Skull diver

10 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Either way, I like your comment "the real treasure is the meaning of that piece to the wearer".  Sure I may not get it back to the original owner, but it beats sitting on the bottom of the ocean for nobody to ever see again.  Eventually it will shine and shine a smile on someone's face/finger/neck as they proudly wear

On the other hand, in the absence of a mark, a name, a serial, it occurs to me that it was one of those rings worn purely to flaunt something....

Very clearly, I see 13.5 grams being a respectable sum to support future research.

Think that in Europe, thanks to the new legislation, we are all delinquent until proven.

So what I find, if not specifically marked, is money.

And if I have to risk jail time, let it at least be for something.

On 12/18/2023 at 6:38 AM, cjc said:

awfully small solders in those plugs-

I experienced the same pain trying to solder the pins while adapting an old pair of Grey Ghosts to the Deus2...For lack of time and patience I used the original broken bonephone cable, but this multicable with connector is the ultimate solution.

https://www.elecbee.com/en-2253-m8-connector-system-waterproof-straight-molding-cable-a-coding-6-pins-male-plug-with-1m-24awg-wire

5 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

I'll probably sell just to help offset cost of the trip, it's too fancy for my taste

I like parables seasoned with a little story....

In spite of beauty or monetary value, the real treasure is the meaning of that piece to the wearer.

I have been looking for a gold rope necklace for two decades with no luck.

It didn't belong to me, I never wanted yellow gold on my neck or hands, but if it weren't for a rope, maybe I wouldn't be here writing now....

Meditate on what to do 🏴‍☠️

3 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

Very nice find and I'm sure it will be a very good year to come for you.

Keep up the good work and stay safe out there.

Thanks...

This was the first session with the floating surface compressor.

In spite of a pressure at less than half the Bars at the regulator, the battery life was surprising.

I drained my power long before the internal battery, which was still reading 57% after 4 hours on the bottom.

Crazy 🤣

On 7/30/2023 at 11:19 PM, Cascade Steven said:

am especially interested in results for the TDI series

I own an 8" mono for Tdi/Gpx

I just love it...

If you're not hunting in or under the water like me it is perfect, cause it floats like hell otherwise 🥲.

I'll do some mods to remove air and fill with epoxy the coil inner space for my TDi BH.

37 minutes ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

All I want for Christmas, is my dentures back. 

Me too, but by someone else and like this

10 minutes ago, Sinclair said:

Well done, that looks like a keeper for sure 🤪

9" coil?

9" forever when under the surface.

Still need to check for stones, but few doubts on it.

Never love gold more than money it can give you🤣

10 minutes ago, matt said:

What shaft are you using on the deus?

Anderson dive carbon

This time, with the newly arrived hooka compressor, I went exploring for another bit of coastline.

At first glance, there was little to be done, given the imense amount of new sand underfoot and that horrible feeling of tender ground.

At that point I adopted for the only decent opening, just a few meters wide and...Again a surprise✨

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C01lqe-qYcc/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

3 hours ago, donP said:

Hello all, going to Hawaii for vacation. I Want to take my Equinox 800, need a collapsible shaft or purchase a 900? . What's a really nice durable scoop to travel with and be able to put in my luggage? We typically take carry-on luggage. How do the hotels feel about metal detectorists on their beaches? Any other advice regarding airlines, laws, etc. will be greatly appreciated.

For a whole host of reasons, I have never flown my equipment in, but rather shipped to my destination days in advance.

Be prepared to have the detector in the hold, as lithium batteries, unless otherwise specified in the detector manual, are not allowed in the overhead compartment.

Silly as that sounds, since most cell phones use nothing but lithium.

Regarding the scoop, choose a two-piece carbon rod, and perhaps an aluminum sieve on purpose than steel.

If you still haven't confirmed a hotel reservation, play the beach search card as a constraint on the reservation itself.... It would really bother me to stray too far from my hotel if I already bear the expense of staying there.

At that point a B&B would be more suitable, but I think it's not a detectong-only voyage

9 hours ago, rvpopeye said:

Now getting back to business , how about a pic of that booty ?😜🏴‍☠️

 

There may be a few pieces missing, but most are in these shots.

5 hours ago, rvpopeye said:

Scary stuff  ! 

I was just posting about I lost a friend diving when I was younger in a welcome post to Goonie Pirate . Keeps ya focused.  Some info on me pirate days too. 

I think everybody here has a bit of pirate in 'em.....

This is the reason why I have been giving much importance to the "KJ factor" ever since.

There is no chance of counteracting a force of KJ 4 and above when diving with the kind of buoyancy required for bottom searching.

If you find yourself in an open spot with no obstructions to the flow of currents, it is best to start emergency procedures early.

So the first essential check before a session is wave energy.

For no reason do I approve a day with higher KJ, other than 0/1/2.

