Sanibel - Not what I expected

[Killer Angel]

I had an opportunity to hunt some Florida Gulf Coast beaches. No great finds, lots of coins. The one thing that surprised me was the amount of trash at Light House Beach on Sanibel Island. Along with the usual suspects of bottle tops, foil, and pull tabs were buried cans. Lots of buried cans!!! In fact, so many, it made hunting the beach near the water line pretty much a waste of time. My guess is that burying cans must be some sort of local fisherman ritual on that beach. Some of the tourist were hinked out by what we were finding. We voted it "World's Prettiest Landfill" and moved on. Luckily, the dirtballs who bury cans didn't bother with the other beach we hunted on the Island. Beautiful place, not going back.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[erikk]

A large portion of the trash was deposited by beach re nourishment, the rest is usually deposited by the "dirt ball" tourists. Really sorry you didn't go away with buckets of gold rings but that is the way it is sometimes. I am sure that your beaches are completely trash free

 

[Killer Angel]

A large portion of the trash was deposited by beach re nourishment, the rest is usually deposited by the "dirt ball" tourists. Really sorry you didn't go away with buckets of gold rings but that is the way it is sometimes. I am sure that your beaches are completely trash free

Some of our beaches are fairly clean. Then there's AC!!!!

This trash was in a more or less straight line along the high tide line. Beach replenishment it wasn't. That is, unless the dredge carefully placed all the cans along the same line. And, as trashy as the tourist may be, some of them are very good looking!!!!

I enjoyed my time there, just not this beach. At least AC gives up the goods. If not jewelry, old coins are a common find to make digging the trash worth while. And, when i say old, I mean 100 years old.

I posted this so that northerners will give the wet sand here a pass, as I'm sure most of the locals already do. It's all yours now, enjoy!!!

 

[davest]

thanks for telling it like it is. I mean I've tried to explain to visitors that there really isn't any treasure to be found here, just buried beer cans
sometimes empties in the six pack carrier 18 inches down. So the best thing is to get the word out, don't bother coming to the west coast of
florida to hunt for treasure, there are no old coins, no spanish gold, no spanish silver or anything worth finding. It's better you save your money and go to Cozemel.

I've never hunted Sanibel, but I have hunted further north and what you found is the rule, not the exception. I think the surf fishing guys bury those things as some kind of ritual. Me, I fish from a boat so I wouldn't know what the ritual is.

 

[erikk]

"This trash was in a more or less straight line along the high tide line. Beach replenishment it wasn't. That is, unless the dredge carefully placed all the cans along the same line. And, as trashy as the tourist may be, some of them are very good looking!!!!"

DUH along the high tide line like maybe it was deposited there by the HIGH TIDE
But Davest is correct-there are no gold or silver rings, coins or anything else of value to be found here (unless U are an aluminum scrapper) so it is probably best to leave your detector at home when you come down here to enjoy our nasty beaches which are free of snow and ice

 

[Killer Angel]

This was buried trash. I am a surf fisherman and i see what these guys do. Many could care less about the beach. Most likely it was surf fisherman leaving behind trashed beer cans and bait containers. Unfortunate, but the way it is. The dry sand produced the usual bottle tops and pull tabs along with some clad.

So we're on the same page, I don't like trash any more than anyone, but i accept it as part of the game. That said walking a 1/4 mile of beach and getting nothing but buried cans for two hours, then moving 1/2 mile and getting the same for an hour of digging, that's aggravation. My point, considering that FT Myers beach is closer, easier to get to, doesn't have the limited parking, not to mention the six dollar toll, and has multible times more swag losing tourist on the beach, it's a better beach to hunt. The alternative strategy to hunt Light House Beach was a non starter. In my expereince it is second only to AC in trashed beaches, and it's not that far behind. At least at AC you get a Princess as payback for kissing a lot of frogs. Which explains why it is so heavily hunted. At Light House, all you get is a sun burn.

