Is there really NO beach area near Miami to detect?

[Newtzlaw]

I have foolishly lugged my detector and my son's new detector (Christmas gift) to Florida, thinking I would do the research here about specifically where to go. It seems as if in 2013, they've made it illegal on even the state beaches. My mistake for not figuring this out before arriving here. I guess I'm up for a drive if anyone has any last minute, quick suggestions for me! Really wanted to have an adventure with my boy.

Please chime in. Willing to drive a couple hours in any direction.

Thanks. Newtzlaw

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Can you cite any link to what you're saying, that you "can't detect on state of Florida beaches" ? (Miami area or otherwise) Because last-I-saw, there is no shortage of md'rs plying the beaches of Florida.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

You can detect any Miami beach area, as long as it is NOT in a state (or is it National?) park.
Drive to S. Beach, Nikki beach, 5th ave, anywhere along there. park and PAY, make sure you are not in a tow zone and make sure you PAY for parking, (they are notorious for towing down here). As soon as you hit the sand, turn on the tekkers and go have at it.

There's also a park or 2 headed north, somewhere around 70th ave, I think. I stay more north of Miami, or I'd come down and show you.
You shouldn't have any problems, other than finding parking. Get there EARLY, for choice parking spots along S.Beach.
Good luck and get out there!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Newtzlaw, your wrong, you can hunt the beaches all around Miami. There are over 650 miles of beaches in Florida and 99% are open for detecting....

North and South Beach Miami, Key Biscayne, Hollywood, FT Lauderdale beaches are all open for detecting as are beaches between them....

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Newtzlaw, your wrong, you can hunt the beaches all around Miami. There are over 650 miles of beaches in Florida and 99% are open for detecting....

North and South Beach Miami, key Biscayne, Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale all open for detecting..

TH, SSSHHHHHH on the Hollywood/Ft. Laud area, those is my stomping grounds...... or should I say litter box

I cleaned Hollywood out, living on the beach last summer, nothing there no more, not even bobbie pins,
trust me, stay south, my son, stay south......

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

TH, SSSHHHHHH on the Hollywood/Ft. Laud area, those is my stomping grounds...... or should I say litter box

I cleaned Hollywood out, living on the beach last summer, nothing there no more, not even bobbie pins,
trust me, stay south, my son, stay south......

Oops, I forgot you cleaned it out.. *wink*

 

[Newtzlaw]

Here is one link that sounded pretty discouraging. There are others, but I'm not out to prove a point or anything. I'm just looking for a place to go.

Florida puts kibosh on sandy treasure hunting - Watchdog.org

 

[Newtzlaw]

Thank you for the help!!!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'm sure that anyone, if they look long enough and hard enough, asking enough bored purist archies (like were probably consulted for that article), that you can ALWAYS find dire wording for any location. But if you read closely, you can tell it's just not so. For example, here's a quote pulled from your link:

"While it’s legal to use metal detectors at Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coast state parks, Drayton told Florida Watchdog, treasure hunters have to get permission from the park manager and hunt only on the dry, sandy beach between the high water line and the sand dune."


As you can see, it's not illegal in State parks. And I have my doubts about having to "get permission from park managers". We have that in CA state park wording, but ... no ... you don't need permission

And as for the "between high water and sand dune", I'm thinking someone can come along and clarify that (as it seems to disclude the inter-tidal wet zone). I'm certain that the inter-tidal wet zone is hunted all the time there.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

post-script: when you went to do google key-word searches for Florida metal detecting, just curious: Didn't you also find numerous ones to reveal that the beaches there are detected ad-nauseum ? So what made you gravitate to this one, and conclude it must be true ?

I think "bad news" is a little like shark-attack (or plane crash) news: No matter how statistically rare, human nature gravitates to the worst possible news. And fears that it's imminent, dangerous to fly or swim, etc... Same for md'ing: If 100 links showed it's "no problem", yet a single link (by an over-zealous archie ) is the one people read and assume "must be true".

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

I'm sure that anyone, if they look long enough and hard enough, asking enough bored purist archies (like were probably consulted for that article), that you can ALWAYS find dire wording for any location. But if you read closely, you can tell it's just not so. For example, here's a quote pulled from your link:

"While it’s legal to use metal detectors at Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coast state parks, Drayton told Florida Watchdog, treasure hunters have to get permission from the park manager and hunt only on the dry, sandy beach between the high water line and the sand dune."


