 

[petersra]

From what you described you were probably finding coins that were eroded out of the dry sand area of the beach and are being eroded toward deeper water. Although jewelry is lost in the dry sand sometimes, more often it is lost in the water when someone is swimming..... Jewelry may be thrown up onto the upper part of the beach in a big storm with high waves, but usually, it sinks down into the sand where it is lost or is pulled out toward deeper water with normal wave action. If you are finding coins, the gold is there, just keep looking and it will show up in your scoop one of these days. I am sure I find way over 100 coins for every piece of gold I find. Just thinking about the last time I found gold, it could be as high as 500 coins or more for each piece of gold. Persistence pays off. HH, Ralph

 

[digum smacks]

great topic. yes coins have more surface area.i find rings drop and are dug in deeper than an alabama tick.its like they are almost alive and thinking and just dig their way down to the hard pack

 

[bigscoop]

Here's something else you might want to consider.....especially if you are relying on tones to I.d. possible gold targets. Depending on factors like depth, ground mineralization, grade of gold object, size and shape of the object, it is very possible that you might be passing up some gold targets because they are responding with a tone that is different then the one are expecting to hear. "Don't rely on a simple air test to try to determine what 'gold tone' to listen for" because everything is subject to change once your same gold test objects are placed in the ground. Using a CZ-20 as an example, I've even found gold targets that responded as iron. It's a long learning curve and it takes time to get a feel for these things and the way your machine responds to them depending on it's settings, ground conditions, size and shape of the target, angle of target, etc.

Maybe Treasure Hunter, Tom from C.A., or another forum member can explain this issue for you in greater detail.

 

[erikk]

The bottom line is when hunting the water-dig every target. If U look at the hunters that post their finds of rings and other gold you will also see a mountain of other junk. You cannot rely on tones alone if you are going to be successful, consider them an aid but in the end IF YOU CAN HEAR IT DIG IT

 

[bigscoop]

There are so many little details to learn in this hobby, but important details just the same. I don't think it is critical that an Mder knows all the technical inner details about his machine, but I do think it is very critical that he understands how his machine responds to the various situations and conditions he's going to encounter in the field. It's like your wife or husband, you may not understand all the inner workings, but after enough time spent together you sure learn to understand the end result, so much so that you can often predict their responses and actions in certain situations and under certain conditions. It all just takes time and a lot of trial and error. Learn your machine well, learn all you can about the objects you're wishing to find and how different environments effect the hunting of these things, but even and then, "When in doubt, dig!"