Yeah Buddy, Scratching my Beach Hunting Itch next week

[Sand Swinger]

I’ve always known I married the right woman on my 2nd try, and a couple hours ago, she proved me right. I’m at my PC when she comes up and stands beside me. We’ve been married over 12 years so when she comes up and just stands next to me when I’m busy doing something, I know something’s up. I stopped what I was doing, turned to look up at her, and immediately noticed she was giving me one of those pouty “I want something” looks. You married guys know what I’m talking about. So, I brace myself and prepare for the worst, i.e., how much work is this request gonna require, lol.

But, to my great delight, the “work” I was mentally preparing myself for just so happens to be my favorite kind of “work”, which is digging holes in the sand. While I was busy in my own world, unbeknownst to me, she was online checking hotels down at the beach, found a great deal, and with a shy, “honey please” type look she asked if we could go down to the beach next week. Booya! I replied, hmmm, let me think on that for a nanosecond. Hell Yeah! Thank God my wife absolutely loves the beach; she can even be more insane about hitting the sand than me, lol. We got 2 nights at a large, upper end 4.5-star beach front hotel in a resort town at a dirt-cheap price. Best thing is, I just walk out of the hotel, take a few steps and I’m on sand. The Hotel is pet friendly, so my pooch is coming. Every room is ocean front with balcony, so if/when I’m out hunting while it’s raining, colder or windy, she can sit on the balcony with the dog and watch me swinging a coil.

Weds looks to be in the high 40’s, good chance of rain (40%), check in is 4pm, and tide starts falling in the afternoon and reaches lowest tide around 7:45pm, perfect timing. After we check in, I’ll grab my Dual Field PI, pouch and scoop and spend a few hours hitting the wet, working my way down as the tide recedes until dark. And if it’s raining, so much the better. Love hunting in the rain, it pretty much guarantees I’ll have the entire beach to myself. Dual Field is waterproof; I’ll wear my diver booties, swimsuit and a heavier rain jacket with hood, as winds will be coming from the East at 10 - 15mph.

Thurs high looks to be 55, cloudy, but with a much lower chance of rain at about 9%. Morning low tide starts in the wee AM hours and reaches low tide around 9:45am. Then tide rises until around 2pm, then starts dropping again, reaching low tide around 8:45pm. I know how I am and getting out at 6 or 7AM for the morning low tide is probably a non-starter. I’d like to sleep in, get breakfast, coffee, etc., and ease my way into waking up. So, I think I’ll take advantage of the afternoon low tide. I’ll be taking my Dual Field PI for serious wet & shallow water, and I think I’ll take my X-Terra Elite, also waterproof, to get some time on that detector. I haven’t really used it since I got it last year, so I’ll spend some time with it on the dry and maybe some wet before the afternoon tide starts going out, see how it performs, handles the dry & wet, how it handles iron and trash, start learning some numbers, then I’ll switch back to the Dual Field to work the wet down to the water as the tide recedes.

Last trip down to the beach, I was sick as a dog, so only got to hunt 3 hours on day 1, and 2 hours on day 2. So, I’m hoping (praying) that we’re both healthy for this trip. Some of you guys have been making some really great finds lately, so I’ve got a serious beach itch for cheddar I need to scratch.

 

[pepperj]

I’ve always known I married the right woman on my 2nd try, and a couple hours ago, she proved me right. I’m at my PC when she comes up and stands beside me. We’ve been married over 12 years so when she comes up and just stands next to me when I’m busy doing something, I know something’s up. I stopped what I was doing, turned to look up at her, and immediately noticed she was giving me one of those pouty “I want something” looks. You married guys know what I’m talking about. So, I brace myself and prepare for the worst, i.e., how much work is this request gonna require, lol.