As you can see, it's not illegal in State parks. And I have my doubts about having to "get permission from park managers". And as for the "between high water and sand dune", I'm thinking someone can come along and clarify that (as it seems to disclude the inter-tidal wet zone). I'm certain that the inter-tidal wet zone is hunted all the time there.

Ok, a for instance..... John Lloyd State Park, Dania Bch, south side of Port Everglades canal, it is a state park and the park police/rangers WILL NOT let you hunt the sand(high tide line and back), no matter how much you beg. The water, on the other hand (high tide line on out) is free game to anyone.
NOW, if that water line was up around the 1700 fleet wreck/claim site area, then you better not get in that water. Someone has a legal claim to that area, they would be the one you better get permission from, and even then, you don't keep what you find, you give it all to the claim holder, for legal processing.

The park I was mentioning around 70th (I believe) is a parking lot park, you pay to park (is all) There is also Haulover park and Hallandale park (north end of Dade cty), they are okay to detect, they are public parks, for parking and beaching.
If you have to PAY an entrance fee to a park, like at John Lloyd, you probably can't detect the sand, just the water.
If you pay just to park, you're ok.
You're ok in 99.9% of Miami beach, just don't be harrassing and tekkering next to them high dollar paying tourist at the posh resorts(Fontaine Blu, Trump Towers, etc......) Gotta do them beach bungalow chairs at dawn.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Here is one link that sounded pretty discouraging. There are others, but I'm not out to prove a point or anything. I'm just looking for a place to go.

Florida puts kibosh on sandy treasure hunting - Watchdog.org

That is a horrible article with zero research and it's old. IIRC it was one FL politician who wanted to restrict or ban detecting, and there was such a huge out-cry that absolutely nothing ever came from it.

The only thing you have to worry about are the treasure leases. There is a stretch (sorry I cant remember exactly where) that is leased by treasure salvers and it IS illegal to detect in the water along that stretch, but you have the whole upper beach to detect in that zone.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...The water, on the other hand (high tide line on out) is free game to anyone.
....

Interesting pat-tekker-cat. For the inter-tidal wet zone to be wide open, seems to contradict the link. This just goes to show what Jason says: A horrible article with little basis. Way-too-many quotes from bored purist archies. Who OF COURSE they paint anything to do with md'ing in a "dire light". They hate detectors afterall. Hence I put very little stock into what some archies say.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

The water, on the other hand (high tide line on out) is free game to anyone.

Interesting pat-tekker-cat. For the inter-tidal wet zone to be wide open, seems to contradict the link. This just goes to show what Jason says: A horrible article with little basis. Way-too-many quotes from bored purist archies. Who OF COURSE they paint anything to do with md'ing in a "dire light". They hate detectors afterall. Hence I put very little stock into what some archies say.

And my above quote, could be taken outta context, if applied to the treasure coast claim beaches.
I believe it is the high tide line (could it been low tide line ) and out. It was sooooo many yrs ago that ranger told me that. No one owns the ocean past that tide line (unless it is federal g'ment, state, claim, etc....). He sure would not let me tekker that sand!
He did let me help him dig turtle eggs outta a low lie-ing clutch, to be re-buried higher, where they would be safe.
That was pretty cool, for an early morning adventure.

Oh yeah, STAY OUT of them little marked off turtle clutch/hatches/nest areas. That's a big no-no and hefty fines

 

[Harley]

That's not true. You can detect from the dunes end to the tide line.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

That's not true. You can detect from the dunes end to the tide line.

Okay, clarification, please..... where?
In Palm Bch cty, John Lloyd St Park, all over Florida, where exactly, as I have been told different by J. Lloyd park rangers?

 

[ARC]

Public beaches are open to Metal detecting.
Private beaches are few and far between and require permission from the LAND OWNER to detect them... or you may cited for trespassing.
State owned lands are generally off limits...
I say "generally" because MOST do not allow metal detecting...
BUT... some do...
And the only way to know this is to approach a park ranger ONLY and ask if they allow it or not...
Some will require you to fill out a permit form and explain certain rules that apply to that particular park... Particularly to the "areas" where you can and cannot detect.

