Education on sand scoop technique in the water?

[Uechi]

It has been quite awhile since I have used a metal detector in the water. I'd appreciate some technique advice on utilizing the scoop once a target is identified especially when you can't see exactly where your coil is from the surface. Thanks in advance.

 

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[CASPER-2]

What about securing a detachable line to the scoop handle? What u guys using? Here in San Diego in order to get past the waves you have to go about 12 ft deep. So with that said, unless your doing scuba/snuba/hookah your gonna deal with swells and waves. It is a constant struggle keeping an eye on a Rouge wave and your shovel wacking into your expensive md. I try to get out neck deep. I figure 99% of the other guys stick to knee deep and fresh drop towel line finds around here.

Iknow a handful of guys that like to have a line from their scoop to them - some put foam in it or at top of it so they can let go of it
I got hit by a rogue wave once - I was in like waist deep water - just heading out to deeper waters - there were just small swells - no worries
all of a sudden while getting my machine set up - straightening my mask etc - getting ready to turn on and go and a shadow appears over my shoulder
I turned to look up and see a 12 foot wave come over me - knocked my mask off and ripped scoop from my hand - went ass-over teakettle
headphones were around my neck and cz21 floats enough - but never saw mask& snorkel again or my scoop - it got sucked out
I grabbed mask I let my buddy borrow - he was hitting the shallows and did not need it - and went out searching as deep as I could for my RTG
never found it - had I had it attatched to me - think it would have taken me under and out

 

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[certman68]

Casper of all the hunters I would say your the most experienced that I know. I love the way you talk about the faints with the CZ.. I can really relate to that...
Used the glow stick several years ago in VB one nite, had the sweetest little thing come up to me and asked what I was doing.. never forget it..she just came out of the water and was totally without... ... the glow stick thing just never worked and I forgot.. but never forgot the little China Doll...

Relevant...?

 

[cudamark]

What about securing a detachable line to the scoop handle? What u guys using? Here in San Diego in order to get past the waves you have to go about 12 ft deep. So with that said, unless your doing scuba/snuba/hookah your gonna deal with swells and waves. It is a constant struggle keeping an eye on a Rouge wave and your shovel wacking into your expensive md. I try to get out neck deep. I figure 99% of the other guys stick to knee deep and fresh drop towel line finds around here.

Yup, 95% of the time, our surf is too big to out beyond waist deep, unless you want to go beyond the breakers with underwater gear. As for mask and snorkle, it's just not practical for waist deep and shallower. Too much soup and suspended sand to see anything anyway. We just have to learn to pin point and take a bit bite of sand. I sometimes use glow sticks at night, but not in the daytime. Mainly for marking my grid lines, so, I can see where I've been.

 

[perdidogringo]

This is a great thread as someone who recently purchased a CZ21 and is struggling to learn to pinpoint and recover items in shallow water. I was recently on a Caribbean island and was surprised at how difficult it was. They make it look easy on those Youtube videos! I did utilize snorkel gear and a long handled scoop but the problems I had were the following: the seafloor was harder and more compacted which made digging with the sandscoop difficult, visability was not good at all and the mask didn't help, most items seemed to be deep (6-10 inches) and thus, weren't easily recoverable, and the waves were strong and kept knocking me around. It was a shame because I know this particular island has incredible history and I don't believe many have detected it.

 

[jeepGold]

As for getting into neck deep water with a snorkel, It's a good idea to use a DETACHABLE weight belt. I use one around 15 lbs. When I was in Aruba detecting for a few days the water was wonderfully still and warm. I'd imagine like Florida (never been). I was hearing all kinds of signals with my ctx and when I would put my scoop on the target to get at it all I would do as I tried to shovel into the sand was push myself up. I couldn't dig into the sand. I was SOOOO frustrated. I KNOW I missed at least TWO rings because of this. If you're gonna go that deep do yourself a favor and either eat 3 GIANT meals 1st (lol) or get a scuba weight belt.