But, to my great delight, the “work” I was mentally preparing myself for just so happens to be my favorite kind of “work”, which is digging holes in the sand. While I was busy in my own world, unbeknownst to me, she was online checking hotels down at the beach, found a great deal, and with a shy, “honey please” type look she asked if we could go down to the beach next week. Booya! I replied, hmmm, let me think on that for a nanosecond. Hell Yeah! Thank God my wife absolutely loves the beach; she can even be more insane about hitting the sand than me, lol. We got 2 nights at a large, upper end 4.5-star beach front hotel in a resort town at a dirt-cheap price. Best thing is, I just walk out of the hotel, take a few steps and I’m on sand. The Hotel is pet friendly, so my pooch is coming. Every room is ocean front with balcony, so if/when I’m out hunting while it’s raining, colder or windy, she can sit on the balcony with the dog and watch me swinging a coil.

Weds looks to be in the high 40’s, good chance of rain (40%), check in is 4pm, and tide starts falling in the afternoon and reaches lowest tide around 7:45pm, perfect timing. After we check in, I’ll grab my Dual Field PI, pouch and scoop and spend a few hours hitting the wet, working my way down as the tide recedes until dark. And if it’s raining, so much the better. Love hunting in the rain, it pretty much guarantees I’ll have the entire beach to myself. Dual Field is waterproof; I’ll wear my diver booties, swimsuit and a heavier rain jacket with hood, as winds will be coming from the East at 10 - 15mph.

Thurs high looks to be 55, cloudy, but with a much lower chance of rain at about 9%. Morning low tide starts in the wee AM hours and reaches low tide around 9:45am. Then tide rises until around 2pm, then starts dropping again, reaching low tide around 8:45pm. I know how I am and getting out at 6 or 7AM for the morning low tide is probably a non-starter. I’d like to sleep in, get breakfast, coffee, etc., and ease my way into waking up. So, I think I’ll take advantage of the afternoon low tide. I’ll be taking my Dual Field PI for serious wet & shallow water, and I think I’ll take my X-Terra Elite, also waterproof, to get some time on that detector. I haven’t really used it since I got it last year, so I’ll spend some time with it on the dry and maybe some wet before the afternoon tide starts going out, see how it performs, handles the dry & wet, how it handles iron and trash, start learning some numbers, then I’ll switch back to the Dual Field to work the wet down to the water as the tide recedes.

Last trip down to the beach, I was sick as a dog, so only got to hunt 3 hours on day 1, and 2 hours on day 2. So, I’m hoping (praying) that we’re both healthy for this trip. Some of you guys have been making some really great finds lately, so I’ve got a serious beach itch for cheddar I need to scratch.

Best of luck, may the gold land in your scoop.

 

[Sand Swinger]

Best of luck, may the gold land in your scoop.

Thanks Jim. I'll have about 3 hours on Weds evening after checking in to hunt. Then again, the hotel is right on the beach, so I could keep hunting in front of the hotel after dark if my itch is still itching. I'll have my lifesaver with me so no worries, lol. But Thurs, I'll have all day. The cool thing with having a hotel right there in front of the beach I'm hunting is that the wife can go back to the room if she's cold, tired, etc., then just sit out on the balcony to watch me gridding the sand, lol. That's a lot different than last trip, where we stayed at a place but had to drive to the beach. If I have to drive to a beach and she comes with me, I might have a couple hours, depending on how long she can hold out. But when the hotel is right there where I'm hunting, she can go back and I'll just keep on swinging.

 

[pepperj]

Thanks Jim. I'll have about 3 hours on Weds evening after checking in to hunt. Then again, the hotel is right on the beach, so I could keep hunting in front of the hotel after dark if my itch is still itching. I'll have my lifesaver with me so no worries, lol. But Thurs, I'll have all day. The cool thing with having a hotel right there in front of the beach I'm hunting is that the wife can go back to the room if she's cold, tired, etc., then just sit out on the balcony to watch me gridding the sand, lol. That's a lot different than last trip, where we stayed at a place but had to drive to the beach. If I have to drive to a beach and she comes with me, I might have a couple hours, depending on how long she can hold out. But when the hotel is right there where I'm hunting, she can go back and I'll just keep on swinging.