 

[Can Slaw]

Welcome to my beaches and you are 100% incorrect on where the "Can Slaw" came from.
Two years ago they dredged Matanza Pass, a boat channel used by the commercial shrimp boats. FL law does NOT allow any alcohol on commercial shrimp boats, however they trade shrimp for beer once offshore. Not to be caught with beer cans on-board, for years and years the cans were thrown into the channel before arriving at the docks. When they dredged the channel the cans went through the dredged, got chopped up into can slaw, and then the sand was trucked to the lighthouse and a few other beaches. It will take years and years to undo the damage caused from the re- nourishment project. The remainder of the sand was pumped from Botwhich Point to Ft, Myers Beach and they are as bad as the lighthouse.

If you wonder why the cans were not thrown overboard in deep water......the shrimper DO NOT want to catch the cans in their nets where they fish, so they go overboard in shallow water.

Everybody, please come down and hunt our beaches and take plenty of can slaw home with you. Maybe in 5 years we will have clean beaches again. However they are due to dredge AGAIN this month!

For the OP, you found the can slaw in one line in the wet sand, it's EVERYWHERE. Wait until the sand moves in the deeper water, you will find just as much there. In addition the aluminum is light, is will be shallow today and move with the stronger tides next week, back into deep water.

 

[Can Slaw]

This was buried trash. I am a surf fisherman and i see what these guys do. Many could care less about the beach. Most likely it was surf fisherman leaving behind trashed beer cans and bait containers. Unfortunate, but the way it is. The dry sand produced the usual bottle tops and pull tabs along with some clad.

So we're on the same page, I don't like trash any more than anyone, but i accept it as part of the game. That said walking a 1/4 mile of beach and getting nothing but buried cans for two hours, then moving 1/2 mile and getting the same for an hour of digging, that's aggravation. My point, considering that FT Myers beach is closer, easier to get to, doesn't have the limited parking, not to mention the six dollar toll, and has multible times more swag losing tourist on the beach, it's a better beach to hunt. The alternative strategy to hunt Light House Beach was a non starter. In my expereince it is second only to AC in trashed beaches, and it's not that far behind. At least at AC you get a Princess as payback for kissing a lot of frogs. Which explains why it is so heavily hunted. At Light House, all you get is a sun burn.

You are so inexperienced on our beaches here in SW FL. First, how many surf fishermen did you see while you were here?? Outside of a couple of tourist getting a lure wet, none. Our water is to shallow, to far out for good surf fishing and it is not very common here to surf fish.

If you think Ft Myers beach is a better beach to hunt.....wrong again. 90% of the sand that was dredged from the boat channel was pumped onto FMB, only 10% of it went to Sanibel. Wait until the sand moves from FMB and a trough open up, it will be nothing but can slaw just like what you found on Sanibel. In addition, nothing being found a FMB either, too much sand right now, and when that leaves, it will be can slaw.

 

[Killer Angel]

Can Slaw, I'll make you a deal. You come north and clean AC and i'll come back south and clean Lighthouse.

I'm not upset, I was just reporting what i found. While i'll defer to your greater knowledge of the area, why no cans higher up the beach? Why no cans at FMB? Also, not one can at Bunche Beach? We hunted each of those beaches, as well as another beach on Sanibel and didn't hit any cans. Replenishment is a great explanation, but why only there and why only along one narrow 10 to 15 foot band of beach?

Interestingly, another guy reported finding cans on FMB, but we were a group of three and didn't hit any cans.

I hunt one of the most trashed beaches in the country, AC. It has 150 years of pier parts. boardwalk parts, broken ship parts, electrical connectors, copper tubing, brass shell casings etc etc etc, along with the normal stuff we find all the time. AC has also been replenished adding to the trash digging fun. The difference is, replenishment has spread the trash all over the beach. You are as likely to dig an electrical connector up by the boardwalk as you are in the water.

As for the fishing, let's see, major inlet to the Caloosahatchee River, attracting predator fish on each outgoing tide, why not fish there? Plenty of fisherman fishing the cut on the north end for just that reason. As well, fishing the causeway onto the Island.