As for PP a target that you can't see in the water, your coil will detect it at the front of your coil and at the rear. I , at least, always pp it with the front, but when your in the water you'll want to now move your coil past the target and pp it at the rear of your coil. Once you've got it put the tip of your foot at the tip of the rear of the coil and then move your coil away and bring your scoop to the tip of your foot. You should be dead on!

 

[jeepGold]

Iknow a handful of guys that like to have a line from their scoop to them - some put foam in it or at top of it so they can let go of it
I got hit by a rogue wave once - I was in like waist deep water - just heading out to deeper waters - there were just small swells - no worries
all of a sudden while getting my machine set up - straightening my mask etc - getting ready to turn on and go and a shadow appears over my shoulder
I turned to look up and see a 12 foot wave come over me - knocked my mask off and ripped scoop from my hand - went ass-over teakettle
headphones were around my neck and cz21 floats enough - but never saw mask& snorkel again or my scoop - it got sucked out
I grabbed mask I let my buddy borrow - he was hitting the shallows and did not need it - and went out searching as deep as I could for my RTG
never found it - had I had it attatched to me - think it would have taken me under and out

Ive found several surf leashes on the beach that surfers for whatever reason had lost. The work great for your scoop. They just velcro on your wrist.

 

[dewcon4414]

With a DD you learn to slowly move the coil backward until it the target disappears...... then its right on the tip of your coil. After awhile you can connect the tone with location based on where the coil is.

 

[flgliderpilot]

When I water hunted with my AT pro, I would do the following:

Left and right sweep to center target horizontally, place foot with toes touching lower edge of coil. Rotate machine 90 degrees and sweep forward and back to center target vertically. Adjust foot as necessary to be on closest edge of coil. Move coil, and place scoop so that it is just in front of my foot. Lift foot and drive scoop into sand, and lift scoop. Place toes on edge of hole so I don't lose it, and re-sweep hole for target. Repeat until no target in hole and then check scoop.

If no target in hole OR SCOOP, take one or two more scoops to be sure... sometimes target gets flipped on it's edge and is not detected.

Many good targets (quarters) rang up as iron until a few scoops were taken.

 

[flgliderpilot]

ever try attatching a glow stick to coil - if you get them bulk or at right place - you can get them cheap
so you can change out easily - yrs ago I knew a guy that took the plastic clips from old tv tray and epoxied 2 to his coil
so he could pop a glow stick in to night hunt - just a thought
you can get the thin round ones too if you want to try putting around the outside
the other day I could only make out the white wing nut on my coil support and that was enough to guide my scoop
but I have spots where theres a foot of silt or sea weed or what we call mung where you cant see your coil either
but like I said - if I can see clearly - makes all the difference in the world
Ive hunted with a few guys down in Fla. in clear water and watched them take scoop after scoop - some times 4-5 times to recover new drops
where if they had a mask - think it would have been faster for them

Casper, were you hunting in the water at night? IE: waist deep or more? This makes me nervous here in FL... I've hunted knee deep but I am not sure if I have the nerve to hunt waist deep in the dark for fear of being shark bait.

 

[dewcon4414]

Pilot....... im with you, before the sum comes up i like to be able to move my feet out there. One beach i hunt at i see a guy routinely hunting the OUTER sand bar in the dark neck deep with a black wet suit. Now thats brave. takes awhile to learn how to scoop out there. You have to find the right scoop for the depth you are hunting..... some will roll on you and some will allow targets to be pushed out of the scoop or just not clear very fast. If its sand...... just keep digging in the center..... MOST targets will move there as the hole fills in.

 

[HARRASS]

I have florescent tape on my excals. Red squares on the front and back and a lime-green on the sides. Red seems to work better some times and lime-yellow at other times. If I can't see my coil I raise it up until I can. It usually gives me a good idea where to dig. If that fails I use the old toe to the edge of the coil and work my scoop from there. Hope this helps you and good hunting. Gary

 

[jeepGold]

Florescent tape causes testicular cancer. Just say'n...