Sounds like you have it all planned out. Hope you're rewarded with a good ones.

 

[surfnturf]

Can’t wait to see what you find go for the gold!🍀

 

[Sand Swinger]

Sounds like you have it all planned out. Hope you're rewarded with a good ones.

I'm hopeful as always, but even a bad day detecting still beats a good day doing almost anything else, lol.

My Dual Field didn't disappoint on my last trip. Even though I was really sick, I got to hear what coins and that Silver ring sounded like, along with the size of the target. The size and tone of the coins & Silver ring was different than all other targets I was finding, and I burned that into my mind. So, hoping I can focus on similar tones and size to find more coins and hopefully more rings. Damn, I really loving that Dual Field PI. I can't believe it took me 56 years to get one. I might even take it up on the dry to find some more trash, train my brain what other targets & sizes sound like. It all goes into my "database" for future hunts, lol.

 

[Sand Swinger]

Can’t wait to see what you find go for the gold!🍀

Thanks SNT, I'm hoping I can find some post and picture worthy finds. Even though I've been swinging a Sovereign Elite for the last 14-15 years, since acquiring my Dual Field PI, that detector has really boosted my confidence level when hunting the wet and shallow water, so if there are targets there, hopefully less than 2ft deep, I'm hoping I'll hear them or either get a null or whisper signal, then the digging starts. Even if I don't make any great finds, I'll still post. Guys in the forum need to know that not every hunt wins big, so I like to post whatever I find, good or bad.

 

[Earlafindit]

Thanks SNT, I'm hoping I can find some post and picture worthy finds. Even though I've been swinging a Sovereign Elite for the last 14-15 years, since acquiring my Dual Field PI, that detector has really boosted my confidence level when hunting the wet and shallow water, so if there are targets there, hopefully less than 2ft deep, I'm hoping I'll hear them or either get a null or whisper signal, then the digging starts. Even if I don't make any great finds, I'll still post. Guys in the forum need to know that not every hunt wins big, so I like to post whatever I find, good or bad.

Still a bit cold, but things are warming up here every day Sat .& Sun. Mid 60s , next week Mid 40s , it's been a roller coaster ride on the weather at the beach bro. , enjoy yourself, Earl

 

[Sand Swinger]

Still a bit cold, but things are warming up here every day Sat .& Sun. Mid 60s , next week Mid 40s , it's been a roller coaster ride on the weather at the beach bro. , enjoy yourself, Earl

Thanks Earl, I always have a good time when I'm detecting on the beach. And since the wife can just go back to the hotel room if she's cold or tired, I'll be able to keep on hunting. Let's hope FrankenDufi continues finding me some rings.

 

[Earlafindit]

Thanks Earl, I always have a good time when I'm detecting on the beach. And since the wife can just go back to the hotel room if she's cold or tired, I'll be able to keep on hunting. Let's hope FrankenDufi continues finding me some rings.

WED . Rain -46 Deg. Thurs. 59 Deg. ,-- your nicest day , Fri. 57 Deg, Sat Rain

 

[OBN]

Good Luck buddy! Not the best time of year and a friend just told me they will be pumping new sand into OC Md soon.

 

[pepperj]

Good Luck buddy! Not the best time of year and a friend just told me they will be pumping new sand into OC Md soon.

We booked once right on the beach for a month. Woke up the first morning to D8 bulldozers pushing the pumped sand down the beach.
Talk about getting my balloon popped.

 

[Earlafindit]

Good Luck buddy! Not the best time of year and a friend just told me they will be pumping new sand into OC Md soon.

Great , getting the Whaler re- powered with a Suzuki Joe , if the ocean doesn't give up anything maybe the bay will , I need your shark repellant 👌

 

[Sand Swinger]

Good Luck buddy! Not the best time of year and a friend just told me they will be pumping new sand into OC Md soon.

