searching in the water

I cant speak for others - cant give an answer that will cover "all" beaches
if you are lucky enough to find a virgin spot - then it could be good from ankles to over your head
I hit mainly spots that are hammered to death - so each year I try and get out a little deeper because that's where the gold is
- I use a mask & snorkel 95% of the time - a handful of guys copy me now and try hitting out deeper now also
now this year I hit one spot that is usually hammered from just below my chest all the way in at low - from waist to chin it was clean
so that told me that guys were trying to hit where I hit - normally I would go find another spot - but hit the shallows and started
killing it from like thigh deep to ankles - so you never can tell - this is in salt water - and mainly at spots with gradual deepening
now fresh can be completely different - and there are variables - is it a kiddy bch mostly - family bch , teenager or adult spot
does it have a gradual depth or sharp drop offs ...natural bottom - man made (sand is brought in)
sandy, clay, mucky, muddy?
 

Think about people walking out in the water, whats the first thing they do is splash cold water onto each other.
 

Tides can change so much, timing is a big thing...

Being in Mass I would say go out and watch the other hunters, see where there hunting.

And research the history of those beach's, lots of old gold up North.. And No one gets it all...
 

This will not answer you question as stated, but might help you in you shallow water searches.
Most publish writing I have read state that the first 4 feet of water is where most items area lost. Sounds good for fresh water beaches. For salt water beaches you will have to add in the height of the tides. So, if your tides run 6 feet from low to high, you are looking at he first 10 feet of water depth from the high tide line. Good targets have been retrieved from the dry sand to beyond the point I can reach even when using a full face mask and I am 6 feet tall. Detect where you feel comfortable, at beaches that are less detected and you can legally enter and you will do well. It may take a bit of observation on your part. Remember the more you learn, the more you will enjoy the hobby of metal detecting.
 

I sent you a PM with link to some articles ive written
some may help - others may inspire
 

No definitive answer, I'd say generally people like to frolic in water about waist to chest high. Others make a point of it to swim out as far as allowed if a swim line is established, often clinging onto the markers/buoys or line itself.

Both can be productive but these areas are also the most reachable for competition and are often hammered clean. Some guys go out at the crack of dawn nearly every day, some towards the night, others in the heat of day [me]. So finds/replenishment will depend on the amount of traffic the beach has, and the amount of other guys detecting it. I've detected beaches with decent traffic were I haven't even found a bottecap from ankle deep to neck deep, a sure sign of hammering by guys who pick up litter [in their own interests, they don't want to keep finding the same bottlecaps]. But there are always fresh drops, and some beaches are so vast that the whole wading area cannot be effectively covered even by crowds of regulars.

I went to a beach the day after labor day, this beach does not allow detecting between memorial and labor days. Got out there at 6am when the park opened, as it was still dark I went to McD's for breakfast.
About 6:45 when I got there there were no fewer than 14 guys in the water, with another half dozen combing the sand. Some of them had head mounted flashlights do they could detect at 6am sharp. Managed to still find a couple of rings, but this illustrates the amount of competition at some places.
Places that allow detecting year round you won't see a swarm like that, but its easy to tell a regularly hammered beach - And if you detect enough, you'll meet some of these regulars. Some will be very friendly, some resentful that you are intruding on "their turf".
 

Beaches have multiple zones and zones are in different locations depending on the tides which change every day. I have found a lot of rings in ankle to waist deep, but also found quite a few in waist to chest. Remember high tide people are at totally different location than low tide too.... You really need to observe the beach and watch where the people group together the most...
 

The sand moves, and moves the objects with it.
 

CASPER-2 said:
I sent you a PM with link to some articles ive written
some may help - others may inspire
Click to expand...

Would I be out of line asking for a link to the articles as well? I am new to water detecting and could use some pointers.
 

I primarily hunt fresh water lakes with swimming areas where the sand is brought in. Mostly Hispanic so it is a big family affair, most of the jewelry I find is knee to chest deep. There is a lot of competition so timing is everything. Good luck!
 

where ever you dig the most, thats where you will find the most
 

"All the gold is in the water" says an old pro. Mostly true. ...waist deep and beyond and where people congregate and swim. And over there, where you would least expect it. -Joe


tom from mass said:
At what depth knee deep to chest deep are most finds recovered
Click to expand...
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Tiny

⬅️ Previous Thread

Class ring from other day

Next Thread ➡️

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Metal Detecting Stuff

Latest Discussions

Back
Top