Lastly, not trying to offend anyone, just telling what i found. Being a native Floridian I love the area. In the end, it really doesn't matter why the can trash is there, it's there and will waste any detectorist's time.

 

[Euqinu]

Can Slaw, I'll make you a deal. You come north and clean AC and i'll come back south and clean Lighthouse.


As for the fishing, let's see, major inlet to the Caloosahatchee River, attracting predator fish on each outgoing tide, why not fish there? Plenty of fisherman fishing the cut on the north end for just that reason. As well, fishing the causeway onto the Island.

I'll take that deal pops.

As for the fishing there are plenty of surf fisherman out there all the time. On the causeway, off bowditch pointe, everywhere. They just come out early in the morning and don't tend to stay all day. Go down to blind pass on a saturday morning and take a head count. you might be pleasantly surprised seeing as how the snook and red fish are really biting now.

I'm sure it's a combination of all the above. But it was interesting that the cans were buried in basically a straight line by the water. It's unfortunate that such pretty beaches have to be covered with trash. Hopefully the haul will get a lot better after the spring breakers visit.

 

[Can Slaw]

Can Slaw, I'll make you a deal. You come north and clean AC and i'll come back south and clean Lighthouse.

I'm not upset, I was just reporting what i found. While i'll defer to your greater knowledge of the area, why no cans higher up the beach? Why no cans at FMB? Also, not one can at Bunche Beach? We hunted each of those beaches, as well as another beach on Sanibel and didn't hit any cans. Replenishment is a great explanation, but why only there and why only along one narrow 10 to 15 foot band of beach?

Interestingly, another guy reported finding cans on FMB, but we were a group of three and didn't hit any cans.

I hunt one of the most trashed beaches in the country, AC. It has 150 years of pier parts. boardwalk parts, broken ship parts, electrical connectors, copper tubing, brass shell casings etc etc etc, along with the normal stuff we find all the time. AC has also been replenished adding to the trash digging fun. The difference is, replenishment has spread the trash all over the beach. You are as likely to dig an electrical connector up by the boardwalk as you are in the water.

As for the fishing, let's see, major inlet to the Caloosahatchee River, attracting predator fish on each outgoing tide, why not fish there? Plenty of fisherman fishing the cut on the north end for just that reason. As well, fishing the causeway onto the Island.

Lastly, not trying to offend anyone, just telling what i found. Being a native Floridian I love the area. In the end, it really doesn't matter why the can trash is there, it's there and will waste any detectorist's time.

The reason there is no can slaw in the dry sand...is it is washed down with the tides, but it is heaver than sand as does not wash back up. There are pleanty of cans at FMB, but right now FMB is sanded in and the cans are covered. "if" we ever get some sand moving again, there are plenty of cans under the newly deposited sand. They did not haul any sand from the dredging project to Bunche Beach, therefore no can slaw there. The reason for the 10-15 foot of cans you found at Sanibel is due to the moving sand. The cans are there, just not detectable with a detector. If you look at the lighthouse, it sits on a point. The current really rips coming around that point and deposits alot of sand. There was probably a pretty good size sandbar when you were there. When the conditions are right, that sand bar will move and the cans will show up again.

As for surf fishing, you and Euginu area a 100% right on, the Pass fishing is excellent!!! What I was referring to was fishing from the "swimming" beaches. They are too shallow for good surf fishing and that is why the passes are heavily fished. I have been detecting the swimming beaches for 16 years and most of my hunts start at first light. I have yet to see a surf fisherman with his lunch and trash and any of the swimming beaches. The inlets are great for shore fishing, but the swimming beaches are not the best for Surf fishing. However, Bunche Beach does have some good Snook fishing there at the dead fall trees, but it's to deep to metal detect in that spot.

I am not offended, I HATE these cans more than anybody. The fishermen are not to blame, it's the idiots running Lee County that take the sand from the trashiest spots on the ocean floor to pump up on what use to be our beautiful beaches. You are correct to be warning others about how terrible our beaches have become. To make it worse, they are going to dredge AGAIN staring this month. This will be the third re-nourishment project in six years.