Thanks Joe. I was just thinking about that yesterday, wondering when they'd be pumping new sand for replenishment. It would suck to get down there and have pipes and mounds of sand sitting on the beach in front of the hotel. But according to an article I just read on "OC Today-Dispatch", I should be OK. Apparently, the replenishment this year won't be starting until after summer in Sept. It was supposed to occur last year (2025), but Congress failed to set aside its funding share. This is one of those rare occasions when I'm glad Congress sat on their butt's and didn't do their jobs, LOL. Here's some excerpts from the article:

Beach replenishment cost surges, work to begin in fall​

Next pumping effort will start in Sept. after a year delay if Trump signs bill​

By Brian Shane Staff Writer | Jan 22, 2026

(Jan. 23, 2026) Ocean City’s beach replenishment project for 2026 may cost Maryland taxpayers twice as much as previous cycles.

Scheduled for a post-summer start, beach replenishment now carries an estimated price tag in the range of $37 to $40 million. That’s nearly double the cost from 2021, when federal, state, and local partners contributed about $21 million.

Congress on Jan. 16 authorized $20 million for its share of the project by passing the Senate’s 2026 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill; the funding was included at the request of Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). A House version of the bill passed Jan. 8. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the month.

Beach replenishment occurs generally every four years, and 2025 was supposed to be a project year. But Congress failed to set aside its funding share, marking the first time in three decades that the project didn’t meet its expected interval, according to City Manager Terry McGean.

 

[OBN]

Those beaches are so big now it takes you 5 minutes to walk out from the board walk. I do hope trump does not sign.

 

[Sand Swinger]

Those beaches are so big now it takes you 5 minutes to walk out from the board walk. I do hope trump does not sign.

I've seen pics of some beaches in other states that have absolutely ginormous beaches, like it really is a hike to get from the start of the dry down to the wet. Lots of beaches I've hunted over the years have fairly "skinny wide" beaches by comparison. I read another article that said the replenishment was planned from the start of the boardwalk (Inlet), down to the end of the boardwalk at 27th Street. I'll be north of that, so if I have another opportunity to get down to the MD side after summer, hopefully, they'll be spending all their time pumping sand on beaches in front of the boardwalk. I'll just avoid that area and hit the other 35 miles or so of beaches, lol.

Not sure what the replenishment cycle is for beaches in DE, will have to check that out. Would be great if DE & MD alternate years for replenishment. Avoid the beaches being replenished one year & hit the other area. Then when that area is being replenished, go back to the area that was replenished a year or two before. There's always a way when ya wanna hunt bad enough.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

If I found your wife metal detecting, I'd keep her. lol

 

[Sand Swinger]

If I found your wife metal detecting, I'd keep her. lol

LOL, she doesn't detect, I've tried to get her to try over the years, but it's just not her thing. But she absolutely LOVES being on the beach, sunning, looking for seashells, taking the binoculars to look for Dolphins, taking walks on the shoreline, taking the dog on the beach during off season, that type of stuff. And when we hit the beach together during the season, she holds the fort down while I do some detecting.

 

[Earlafindit]

LOL, she doesn't detect, I've tried to get her to try over the years, but it's just not her thing. But she absolutely LOVES being on the beach, sunning, looking for seashells, taking the binoculars to look for Dolphins, taking walks on the shoreline, taking the dog on the beach during off season, that type of stuff. And when we hit the beach together during the season, she holds the fort down while I do some detecting.

Better get a place with free parking, as more meters-- were in the local OC news, and bad news for Rehoboth Beach were you once had a place, speed camera's & red-light cameras went up on Rt 1

 

[Sand Swinger]

Better get a place with free parking, as more meters-- were in the local OC news, and bad news for Rehoboth Beach were you once had a place, speed camera's & red-light cameras went up on Rt 1

I'm back, really tired and sore but I'll be working on a write up of the trip. Our hotel had free parking, restaurant that served incredible food, indoor pool, easy beach access, and I checked with one of the lady's there, and every room of the hotel is waterfront, each with balconies facing the beach & ocean.