Beach Techniques - Where to start?

[secondcup]

I was wondering if a seasoned veteran of Metal Dectecting can give a newbie an opinion on hunting beaches. With such a large area, where does one start? Along the water line, or farther in where people lay out in the sun. Thanks in advance for the help, and thanks to all who replied to my last question! Much appreciated!

 

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[holeintoe]

Welcome Secondcup, Here is a great sight to get you started. Good luck
http://www.thegoldenolde.com/

 

[secondcup]

Thanks Hole,

The site looks like ti full of good info. I appreciate it!

 

[Will_detect4food]

I find most rings in waist high water, peoples fingers shrink in the water they stop walking and start swimming in about 3 feet .. sunbathers take jewelry off and lay it on a blanket and thats how it gets lost on the dry sand. sweating and playing volley ball always check the field

good luck

 

[secondcup]

Thanks Will, good info. Are most metal detectors water proof, or do you need special equipment to search in waist high water?

 

[Sandman]

I was going to suggest www.thegoldenolde.com/ but Holeintoe beat me to it. Start where the tides low water line is and work shallower as the tide comes in. Save the dry sand for rough wave day when its hard to stand up. Follow Norms advice. I am on the site too.

You can search waist deep water with most any hip-mountable land detector with a salt mode if you are in a salt water beach. But it is best to use a water unit which will stand up to getting wet when you fall down or get splashed by a wave or lil kid. You don't say if beach is fresh or salt water. Fresh water, most any land detector will work so long as the control box stays dry. Earphones are a must or kids will hound you when they hear the beeps. You'll also need a strong long handle scoop. Fill your hole in fresh water as there is little wave action.

Good Luck,

Sandman

 

[Will_detect4food]

Thanks Will, good info. Are most metal detectors water proof, or do you need special equipment to search in waist high water?

No all detectors are not waterproof, infact most are not, you need to check that manufacture specs on your unit,
Many do have a waterproof search coil which would allow you in shallow water, But I would not suggest using a non waterproof machine in the surf

 

[Southcacalaky]

Have found a few rings at knee high as well, HH Art...

 

[wmas1960]

Well, I start in the parking lot. As I am walking from the car, down to the beach, I detect the paths where people are similarly parking and heading down. This is where they loose keys, coins and other things in their pockets. They usually loose stuff on the way back from the beach as they are getting the keys out of their pockets or bags... However, this is one prime area where you will find things. When I am done detecting, I do the same. I detect a path from wherever I am back to the car. Use the well worked trails and such.

While down on the beach look at the facilities and layout. Vending machines, restrooms, drinking fountains and concession stands are all places where people might loose money while making change or going through their pockets for a comb or any other items. See if you can spot areas where people play frisbee or volleyball etc. Those areas would be good also. Sometimes there might be an actual volleyball pit where there is a net. Search around the pit as well as along the sidelines. People pile their belongings along the sidelines while they are playing. Things fall out of pockets and bags and into the sand. Perhaps up along the net, re volleyball, would be good. This might be where someone might go after a ball in a way where a ring or bracelet might fly off.

Tot Lots are also good. Some of our beaches have elaborate play sets for young children. Check under any place where children might hang inverted (upside down) or where they might be climbing around. If there are park benches anywhere on the beach, check there. Mothers will sit and watch their young children while they dig in the sand or burry toys. Also, people might loose money from pockets when they sit on a bench to tie a shoe or take off a jacket.

I was on a local beach one day and there was a large branch fallen in the sand. It was more of a large tree limb. I searched in front of it when I got there but access around it was a little limited. While I was down there some kids came along. One boy, about high school age, was showing off to the girls and lifted the branch and moved it about 2 or 3'. After they all left, I went back over and checked the area behind that was previously not accessable. Under where the branch was, I found about 6 quarters in a 2'x2' area. I can only summize that someone might have hung a jacket or some warmup pants there and their laundry money fell out or something. So, if you see a fence or a fallen tree or again, the park benches and play equipment search around these areas as people might hang articles of clothing on them while down on the beach.

Every time I go down to the beach, I do plot off an area of the sand where people might lie around sunbathing. It is an aweful large area so I can't do it all in one shot. Depending on the time I have, and since I am more in this for the activity not what I find or getting rich at it.... I just cris-cross around an area til I find something. I do it somewhat methodically but in a sketchy kind of way. Once I do find something, I recognize that things often get lost in quantities. So, there might be other things near by. I figure that a lost coin or key or something is an indication that this was where someone was laying in the sand. I then start a circle of sorts, radiating out from what I found, covering about the area of someone in the sand. Usually, a dime will lead to a couple pennies, a quarter and a nickel or two. I haven't had much luck with jewelry really. Lots of times, when I find someones lost quarter, I then find their candy wrappers and beer caps also. Incidentally, when I search and I do find a beer cap, or even the foil cover from a juice bottle, a juice box or other trash, I still plot and search the area. People sit around in groups. One beer cap often leads to 2 or 3 or 4. That might tell you, especially if they are of a couple different brands and all similar in age, that a party was held there. Beer caps cold lead to an earing or a watch. Juice boxes tell you that a child was there and so, probably was a parent. So, this could have been a spot from a beach blanket and other things might be near by. Anyway, when you find something, search that immediate area thoroughly. Then, when I figure it is clean, I move on to another area till I find something else.