Alright now... these are ALWAYS off limits... with no exception and "crossing" into these areas with a detector in your hand OR even in some cases in your car... a serious offense.
NO EXCEPTION OFF LIMITS LIST>>> #1. ANY and ALL National parks or lands...
#2. Any historical grounds or lands ... both dry AND OR submerged.
#3. Basically ANY piece of dirt that you do not have expressed consent to do so.

Stick to the public beaches with lots of busy hotels and you will not go wrong.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Here it is again....Treasure leases coordinates....

On the treasure beaches itself you can legally hunt from mean low tide to toe of the dunes..

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA SITES:


INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SITES:

– North of the inlet is "Chuck’s Steakhouse", also known as Half-Reale Beach, after the large numbers of Spanish 1715 cob coins found here! Evidently one of the 1715 Fleet galleons sank just off this beach, or this is the site where one of the captains went down after loading a keelboat full of salvaged treasure and trying to make it to St. Augustine, sinking and drowning just a mile north of the inlet in his overloaded boat. The general strategy here is to metal detect the beach in the area N. of the Bonsteel Park entrance. You should be aware that many people have thrown their finds back into the ocean, not understanding that the worthless piece of "scrap" they have found is actually a heavily encrusted silver cob coin.

-- at the end of CR. 510, this beach has been the site of many Spanish coin finds. The beach is heavily metal detected, but scuba with a metal detector, and your chances of being arrested go up by 100% as this is part of a federally protected area. If you have any questions on current status (and I'm not current) contact Taffi Abt at the email below "Beach Scatter . . . Coastline!"

SEAGRAPE BEACH TO TURTLE TRAIL BEACH l-- in this area a huge galleon apparently met her fate, because much treasure has been found on the beach. Ditto the above warning for scuba though.


BEACH SCATTER PATTERNS FOR WRECK-SITES ALONG SE COASTLINE!

The dotted areas are where most treasure is found.

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GREEN CABIN WRECK, THESE SITES ARE FROM THE 1715 GALLEON FLEET, DESTROYED BY A HURRICANE. MOST OF THESE SITES UNDER ACTIVE LEASE BY MEL FISHER, THOUGH THE SHORE CAN BE ACTIVELY METAL DETECTED! THE WRECKS ARE OPEN TO SPORT DIVERS, AND MANY LOBSTERS ARE FOUND IN THE WRECKS ALTHOUGH VISABILITY IS OFTEN LIMITED!

YOU MAY CHOOSE TO WORK THESE SITES UNDER A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH TREASURE SALVORS INC.-- in general, you pay $1000 for a lease that allows you to search the area from roughly a mile N of the Sebastian Inlet (Chuck's Steak House) to roughly a mile S. of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. Leases are for a 1 year period. THESE ARE SERIOUS LEASES! You are assigned a contractor's # which must be displayed on the sides and top of your boat (this area is patrolled by the Marine & Archeology dept.'s daily; furthermore, you must keep GPS logs of where treasure is found, tag artifacts, keep a daily ship's log, log any blowholes dug, etc. You must have a DGPS (differential global position system) unit to work the leases, and it must by tuned to the Canaveral DGPS station (freq. 289).

According to information released at the May 7, 1998 Salvors Inc. meeting, 20 boats contracted for the 1997 year, one dug 1900 holes, another dug 700 and found 450 artifacts in them.

for 1998 treasure leases are as follows:

ABBR SITE DATE LEASE AREA LATITUDE LONGITUDE

CAB CABIN 1715 81R23/S27 N27°*49.800 W80°25.549

ANC ANCHOR WRECK 1715 81R46/S23 N27°48.199 W80°*24.699

CAN CANNON WRECK* 1715+ 81R438/S23 N27°48.202 N27°*47.451

ROB ROBERT WRECK* 1821 81R47/S23 N27°47.451 N27°*46.708

SPR SPRING OF WHITBY 1824 81R28/S23 N27°47.479 W80°*23.629

GCB GREEN CABIN WRK*1618 81R22/S23 N27°45.280 N27°*44.247

COR CORRIGANS WRECK 1715 81R19/S25 N27°43.800 W80°*23.799

RIO RIO MAR WRECK 1715 81R27/S23 N27°36.300 W80°*20.899

SPT SANDY POINT WRK 1715 81R20/S23 N27°35.599 W80°*19.650

POW POWER PLANT WRK UNK. S25 N27°21.199 W80°*13.650

DB DOUGLAS BEACH WRK 1715 8SL17/S26 N27°*25.299 W80°*16.500

UNK UNKNOWN WRK UNK. S23 N27°*18.999 W80°*12.300

SUR SURVEY AREAS UNK NONE N/A N/A

*The Cannon, Robert, and Green Cabin wreck-sites are sites which are intermingled wrecks. The Cannon and Robert wrecks are located within the boundaries of the Anchor Wreck, so its co-ordinates may be used, and the co-ordinates given above are for the N/S boundaries. The Green Cabin wreck is located within the boundaries of the Corrigan's wreck-site. Use the Corrigan's wreck co-ordinates to locate the Green Cabin Wreck, the N/S boundaries of the enlarged site are given in the list above.

: contact Taffi Fisher at Treasure Salvors: phone 561-589-4944. Before diving, be smart, don't land in federal prison, and at least email Taffi at*[email protected] the current status. The hide you save may be your own! In my mind, the best way to do this seriously is to get in with one of the salvage crews and work, you'll learn a lot, and have something to tell the grandkids and maybe a lot to show them as well!

ST. LUCIE COUNTY SITES:

– a huge area where the 1715 Spanish Terra Firme Galleon Fleet Capatana is thought to have blown ashore, broken up, and scattered during a fierce hurricane. Millions of dollars worth of treasure finds have been made, with sites offshore still being actively worked under treasure leases by Treasure Salvors Inc. Most finds come at the second reef line offshore, but beach diving is a popular and lucrative way to look for treasure by the salvors, although visibility can be spotty, and sharks are a problem at the extreme northern area, near the Fort Pierce Inlet.

PALM BEACH COUNTY SITES:


-- on the south side of Jupiter inlet. Spanish treasure has been found here, along with much modern jewelry.

-- one only needs to read Steven Singer's Shipwrecks of Florida to understand the importance of this lighthouse. Multitudes of ships met their fate here, before the lighthouse was erected, and many after. Spanish coins from many eras are found on the beaches, suggesting that at least three entire fleets of galleons may rest in the shifting sands just offshore. A possible explanation of why so many ships met their fate here, is that the coastline bows outward to the NE, and then begins a gradual turn to the NW, meaning the early mariner clearing Cape Florida (Key Biscayne) with a compass course of N, would hit this prominence first. It is also interesting to note that the King of Ais (an early Indian Chief) set up shop at this location to plunder the treasure of shipwrecked Spaniards, of which he and his followers killed many.

-- a small beach here occasionally turns up early-American silver coins, though none in number. A hit or miss proposition.

-- much better than the Carlin Beach for producing early-American silver coins. There may well have been an empty ship that wrecked on the beach, in the 1800's, empty ships of the period carried specie (coins) to buy a cargo to sell. Buying and selling (or trading) a cargo could be much more lucrative than simply providing transportation services, and therefore, any ship that went down with an empty hold is a possible target for the coin-hunter of today.

-- with the ultra-rich and famous frolicking here, any piece of jewelry you find could be worth a literal fortune!

-- some nice jewelry finds have been made here, especially in the pier vicinity. Perhaps the fishing crowds lose their rings when casting for the big one, who knows? At any rate, a lot of has turned up in the shallow waters around the pier! The pier is directly off the end of Hwy. 802 in Lake Worth.

-- Spanish silver cob coins have been found here by beach metal detecting, but you, the underwater hunter don't have to wait for storms to beach dive for treasure. When diving the beach, a good strategy is to go out to where the beach meets some form of bottom structure, and detect along the natural treasure-trap where the two meet.

-- if you look at maps made by the early cartographers, you'll see why they gave this place its appropriate name. Boca was an important area for the Spanish, as it appears on all their charts from the earliest times, and is unusually well charted. Perhaps a fleet met its death here, giving the Spanish cartographers ample time to know the area well. One thing is for sure, RED REEF PARK is a good place to find a Spanish coin or two!




http://www.treasuresites.com/Members/sef.htm


http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399418

 

[Terry Soloman]

Looks more like an article on Gary than anything else.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Looks more like an article on Gary than anything else.

Article has nothing to do with anyone named Gary...