Tony

Radio silence from Garrett..... but my online research suggests that the second digit (of an 8 digit code) is the year of manufacturer. My "new" Sea Hunter has a second digit of "1" which equates to being built in 2021. The alkaline batteries that were still inside (don't get me started on that stupidity) were made in "2021" so that lines up to when the detector was made. "2021" sounds about right as this was a New Zealand stock detector and they do not sell many of these units at all. ...and yes, the batteries were disposed of immediately even though they are "good" to 2026. So I am guessing that your Axiom should have a serial number with a second digit of 5 or 4 or 3. The third and fourth digit of the serial number equals the week of the year but I am not so certain about that.

They are some epic photo's for sure.

I emailed Garrett USA recently about this but no response yet. I suspect the detector Serial Number "encodes" the build date but I haven't deciphered it yet. I bought a new Sea Hunter recently and was curious to know the actual manufacturing date. I think the serial number and build date is common across their line of detectors but not 100% sure. Google search has a few results but it didn't help me much. I will update this thread if I hear back from Garrett.

I'm thinking one of these....safety float (if needed) plus a dry storage area inside for food and water, mask and snorkel for when they're needed. Manual inflation and not too big. Some of my water hunts can be up to 6 hours and I am too focussed to leave the beach and try and find drinking water let alone something to eat.

Joe, your detecting vest photo deserves a place for sure...

I'm definitely not going to list all my gear but maybe some hunters might have unusual items or stuff I never thought of or considered as part of my hunting arsenal.....although my scoops are an obvious tool for everyone. Your setup got me thinking about a flotation device....especially after my experience last year 😳 Joe...maybe you have one of those armoured bank trucks that meet you in the carpark after one of your detecting sessions 😆

I resist the urge to hunt in them.....but it is tempting.

The perks of the job.....I just happened to be in the area and found her diamond/platinum engagement ring. This was some years ago and I have more grey hair now 😳

My trusty old Seiko Japanese dive watch plus silicone grease and liquid tape. Get the DOW 111 as it is superior to other brands and resists heat and salt water washout way better. The big white tube of Dow will last me several years. Joe (OBN) gets this stuff in a 44 gallon drum and bathes his AQ in it 😁

Well yes, cold beer can go in here but this chiller bag (Esky) contains all my alkaline and rechargeable batteries plus dive mask, snorkel and other heat sensitive items. We all know how hot your car gets in summer when you return after several hours.

Summer is brutal down here. I wear this always plus it protects the neoprene wetsuit from sun damage. Get the ones with the built in sun visor. Fingerless gloves are just as important. The sun will cook the back of your hands and skin cancers are common here.

I'll start with my awesome Stealth scoops and finds pouch (3 spares). I regularly oil the hardwood handles. You might have something that none of us have thought have so post away.

Ah the ambiguity of posting.....I actually meant that area was way too small for all the gold you find 😁 My photo is a bit misleading but the zip tie and carabiners dangle inside the pouch....the spring loaded ones are very handy. I have to admit that I never submerge the Manticore...it is strictly for the lower beach and wet sand. Excalibur for about 75% of all my water work and the Sea Hunter for the black sands. Finally warming up down here and some good offshore winds.

The only problem I see with your setup Joe is the zipped area "Gold goes here if possible"......but I guess you can always free up that space and return to your car and offload the bounty before going back out. My rings and car door opening key (old school style fortunately) secure onto the stainless carabiner and then onto the zip tie secured to the inside of the pouch. No phone for me but I did pick up a discounted DJI Osmo 4 camera recently so you might have some video competition fairly soon....gold competition not so much.

Nice set up.....I had that larger coil on my earlier Sea Hunter but it was quite a handful in the surf and pinpointing in the white water was brutal. The 8" coil never came off and the small coil isn't far behind the bigger coil when it comes to punching out deep targets.