If you have the time and are spending the whole day on the beach, do plot off a managable area and search it more completely and systematically. Go back and forth in straight lines and such.

I haven't done much along the water line but that is supposed to be good also. People wading in the water will loose ankle bracelets and toe rings. When they reach in for shells or rocks they might loose a ring or bracelet. In areas with tides, as the tide goes out, it takes things from the beach and starts to draw them out. So, you might find some of that in the water. Also, areas with tides have the added possibility of Sand Bars. Where the sand being pulled out is deposited and the floor of the ocean rises there is a trough where a lot of stuff washed off of people and left on the beach can come to rest. At Low Tide, when this area, and the area of the sand bar, are exposed, take avantage and search these areas. People often go way out at low tide and and loose things while wading on the sand bars. These areas might not get searched a lot as they are not always accessable. Some times, they could be under 6 or 8' of water. When they are exposed or under only a foot or so, they are easier to search. Again, the area beach side of the sand bar could be, sort of, a trap for stuff washed off the beach. Items get plled down the slope until they come to rest in the low spot right in front of the sand bar.

Then, any time there are heavy storms out over the water, even if your weather on shore has been nice, go out and search around the water line. As the waves come rolling and roaring in, they turn up stuff that was burried under settled sand. A lot of that stuff on and around the sand bar, can be kicked back on shore by the turbulance of the rolling water.

In any case, as you mention, beaches can be quite large areas to cover. So, like I have been suggesting, I look at the layout of the area and spot the high possibility areas and search all those. Then I move on to the wider areas and cover them with as much time and effort that I can afford.

 

[wmas1960]

No all detectors are not waterproof, infact most are not, you need to check that manufacture specs on your unit,
Many do have a waterproof search coil which would allow you in shallow water, But I would not suggest using a non waterproof machine in the surf

This is an area that I forgot to address. I think it has been answered but just a little here. Many coils are waterproof. My Whites XLT has a waterproof coil. However, the control box and the shaft between it and the coil are not well protected from water. The box is NOT even water resistant. Get water in there and that's it. The shaft has to be considered also. Water can get into the hollow tubing and if you lift the coil upward, the water can run down the pipe and into the screws that mount the box to the shaft. So, you also want to make sure your coil always remains down and below the box.

This is one reason that I haven't done a lot in the water. Even here on Lake Michigan, in fresh water, waves can get nasty. While we don't have tides you could be walking along and get nailed and knocked on your Butt. I don't feel that comfortable walking along with my detector and taking the chance of dropping it into the sand. I am thinking of getting a long handled scoop so I don't have to crouch down to scoop sand. That might be a help. The more upright I can stay, the better. As it is, I have a hand scoop and if I reach down to scoop something, I run a big risk of dropping the detector or having a wave come along and drench it.

What long handled scoops do others use. I see a lot of them out there. Was wondering what is the best, strongest and what has the best shape for ease of use?

 

[Sandman]

Very good post wmas1960!!!! You covered it very well.

As for what is the best scoop depends a lot on the type bottom you will be digging. For dry sand it is hard to beat a strong screen sifter type. For in the water where heavy surf isn't a problem, a open top scoop is fast sifting and easy to remove the target since these scoops are usually 8 inches across. For the surf, I like the beach scoops with the closed buckets that are made of heavy stainless steel. Anything else is not going to hold up to hard use.

The pic is of "The Scoop" by Sunspot Products in Michigan.

Sandman

 

[wmas1960]

Thanks for the praise on my post. Something just came to mind that I noticed while out the other day. It is a way to take a large area and break it up a little to be more managable and allow for a more efficient coverage of the area where one is searching.

When I go down on the beach, I take a 5 gal bucket with me to put all my trash and larger finds in. Things that won't fit or are too disgusting to put in a pocket.

I define the area I am searching by my placement of my bucket. I will walk along and set the bucket down. I will then detect around the bucket moving outward. When I find cans in the sand or other garbage, I will toss it all toward the bucket. I kind of do circles around and outward. Then, when I have gotten, about 20 or 30' out, I work my way back, picking up all the garbage and tossing it into the bucket. Kind of adds more fun and challenge too, as I noticed the other night. Stand from about 8 or 10' away and see if you can sink a shot with a Bud can. I kind of noticed that by using this method, While not perfectly covering the area, I was able to cover most of it. Again, whenever I did hit something, I covered that immediate area fully and completely. Several times I did find a penny to find a dime and or a quarter within a foot of the first item.

In fact, the beach seemed cleaner than I had ever seen it. Not much in the way of juice boxes or bags, foil wrappers, NO PULL TABS... A few beer caps up to the top edge of the beach, along the dunes. Only soda cans were those just left by the people who had just packed up while I was detecting and 2 Coke cans that were burried under about 4". Anyway, I was getting bummed that I had found so little. I hadn't even found much coin. Only a quater, a dime and about 4 pennies. Then, all of a sudden, I found one penny and started a more thorough search. In the area I also found a quarter, 2 more dimes a nickel and another penny or two. The area here was about 6' diameter, maybe. I did that about 3 times leaving in the end with 30 pennies, 6 dimes 3 nickels and 6 quarters.