Eight Hours in Cold Water Pays Dividends Brrrrr

LawrencetheMDer

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2014
986
2,406
Ohio and Florida
๐Ÿ† Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab CTX3030 w 11" and 17" DD coils,
Minelab Excalibur II w 10" coil, Equinox 800 (4) w 11" and 15" coils,
Troy Shadow x2 w 7" coil, Pointers; Garrett Carrot, Pro Find 35,
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Awoke at 5am and started my day as usual; coffee, crown and Oat Meal, in that order. But I had some fishy fish the day before and it didn't sit well with me or perhaps I should say with my stomach. I like to run but not that kind. TBI. After breakfast I felt better and suited up with trunks, skin and wetsuit before driving 30 minutes to the beach. Air temp was an unexpected 38 degrees and the water was 62 and this is Florida! I thought my wetsuit would keep me warm as I headed to the beach and soon into the water. The plan worked, initially.

It was 6:10 in the morning and I was heading south to the beach, excited to hit the water after a long time absence (2 weeks). This is Florida and nothing is much happening early morning and I was making good time...and then it happened. My stomach started to ache and swell; I knew it was probably just gas but couldn't chance it. I had my wetsuit and skin on for warmth, not to mention a thick sweatshirt. My stomach started talking to me in a familiar yet forbidding voice and I knew I had to find a bathroom soon and the closest one was 20 minutes ahead at the beach. I can make it, I thought. I may have been speeding, I don't really remember, but the next thing I knew I was pulling up to the front of the park restrooms. I was out of the car headed towards the restrooms before the engine died. The door, the firkin door - if its locked I'll die. Its locked!!! No wait, stuck.

Mental note to self: Never, ever wear a full wetsuit with a zipper in the back with a full length skin with zipper in the front and trucks that I still can't figure how to get the fu***** things off.

Hitting the water paid-off in more ways than one. In the second hour of my 8 hr hunt, my ring detectors in my head were firing when I snagged a nice looking silver (.925) Gent's ring (7.89g, 13:46 on CTX 3030) with a nice CZ quality center stone.

Sterling Gents Ring 031618.jpg

In the 7th hour of my hunt, the ring detectors in my head were shooting off like the 4th of July. I snagged a beautiful and Hugh 14k Nugget ring (10.88g, 12:25) with 1/4 ct center diamond and four .02 ct corner diamonds. Ring face looks something like the state of Texas. [I think it is a nugget ring, please correct if wrong.]

Nugget Ring 14k w 5 Diamonds 031618.jpg

Both rings were in about 4 ft of water. I was cold; not at first but after swinging the CTX 3030 17" coil all day with only a 2/3mm wetsuit in 62 deg water I think my core body temp started to drop. I need to take a long warm shower. I hope I can stop smiling long enough to wash my face; otherwise, I'll be washing out my mouth with soap.
Happy Hunting.
 

Upvote 0
Awesome hunt! Gold and silver!!! Congrats!!
 

Way to hang tough!!!!
 

I can see the headlines: "Metal Detectorist with 3030 finds bathroom, oh and a couple rings"
 

too cold for me even with a wet suit! That gold ring is fab! congrats!
 

Very interesting gold ring! Nice weight, too. My first thought was that it looked like a bunch of gold teeth with diamond chips in them. Great snag!
 

Nothing better than a couple nice rings and nothing worse than "die-rear" with a wetsuit on....lol
 

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