2 hours ago, rvpopeye said:

Yer makin' me seasick , th' good kind though I miss that sh ,, stuff but still have seal costumes and a couple accessories ...mostly to wade in streams with quick bottom dips to check on beeps these days..

Only did 1 beach this summer , might do some in the cold but staying up on dry , the sea be 42 today , maybe back in younger days...and besides the Cap is in Nebraska and he took the boat , sold it for a camparrr !  😫 

I figured you'd know about the rip , just added it in case a lub decided to try driftin' like that.  For you ,, just don't follow them mermaids ! ooooie .

 

 

Hard not to remember mermaids, I have one tattooed on my chest, right after a bad day when I was trapped far from the shore without bcd and fins, overwheighted in an invisible and strong current.A good scare and a lesson I won't forget.It was 2014, a week before my daughter was born.If I didn't die of fright, it was close.

1 hour ago, rvpopeye said:

Hey Skull ! 

I've been thinking about your hunt.

Maybe you should let the currents take you around more often?

It almost seems to have decided you were a treasure and was sorting you into the proper spot with the rest of the treasure.   Ya never know about the sea.🥸

PLUS  one more trick in the tool box ! arrrrr

 

Just read your last response . 

An OZ ? THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout ! 

Might want to disregard the currents when there's a rip tide .   

Well, speaking a little more technically about what happened I think I tracked a piece that because of its shape and weight, stayed where it was lost in deeper water.

Almost all of the pieces I pulled up in that spot were in the first drop off with smaller weights.

The pleasure I am getting with the D2 is intercepting broken bracelets and necklaces that overall make weight.

Rip tides however are something I look out for.

Although I am pretty heavily weighted, I can feel the displacement barely getting under control and at that point I resurface.

1 hour ago, Compass said:

Very sweet gold - congrats!!! It's awesome that your success was due to both your persistence and the current taking you to that spot. Fortune favors the bold.

 

Believe me, if it weren't for over an ounce collected at that spot, I wouldn't even plan to go back there, given the difficulty in reaching the shore from the parking lot.

On Monday I start hooka compressor testing and I think I will have to go back there again....

2 hours ago, Sinclair said:

Nice ring! I once found a similar formed one - but turned out to be stainless.

With all that effort, everbody who finds a ring in the water, really deserves it!

Luckily 18k otherwise an hard shot for the soul🥲

After the usual three days of weather observation and skipping scouting to confirm bottom conditions, this morning a window of about 3 hours presented itself before new wave energy made the spot where I thought I was done in October impassable...
The few remaining signals, are items I have not picked up due to the lack of a net bag, but whenever I find myself on a target I know, I am able at that point to isolate areas where I have already passed in other previous sessions.
That said, the day started badly with leaks at the 'air regulator and missing pressure in the tank.
I manage to hold the bottom for just 45 minutes and am forced out on emergency for low air.
I reach the car by traveling about 400meters with the harness and ballast on and change the cylinder.
At that point I screw the first stage back on and open the 'air tap on the new cylinder and hear the unmistakable venting between the tap and the first stage.
I unscrew again and notice that the O-ring has blown out.
I find it intact on the ground and reassemble correctly.
After all the time wasted, I wonder at that point if I should leave the beach, since no interesting targets have come to light and I think I finished already in this spot some time ago.
I decide to persevere and although I don't feel like walking with all that weight, I return to shore and dive.
A strong current pushed me to the side just before I went out to change my tank, and this time I follow it, letting it carry me slowly toward deeper water.
At that point a signal among the 40 draws my attention and a moment later I find this unusual ring in my hands....
Lesson of the day?
Insistence can pay off even when it seems over....

8 hours ago, Cabo Chris said:

I've used BBS and FBS machines for shallow saltwater jewelry hunting.  I've not been on a treasure hunting vacation since COVID, but have since accuired a DEUS II and a Notka Legend.  I've been watching vids online and wonder why so many on a wet salt sand beach, GB these newer multi-frequency machines- even in beach/dive mode?  Now, I did try 3 leaky Equinox and found less gold and far more small pieces of junk, so clearly the new machines are more sensitive to small, tiny targets.  But I always found far more big gold, silver and platinum jewelry using BBS/FBS, with less time spent scooping small junk.  My concern as a shallow saltwater jewelry hunter is, what's with all this GBing at the wet salt beach with the newer MF units?  So many newer MF machines sound sparky when they hit the surf/wet salt sand and the operator GBs to quiet the machine down.  I have never GBd using BBS/FBS in the sea, or going from saltwater/wet to dry sand.  That's one reason I've found my share with BBS/FBS machines.  They're simple and effective in the surf.  What is BBS/FBS doing to compensate automatically for salt and ground and what's the difference between BBS/FBS and all the newer MF machines, which seem to require GB at the beach?  Would one GB the new MF machines in saltwater?  I always thought MF- (BBS/FBS) resolved VLF problems at the salt beach?  Is it because the new MF machines are more sensitive, or is BBS/FBS multi-frequency a different breed all together?  I wonder if I really should switch to these new MF machines for shallow saltwater hunting?  I found far less using the Equinox the few times I tried them.  (3 leaked!/ and why I did not grab a Manticore)  I do like the simplicity of the Legend and how small it packs for travel, and I sure like the Deus II.  But so far everything in my test garden those 2 can hit, so can an FBS Safari, I loan to non-detecting friends.  I still have my trusty Excalibur, but am thinking about getting another CTX 3030 for hunting shallow surf.  Those who jewelry hunt in surf with the newer MF machines, are they as quiet/simple as BBS/FBS?  Thanks!   

