For us islanders, metal detecting is just one part of the bigger picture....which is "BEACH COMBING" !! Beach combing is a way of life in the islands, and it's basically walking the beaches and finding whatever has washed up. "Wrecking" is a bit more involved, but basically it's advanced level beach combing which involves the salvaging of shipwrecks that wash up on the shorelines. Stripping all the stainless and bronze hard ware off abandoned and wreck boats would be just some of the activities of a wrecker, or beach comber. Finding old bottles, and reselling fishing floats and bouys has always been part of a beachcombers activities, and often times when I'm metal detecting it's also an opportunity to beachcomb for other treasures such as bouys, bottles, shells, etcetera...and then there's the dark trade....the secret underworld of cocaine, Marijuana, and large shipments of cash....the so called "square groupers" that often wash ashore in my neck of the beaches !! An entire underworld of hunters exists solely dedicated to this elicit trade...the modern mangrove mafia pirates ☠️ there are also other natural treasures that are rarely discussed and kept on the down low by us beachcombers, and they would include things like coral, ambergris, sponges, sea fans, even bones and teeth from any number of dead animals, old pottery frags, and seaglass both have a value, and active trade amongst collectors and artists. There is also a cult following of collectors of drift seeds, or "sea beans" so they are always picked up and traded and sold. I myself hunt in the water alot, and so I will set the .metal detector aside at the opportunity to dive up specimen grade sea shells, and can make incredible money very quickly if I happen to swim into a rich shell area, and certain shells demand high prices. They can range from a few bucks each to hundreds of dollars apiece !! So for us in the islands there is often more value, or better opportunity in the nonmetallic finds than the tedious work of finding a single gold ring for 8 hours of work....I might be able to find 10 shells in an hour that are worth 60 $ each !! At that point in a dive, I've abandoned my metal detector on the bottom, and have 3 helmet conch under each arm at 100$+ each !! I can always detect later after loading my limit of shells !!
Getting ready to sell shells...this is by far the most secret, and profitable activity for an islander to undertake !! When you know where and how to find, collect, and clean these shells....you will definitely contemplate quitting your day job !! Add a gold ring into your day, and you really are making good money, and more than most jobs pay !! Now is shell season for me, and my friend who can't dive (ear problems) will drive the boat, and tow me along in the shallows. The shallows are anything from 3 feet, to 30 feet for me. Once a shell is spotted we dive down and retrieve it...my driver is the shell "caddy" and packs shells in ice, and makes decisions on which ones to keep, and which ones to discard depending on size, color, and quality!! Once we have a few days worth, and there clean and ready for sale we call our buyer who will set up a date to come and make a deal...we will drink beers and haggle and argue over prices, and eventually strike a deal for our shell treasure !! So yeah there are many natural treasures to profit from in the islands, and many are found at the same time I'm detecting!!
An old fishing float like this is a true treasure, it's valuable, beautiful, collectable, and rare !! A non metallic prize for sure !!
Shipwreck porcelain and pottery are another non metallic prize, and I love to make art with it that can be sold ... a way to up value what many consider trash.
Bottles are prized when they are old and another sought after nonmetallic treasure in my area...always on the look out for them.
I'll stop here, as I could go on and on...the point is treasure hunting and metal detecting are 2 completely different mind sets...the metal detectorist would pass over many things in the interest of finding only metal objects, and is very concerned with the technology and performance of the machines involved....a true treasure hunter uses the metal detector as a tool, and only part of the time. Treasure hunters will throw the detector down in the sand when other nonmetallic treasures present themselves and care not for the technical aspects of the machine. There are far more non metallic treasures to be had, and a true treasure hunter pursues all opportunities for profitable gain, or up valuing a collection, or pursuing the non metallic "treasures" so to speak !!
Let's see some other non metallic treasures !!
