Techniques at How to Metal Detect a Beach?

[Coins4Cheese]

When you go metal detecting at the beach, do you grid the place, or do you just go hunting at specific area's on the beach?

 

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[extractor]

Start at the beginning... keep going straight through the middle and when you get to the end, stop.

 

[thrillathahunt]

The first thing I do when I approach a beach is OBSERVE. Look for areas where evidence indicates people have been recently. I look for areas of trash on the beach and start there. I have had luck around Life Guard towers, and areas around public showers/rest rooms. Definitely hit the high tide line.

Another words, be selective in where you detect...

 

[Sandman]

First thing you should do is read this. Norm explains it all. http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

 

[Tom_in_CA]

depends on if you are hunting dry sand random target hunting, or wet sand erosion/storm hunting. If dry sand random hunting, then ...... as thrillathahunt says.... you go where people congregated (doh!).

If wet sand storm erosion hunting, then the places "people congregate" becomes meaningless, because you don't care about that at all. You are looking for where mother nature places the targets, in her "natural riffleboard/sluicebox" effect on the beach. After a good erosion (swells combining with high tides) event, all the heavy targets can be concentrated into certain zones (irregardless of where they were lost 5, 10, 50, or 100 yrs. ago). You have to know how to read the beach to know where those spots are likely to be. Look for cuts, inverted scallop scour-outs, steep slopes, wet spots that extend further up into the dry than the surrounding areas, etc...

For wet sand erosion hunting, you zig-zag around sloppily and fastly, looking for any metal targets at all (even if just iron you hear rejected). Once you get one coin, (or iron you hear rejecting), then slow down and start to work circles around it, to see if it's part of a pattern/pocket. If not, then procede on further down the beach looking more......

 

[steve from ohio]

When you go metal detecting at the beach, do you grid the place, or do you just go hunting at specific area's on the beach?

Look for cuts where the sand is not as deep. Deep sand equals no finds for the most part.
Look for lower areas of the beach where water collects.
Go to the beach when the tide is low. Go to the waters edge or to at least knee deep when the tide is out.
Look for cuts. Always look for the cuts in the sand.
Also scout out the beach where the towel line is...where the people put down their beach towels.
Best bet to find the best stuff is in the water or in the wet sand in the cut areas.

 

[cavador del oro]

The first thing I do is research the history of the beach. Old photos from the 40's, etc. Then I try to locate those old hot spots in the modern setting. Next I hunt the places most THers ignore like the ditches, edges of parking lots now paved, etc.
--Snowy

 

[Mackaydon]

I hunt the paths and slopes leading to the beach where hikers, surfers, swimmers and walkers seem to lose everything imaginable. Then I hunt the areas where I have observed the beach goers congregate--referred to above as the towel line.
Good hunting,
Don.......

 

[andrew96]

When you go metal detecting at the beach, do you grid the place, or do you just go hunting at specific area's on the beach?

I read the waves till I find something that looks good. throw a line in, pot my rod in a sand spike, and detect around the area.

 

[rmptr]

Yep !
Norm Garnush at the Golden Olde is the man who wrote the book on beach hunting.
Someone is maintaining his site, since he has passed.

IMO, beach hunting is easily split up into two different components. Hunting the dry beach sand,
and heading into the water. Different tools advisable for each one.

Good luck !
rmptr

 

[Iron Patch]

First thing you should do is read this. Norm explains it all. http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

I remember him. Think he died just after I started detecting and this is definitely not the first time someone has posted his link for beach hunting advice!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

First thing you should do is read this. Norm explains it all. http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

Best advice you can give a new hunter!

 

[Mr.T]

depends on if you are hunting dry sand random target hunting, or wet sand erosion/storm hunting. If dry sand random hunting, then ...... as thrillathahunt says.... you go where people congregated (doh!).

If wet sand storm erosion hunting, then the places "people congregate" becomes meaningless, because you don't care about that at all. You are looking for where mother nature places the targets, in her "natural riffleboard/sluicebox" effect on the beach. After a good erosion (swells combining with high tides) event, all the heavy targets can be concentrated into certain zones (irregardless of where they were lost 5, 10, 50, or 100 yrs. ago). You have to know how to read the beach to know where those spots are likely to be. Look for cuts, inverted scallop scour-outs, steep slopes, wet spots that extend further up into the dry than the surrounding areas, etc...

For wet sand erosion hunting, you zig-zag around sloppily and fastly, looking for any metal targets at all (even if just iron you hear rejected). Once you get one coin, (or iron you hear rejecting), then slow down and start to work circles around it, to see if it's part of a pattern/pocket. If not, then procede on further down the beach looking more......

Well said- gold rides an iron horse. Find the heavy metal- and only then start to listen for the pulltabs.

 

[Ism]

I'm not sure if the advice in "Norm explains it all" touches on this one.
I found in my limited experience at the ocean that if I zig-zag toward and away from the water between the surf and the high tide line, there seems to be a band of targets. I find it and work it parallel to the surf.

 

[heybubbajay]

When I hit the beach, I look for the 1st berms or sand dunes of off the beach and hit the low areas behind them. The tides will wash artifacts over them and deposit anything in the low lying areas behind them...I found a nice gold ring recently this way...