 

[Skull and Crossbones]

I live just off Sanibel and i can relate. I have found only on chain on Sanibel. Lighthoust Beach has produced nothing but small change and trash. Yes, the beer cans are all over the place. I've detected the sand bar up and down the beach and found nothing but cans and trash. To the point that i don't even bother going back to Sanibel. FMB is not much better except in the towel line for pocket change. I've searched the Yacht Club Beach in Cape Coral and found better stuff (rings and watches). The best place is the Sanibel Causeway on the northside/bayside. The jet skiers and partiers wrestle in the water and all of the good stuff falls out of their pockets. i can stand in one spot and pick up dollars and dollars in loose change, rings, etc.

 

[Killer Angel]

We've got the same problem with replenishment in NJ. It is a double edged sword in places like AC. The dredged sand covers the 100 year old goodies, but can also place 100 year old goodies on the beach. About two or three weeks ago a hunter found a Gold Cameo Ring circa 1900 in the shell mulch on a sanded in beach.

To make things worse, since many Jersey beaches were used for training in WW2 there are shell casings and live ammo in the dredged sand. Dredging puts this debris back on the beach. Now, a town on Long Beach Island that wants to outlaw digging more than a few inches down because of the possibility of finding live ammo. That the law would apply more to tourist's kids burying themselves in the sand than to Metal Detectorist hasn't really occurred to them. Nor has the impending public relations nightmare. The fact that people have been metal detecting those beaches since the last replenishment without anyone blowing themselves up isn't deterring a wrong headed idea. So, I'll take the boobs running Lee County any day.

 

[metaldetectorguy]

Trash on a Florida beach......unheard of.....

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

I hunted FMB once since the wifes parents are close to there... I was wondering who ran all the cans thru the wood chipper I also find it up in Volusia Co too, but not to that extent... no alcohol on commercial vessels... didn't know. The friend I know who tuna fish, trade beer way out there... they bring lots of the cheap stuff!

 

[seadoodiver]

Sanibel is a beautiful place for sure, however its really is loaded with cans, and more cans. Your not the only one. I gave up hunting there because of all the cans. Captiva is much better to hunt and play. Ft Myers beach Lynn Hall public park is loaded with bottle caps, however I have found some jewlery there.
Enjoy
Jeff
Cape Coral FL

 

[John (west central FL)]

It's not only fishermen who dispose of cans improperly. Tourists on the beach bury cans all the time. Alcohol is prohibited on most beaches so people will bury the "evidence" in the sand so the cops don't ticket them. Where I live, the cops run up and down the beach on four wheelers looking for alcohol violators. If found, the offender is ticketed and any beer found is dumped or confiscated. Most of the cans are buried at the high tide line because that is exactly where most beach goers like to sit.

 

[Diver_Down]

It's not only fishermen who dispose of cans improperly. Tourists on the beach bury cans all the time. Alcohol is prohibited on most beaches so people will bury the "evidence" in the sand so the cops don't ticket them. Where I live, the cops run up and down the beach on four wheelers looking for alcohol violators. If found, the offender is ticketed and any beer found is dumped or confiscated. Most of the cans are buried at the high tide line because that is exactly where most beach goers like to sit.

You know, it isn't fair that aluminum cans are getting all the criticism/attention. The Capri-Sun drink pouches are pretty awesome, too. What's really fun is when you dig one of these pouches infested with ants. Good times...

 

[Killer Angel]

Yeah, it's all fun until the fire ants show up!!!

The towel line at that beach wasn't overly productive. However, that's just for the day we were there. Such is the nature of dry sand hunting. Some days you hit it, and other's it hits you.

It would seem, with the toll, the nightmare traffic, and even worse parking, that there are better hunting options in the area. We got there early, but even getting off the island wasn't a walk in the park.

Are Bowditch Pointe and Lover's Key off limits? How about Barefoot Beach Park?