Tips for Relic Hunting at the Beach?

[Noah_D]

I just got permission to hunt a colonial shipwreck site here in the Great Lakes, it's a bit of a drive but there have been crazy coins and relics found in the area in the past... old silver, cannonballs, muskets, bayonets, etc. At the beaches near where I live (Lake Erie) there's a dry sandy area farther from the water, a pebbly area, and finally as you get into the water, instead of sand or fine pebbles there are cobble-sized stones. Where should I search first? Do certain relics gravitate towards certain areas based on denstiy/size or whatever? This might be a stupid question but I've never done much beach hunting and I don't know any of the tricks. Do you shipwreck hunters have any tips or advice? I've never done any beach hunting except for modern jewelry and clad so anything helps.

Thank you all in advance! I never cease to be amazed by the knowledge and experience of some of the folks on here.

 

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[SusanMN]

So, the first thing I notice is that you don’t have a waterproof detector. Your coil is waterproof but not the screen part. So, you are going to have to be very careful because one splash and your machine will be fried. So stick to shore line or very very shallow water, And you are going to need a good, heavy duty sand scoop which will drain off the water. It also might be helpful to have a waterproof pinpointer to help you find your target without having to scoop and pick through rocks.

 

[Noah_D]

So, the first thing I notice is that you don’t have a waterproof detector. Your coil is waterproof but not the screen part. So, you are going to have to be very careful because one splash and your machine will be fried. So stick to shore line or very very shallow water, And you are going to need a good, heavy duty sand scoop which will drain off the water. It also might be helpful to have a waterproof pinpointer to help you find your target without having to scoop and pick through rocks.

Thanks, I don't plan on going too deep. But if I do I might try sealing up my old crappy BH Quicksilver with silicone or something (it's a $100 detector that's all banged up and essentially worthless). I've got a Garrett pro-pointer (waterproof) and I'm still thinking about the easiest way to make a scoop.

 

[Blak bart]

Look for the areas of glass, pot shards, and iron bits amongst the sand pebbles and cobble areas. If some or more of the cobble stones don't match the surrounding stones, then this could be ballast stone from other areas of the world and could be carried on your wreck. Get down close and look for the glass and pottery in those pebble areas. Walk the area and look carefully......when you see those signs.....hit those areas first. If they don't pan out we'll have to rethink the approach. Bring us some pics if you can without giving away your spot !!

 

[Noah_D]

Look for the areas of glass, pot shards, and iron bits amongst the sand pebbles and cobble areas. If some or more of the cobble stones don't match the surrounding stones, then this could be ballast stone from other areas of the world and could be carried on your wreck. Get down close and look for the glass and pottery in those pebble areas. Walk the area and look carefully......when you see those signs.....hit those areas first. If they don't pan out we'll have to rethink the approach. Bring us some pics if you can without giving away your spot !!

Thanks Blak Bart! I didn't think of that. I will certainly post some pics once I get out there, it might be a while though, something just popped up that might keep me away until sometime next year.

 

[Rum Tide]

I have never beach detected a Great Lakes beach, but I would think items would not shift and move around as much as if they were in an Atlantic or Pacific beach environment. Don't the Great Lakes have about 1/2 inch tide changes? The Oceans can have 4 ft plus tide changes four times a day, storm swells over 20 ft and hurricane conditions every few years.

If there is not a lot of trash ...dig everything! There are also some new new inexpensive ($100 -$200) small hand held type underwater metal detectors like the Nokta PulseDive now on the market.

 

[Noah_D]

I have never beach detected a Great Lakes beach, but I would think items would not shift and move around as much as if they were in an Atlantic or Pacific beach environment. Don't the Great Lakes have about 1/2 inch tide changes? The Oceans can have 4 ft plus tide changes four times a day, storm swells over 20 ft and hurricane conditions every few years.

If there is not a lot of trash ...dig everything! There are also some new new inexpensive ($100 -$200) small hand held type underwater metal detectors like the Nokta PulseDive now on the market.

The tides are so small they aren't even noticeable haha. I'll look into the pulsedive... I think a couple of friends have waterproof detectors like the AT Pro and Simplex though so if I plan on going under I might just borrow one of theirs.

 

[PetesPockets55]

There may not be much of a tide but I'm pretty sure the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald might argue about whether stuff gets moved around on the Great Lakes by wave action.

Good luck with your search and listen closely to what Black Bart is sharing with you. He knows very helpful "stuff" for just this scenario .