matt

That's a great first day! Looking forward to hearing your opinions of it as you get more time underwater.

Looking forward to hearing you report on use underwater.

The right place at the right time! Nice finds for sure.

That's incredible if you found the chain with all the rings on the chain!!! Have you checked to stones to see if they are real diamonds?

I bought one but never used it. After detecting for placer gold for so many years I still just tilt up my coil and use the edge to pinpoint the target when it's out of the hole in a spread out pile of sand. Takes a few seconds to retrieve. Maybe I'll try the pinpointer next time out, but I hate taking more things with me to lose. I usually hunt in a t-shirt and swim suit though.

These are some pictures of my 2.5" and 6" dredges in the water (I think in 2007) with my best friend Kirk. Many half ounce days of dredging! I would leave the dredges in the water all summer.

I wish I could dredge in California! I know the PLP has the reclamation thing going, but I haven't joined to find out the details. Sold my 6" dredge after the ban in 2008, but my 4" dredge sits near an extremely rich creek outside of Downieville waiting to be put back into the water...I can only dream about that big deep hole on my property for now...

You are doing well out of the water! Have you checked the diamond to see if it's real?

Thank you for the detailed response! Fortunately the water in Hawaii never gets cold so a wetsuit is really not necessary at any time of the year. The water is almost always very clear unless there is a bug storm surge. Hopefully I'll have some success next trip there.

Another great find for you! Some question if you don't mind because I am beginning to start this type of detecting. Do you use a sand scoop or just fan the sand and use the pinpointer? Do you use dive weights to help stay in place in the surf? My last trip to Hawaii was in the surf and shoulder deep and I could not stay in place with the waves pushing me a couple feet every time they hit me.

Wow great finds! I would keep hitting that beach instead of going underwater. I never used a ctx, but I would bet the Manticore would do a good job on that beach.

The first thing I would do is one on one training and that would put you way ahead (or a group training). Gerry gets rave reviews for his training but if it's too far North, I'm pretty sure Doc does training out of Las Vegas too. The read and research, and join a club to access claims.

Great finds! Half dollars are sure difficult to find, especially silvers.

Those are some great finds! I watched the video. Thanks for posting it. Are you only using a snorkel for air or some type of surface supplied/ scuba?

That's a bummer. He was well known on many of the forums way back, but unfortunately I never had the pleasure of meeting him. RIP John B.

And most likely no tax or shipping charges!

Now that really sucks...

Incredible finds! Hope you find more out there next trip.

Depends on where you go in Hawaii! I know some really nice beaches in Hawaii. All with beautiful, natural sand that's not imported or moved around with heavy equipment. I can't compare Hawaii to Florida as I have never been to Florida, but finally going this summer. I'm planning to take my detector on the trip too. Can't wait to see the beaches of Florida and some of the Caribbean beaches while on our cruise. It would be nice to try and hook up with a forum member to go detecting!

Best wishes for CPT Ghostlight. Hope the recovery is fast and you are back out detecting soon.

That's a great hunt! Were you detecting with a face mask and snorkel in shallow water or completely underwater?

Very cool Doc! I like the picker too, but actually more interested in your new warehouse. I'll probably call you to further discuss if that's ok?

Nice! 3 rings and a bracelet for a single hunt kicks butt! Too bad the rest weren't gold, but they will be next time!

I updated mine last weekend and used it 2 times on beaches in Maui. The main thing that I noticed was that I only dug 2 tent stakes over 8 hours of detecting. Prior to the update I dug many stakes every time out. I have a huge pile of them in my garage. I feel it ran smoother in the salt water after the update too. On dry sand I didn't notice any performance differences (other than not digging a bunch of tent stakes).

Similar in concept to the cheap clamps I made. The problem I had was it spinning on the shaft even with the plastic nut until I installed the rubber piece. They will spin and slide unless they can be tightened.