I can totally confirm your impressions and we own practically the same instruments except for a pulse and a 2.4kHz single-frequency with concentric coil.

I found in the D2 the depth of detection that I did not have on the Ctx with the same coil.

Regarding the balance I think it is relative and if you look at the numbers in saltwater, a strange 70/85 range appears, when in fact the rocky/clay bottom is on the 25 and in fact that is the false signal to be shot down.

Exactly this makes the D2 different from an Excalibur or a Ctx: more sensitivity and depth and I mean on thin and broken things too.

But since I am unashamedly clear and no brand pays for my reviews, I also say that for a saltwater diver, it is not really the ideal instrument except with so specific settings that I struggled to find by trying and trying again.

Another point in favor of the Ctx is also a more effective id scale in "isolating" the gold, because by comparison on the D2 it is scattered pretty much everywhere between 27 and 70.

Sorry but i forgot an easy and old test in my previous answer...

Have You tried with a magnet to pass over the chain?🤔

Ultimately I see no rust on the links.

It could be plated, however maybe because of the low light it does not have that typical shine.

A wire cutter might reveal a hollow link or some copper inside, and if you don't feel like breaking it, only a jeweler can reveal it.

This is actually a suspended project from the past.

I used a 6.5Hp motor pump and differential diameter piping to raise the pressure and get more suction.

I didn't need the sluice because I placed a fine mesh net in front of the nozzle just in case I saw some rings sucked upward.

This kept the pipes clear of stones and suction always powerful.

Problem is that dredging remains one of the operations for which permits must be obtained before starting, and the use of mechanical tools along the shoreline is not tolerated.

At that point my dive buddy and I at that time, used dpvs to level the layer but the battery life is penalizing...Obnoxious then, having to leave the excavation point without boat and gps and then return to shore, change battery and tanks and return as navy seals to the hot point.

I am waiting for an expedition with a corded breathing device similar to Brownies' Third Lung to at least eliminate the clutter of cylinders and transport the dpv, which I convert to lithium, on a floating cart.
It will be another month before testing, unfortunately.

Finally away from a summer season in which I did not even touch the water, the time has come for the first storms, and right now thunderstorms and threatening waves are hitting "my" coast.

So all that remains is to hope for the opening of a few spots with a reduced layer.

It often happens that something goes wrong and, for the purpose of removing sand, the storm brings more.

At that point heavy strategies and calculations begin.

Several years back I went so far as to build a dredge and test it successfully, despite not finding any interesting material in the same spot.

Constant breakage due to salt water and corrosion make the equipment fragile for continuous use, and too many times the expense of repairing it does not pay off.
Abandoning the massive excavation project, I went through the use of a dpv and came to the conclusion that darn it, no one operates as effectively as Mother Nature.

Numbers matter, whether you are mining fine powder or nuggets in the form of rings, if you don't explore at least 100 square meters in 3 hours, you don't even have a clue what the bottom is really like.
These are not exact figures, but a rough idea of what it means to prepare what is necessary and how much to expect in terms of results.

No photos at the moment, I reinvested the (little) material collected in October for a setup change, hoping to improve the effort/output ratio.

On 11/21/2023 at 1:37 AM, iron_buzz said:

mostly at old beaches

And it is the cause of so much beauty.

Pieces like these are seen less and less, and to give them away as scrap is sorry, but necessary.

After a busy October in a spot I wouldn't have put a dime on, I returned after doing two more sessions on another stretch of coastline and returning home with coins and steel bracelets ready for the dustbin...
After more than an ounce here behind me, now certain that I have checked 99 percent of the small gulf reduced to pebbles and clay with a veil of sand, this little pendant closes the party and wraps up November by now as more serious storms loom and I move away from the bottom.

I'm starting to take serious note of data and timelines, because while it's not an exact science, the puzzle is composed of too many factors, and creating a pattern intrigues me.

Have a great sunday you all.

It sounds really inviting as a start🫢...

A good reason to go back and explore again.