Newbie needs advice for shallow saltwater and beach detecting

[spearmark]

Hello All!! I've been reading posts for awhile and have decided to take the next step and buy a machine. I would really appreciate peoples' advice regarding what kind of shallow water detector to purchase that would suit my beach needs also. I live in Stuart, FL and will mostly be detecting both beaches and shallow areas off the beaches (I am a certified diver with lots of experience and a boat). Any information relating to specific detectors, good places to look for used detectors, or just advice on actually detecting in these types of areas is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[Chi Town Bruce]

Welcome weed hopper, take your first step right in your back yard.
And join a club! http://www.tcas.us/index.html

 

[Chi Town Bruce]

I'm a member of this Club just south of you http://www.apex-ephemera.com/gctc/

Two great Clubs.

 

[tincansam]

 

[biggmike]

There are a lot of opinions on this subject but as far as detectors go I would suggest:

Garrett Sea Hunter II PI
White's Surf PI Dual Field

OR

Minelab Excalibur II
Fisher CZ-21

These are all good choices but there are plenty more. Do your research before buying anything as they are not cheap and all work differently. Same goes for your scoops. I had been using the same CZ20 for 14 years with no problems but when it needed to be repaired they upgraded me to a CZ21 for $300 and I could not be much happier with it. Oh ya, Always dive with a buddy. Mike

 

[christian 102]

I live in bell florida and i have a whites surf pro pi. I have had it about 5 years it was reccomended to me by inquires on this site. It works and it works real good i think. I did my research for a while and that was how i came to my decesion. aprox 700.00 . I det local springs snorkeling as well as the beach.
Sept 9th i get cert for divingand look forward to going a little deeper.
Guys on here have seemingly great advise.
Tom

 

[MBbeachrat]

I started with a PI Whites Dual Field. I was digging and digging and digging. I would come home with a lot of scrap metal and some coins. Every now and then a ring. Then I got my second machine a CZ 21, then I came home with lots of coins, pulltabs and a ring now and then. Would really stay away from any PI for your first machine. They have there place but your not ready for that yet. I am also having a lot more fun. No more 2 foot digs for a fishhook. I will be starting my PI training again soon but will only use it in water knee deep or deeper. There are only a couple guys from what I have been reading on the forums who have mastered PI machines. They do great with them but they are the few!

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hello All!! I've been reading posts for awhile and have decided to take the next step and buy a machine. I would really appreciate peoples' advice regarding what kind of shallow water detector to purchase that would suit my beach needs also. I live in Stuart, FL and will mostly be detecting both beaches and shallow areas off the beaches (I am a certified diver with lots of experience and a boat). Any information relating to specific detectors, good places to look for used detectors, or just advice on actually detecting in these types of areas is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

I am just going to tell you about my saltwater detecting experience, and not suggest anything. I started hunting gold nuggets with an Garrett BFO machine in about 1977 (?), and have since bought and used a lot of different machines, including the Minelab GPX 5000.

I got stuck on the East Coast (New York) last year and could not allow time to get out to Arizona, so I asked my friend, an original member of SEAL Team 2, to teach me how to detect beaches. I got a Tesoro Sand Shark with the 8" coil at his suggestion.

It took me about 120-hours on the headphones to learn the detector's language. In that time, I dug every bobbypin, bottle cap and small piece of wire the surf could throw at me! I also dug about $57.00 in clad coins, an English and a Russian coin, five rings (two-gold), three gold bracelets, a 26-gram 14K "Cuban" chain, and some neat landlocked stuff from a farm field in upstate New York, and a old school here in town.

Good Luck!

 

[spearmark]

Thanks to all who've replied!! I realize that there are a lot of factors going into my choice of detectors, with cost playing an important part. I will definitely try to get to some local treasure hunting clubs and ask for advice there.

 

[trsrseeker]

Whites Dual Field and or Minelab Excallibur 11. Both amazing machines for their specific applications (pulse and depth versus discriminate and less depth). Whether or not you are a potential PI pro depends to some extent on your personality. Many of the better PI hunters started out with PI machines, but there are some high trash beaches where it just does not make any sense to use a PI (unless perhaps you are one of the PI pros who dig less trash than the rest of us with their PI machines because they know them so well).

Both of these machines are diving machines as well. Personally if your beaches are clean enough I would start with the Dual Field.

HH

 

[Sandman]

You should check out the books offered by W&E Treasures http://www.treasurenet.com/westeast/

Also learn from Norm http://web.archive.org/web/20090406063943/http://thegoldenolde.com/