Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'beach detecting'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Metal Detecting & Gold Prospecting Forums
    • Meet & Greet
    • Detector Prospector Forum
    • Metal Detecting For Coins & Relics
    • Metal Detecting For Jewelry
    • Metal Detector Advice & Comparisons
    • Metal Detecting & Prospecting Classifieds
    • AlgoForce Metal Detectors
    • Compass, Tesoro, Troy, Etc.
    • First Texas - Bounty Hunter, Fisher & Teknetics
    • Garrett Metal Detectors
    • Minelab Metal Detectors
    • Nokta / Makro Metal Detectors
    • Quest Metal Detectors
    • Tarsacci Metal Detectors
    • White's Metal Detectors
    • XP Metal Detectors
    • Metal Detecting For Meteorites
    • Gold Panning, Sluicing, Dredging, Drywashing, Etc
    • Rocks, Minerals, Gems & Geology

Categories

  • Best of Forums
  • Gold Prospecting
  • Steve's Guides
  • Steve's Mining Journal
  • Steve's Reviews

Categories

  • Free Books
  • Bounty Hunter
  • Fisher Labs
  • Garrett Electronics
  • Keene Engineering
  • Minelab Electronics
  • Miscellaneous
  • Nokta/Makro
  • Teknetics
  • Tesoro Electronics
  • White's Electronics
  • XP Metal Detectors
  • Member Submissions - 3D Printer Files
  • Member Submissions - Metal Detector Settings

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Website URL


Facebook


YouTube


Instagram


Twitter


Pinterest


LinkedIn


Skype


Location:


Interests:


Gear In Use:

  1. Yes indeed, Caribbean has the scenic beauty of white sand tropical beaches with 80 degree warm muscle relaxing waters and Golden Nuggets beneath our feet. As one who lives in the 4 distinct seasons of Idaho, my passion to swing a detector in the winter months is practically nonexistent. So near 15 yrs ago when I was in the prime of chasing heavy yellow minerals with a metal detector, I read an article in a Treasure magazine about guys swinging Caribbean while finding gobs of gold and platinum jewelry. It was at that time, I decided to take my Staff and wives down for a week vacation and learn some warm water beaches of Caribbean Sea. Finds for us the first few trips were plentiful with hundreds of interesting coins from differing countries all over the planet. We found jewelry as well and some really odd treasures but the Gold and Platinum rewards we dreamed of were not what we had expected. Those first couple trips reminded me of the 1st times I started chasing raw gold with a detector and quickly realizing how hard it actually is to take the gold home. Yes!!!! We did discover a few cherished “nuggets” of gold and or platinum finds, but boy, nothing like the number of recoveries we had expected. Those few far and in between treasures kept us going though. 14K with 40+ diamond chips. Finds like this will keep you going back. Each trip we learned from the previous years experiences and tried to take the best from them. We adventured to different beaches, tried new strategies, while testing various kinds of gear and techniques. All the while we are determined to teach ourselves to get better at the hunt of those warm water nuggets. Here it is 15 yrs older, at least 30 trips more wise and the Nuggets are shining through if we put the time and effort into it. Even today, its almost like natural gold Prospecting, where location, techniques and hard body aching work with a little luck and you get rewarded with some Au to rattle on the drive home. Below is the wrap of my recent winter Nugget Hunt in the warm tropical Caribbean Sea. Yes, it shined a little heavy metal and my efforts of previous trips, adjustments and tide chart readings = Success. All because of eye catching pics in an article I read approx 20 yrs ago in a Treasure Magazine, I think I’m starting to dial in and bring home some of those jewelry Nuggets from the Sea… and a really bad ear infection, which I’m still fighting and on antibiotics. Total = 40+ rings (I left a few for the hotel staff) Gold jewelry count = 11 Total weight of Gold = 1.960 oz Hopefully you enjoyed the read and pics of hard work and many hrs of swinging. PS. If Tungsten, Titanium and Stainless wedding bands were worth anything, I'd be rich. 14 of those and some of them are 10+ grams each. The changing of times I guess.
  2. Last time I posted the weekly wrap up, I mentioned the scarcity of decent variations to the layers and what happened in only one day it was like a personal blessing, a gift. This happened in the first days of December and now, again, I found myself to feel low expectations cause since those days, nothing but few deep coins were appearing. I always say that wetsand work and seabed work are different games and more or less it is a reliable cycle to keep in mind some of the sand movements. Actually other variables causes this "workable window" or a total waste of time from day to day, from tide to tide, so hours between a nice almost uncovered ground, to a deep buried hell to dig insanely. Structures, primarily, can make a good spot where the least You hope for it and this happened days ago. No matter how many times I've been searching in this spot, with or without dive buddy, the continuously different shape on the seabed still makes for an educational chart made of environment and its historical nature. Before to claim a magic formula, something I will never aim for, I just think to have been on a vortex influenced area. No other explanation cause the nuisance picture behind me to the shore it was "something". Tons of soft sand, plastic, wood and seaweeds on a previously rocky boulders ground days before. Not that far, a relatively small stretch, insanely productive of old greenies and some gold share. Well, before to make it longer than what it should be, I found among tons of coins two rings, one of them being ss with a fake stone, a small, thin white gold band, a bangle bracelet and a wedding band alone in another spot, cause I was still tired by the long walk to reach the magic hole... I Wish You a Merry Christmas with peace and blessings for your houses. Skull
  3. Since November 21th, the day I pulled out the last wedding band and by the way the last gold piece too, till yesterday, the finds were poors and scattered randomly among spots.. Nothing more than coins and usual garbage to record. No real good energy to move some sand somewhere out of sight, but a decent opening on a small stretch after a long waiting week. And I've been blessed to be the first to check it. God gave me these pieces all at once without any particular effort and almost 99% of these beauties were surprisingly exposed in plain sight laying on the rockbed ready to be pulled up. An insane amount of steel rings, plated rings and coins were just there in front of me, behind, to the left, to the right.... Everywhere... I don't even used the scuba tank to dig as I was next to the low tide time and with only a dry snorkel I searched the area with an hard to explain joyful mood. I was like drunk, with big eyes, smiling and screaming at every ring being it fake or real. I haven't had a day like this since years. In the picture with coins and the Ss bracelet, some more steel rings are out of sight and if I'm correct, in total I found 15 of them and a plastic one. In the other picture, a wedding band, a navy chain bracelet and a rope bracelet, a little charm and a fake ear ring with ss stamp. Still tbt with acid, but it doesn't matter, I'm Happy like I wasn't since ages...
  4. After a long period of observation only, due to the insistent swell and lack of suitable diving conditions, this week, of the only three days available for research, only yesterday morning I was able to pull out a piece. Lately I have found myself having to perform various maintenance on the surface compressor, and just yesterday, as soon as I found a promising pit, the air line tube exploded right at the moment to start the dive. A new set of fittings that were really effective against pressure loss, however, injured part of the pipe and a failure occurred at the absolute worst time. To complete the disaster, the brand new drysuit was creating some more float than prevented and the ballast I had on me, well, too light apparently. I had to get back to the base to leave the compressor and arm myself with an air tank and more lead ballast in a hurry, because just an hour later the storm would again raise waves to the point where it was no longer safe on the seabed. Returning again to the same spot, I finally managed to find some decent signals, and one among them was a wedding ring standing perfectly upright in a hole between the rocks. 3.22grams of 18K to close three days of nothing but aluminium and a few exposed rocks among tons of sand. Hard to describe the releaf I felt yesterday...I'm seriously meditating for a return to scuba harness and a floating platform with spare air to change as needed. Have a great weekend You all !
  5. Slow week this last, after missing about ten days and as many sessions due to the storm. As is often the case, again the first few hours after a not too pronounced but annoying energy revealed no particular changes on the bottom, perhaps for the worse to be honest. In any case, a short chapter of three days and two out of 3 productive sessions closes today. After an increase in finds, an average under 10g per week returns stable. Happy weekend to all of you
  6. Although I have serious doubts about where and when these finds appeared, this is an eloquent picture of the beginning of the games. For the first time this year, grams touch an old level that was distant in memory. The bottom is gradually yielding its graces even if in small doses. A much needed breath of fresh air. Happy weekend to all of you
  7. Occasionally, there are days when a certain connection with the divine is felt more. Translated to our area, finding objects such as crucifixes, medals with holy icons, seems to be a double blessing. Not only did I have only three sessions this week between two storms, one past and another on the way, but only two productive days. The seabed is gradually changing for the better and the coming of winter will soon make a difference. I thank heaven for what I have been given. Have a great weekend everyone!
  8. Educational week just passed. After a brief uptick in finds last week, I have concluded that the layer in the shallows is indeed still unpassable. Armed with good old Excalibur, this time I found myself in much deeper water and farther from shore. Forced to exercise exceptional caution with the surface compressor, I went where I usually use a scuba cylinder. Monday through Wednesday, three different spots and six pieces totaling about 15 grams. Once again blessed with a change of plan. Short break due to storm in progress, then starting again next Wednesday. Have a great weekend You all!
  9. Slow... There's no other word to describe this last week, for the rythm, for the finds, for the sand back to the highest level and people between me and the water everywhere, again. I got back from France Monday night and due to Atc problems the flight was delayed with clear consequences and a few hours to recover after a heavy rain and "gym training" weekend in EuroDisney. This makes me to be late at the beach and Tuesday morning I'm almost unable to wear my wetsuit and bring the usual artillery around. I decide to go on the wetsand and relax with the shovel and waders. Being in one of the less attained spots, by me and by people, I slowly cover a stretch of brand new sand and due to the lack of coins and tons of foils I decide to move away. 20 minutes road to discover a better ground far from there, but the new invasion of beach late warriors get me crazy as hell. Not now, not again! So without to spend even a minute more, I move away to another spot, this time at half an hour from the previous. Again, there's peoples from I don't know where, but the last summer window in my area it is like a revolution for them and the "beach call" brings them back between my feets. I decide to call it a day as I don't hunt anymore among peoples, not in the water, not on the wetsand. Wednesday morning, same far spot, this time early, the water was not that calm and heavy waves were pushing me inshore consistently. Two hours fight and nasty compressor rollover makes for a quit but I insisted and found a small ring, at least to see the lovely colour again. Nothing more than some coins and less of a gram of 18K in total. Thursday morning, with an old friend and dive buddy, together we've been at a special beach under a Castle, after the beach owner removed all of umbrellas and sun chairs, We were expecting some peace, at least. Of course, We found even less coins and more and more people from abroad swimming over our heads when diving🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬. To close quickly this tragedy, even this morning, with heavy equipment, there was like two meters of sand not far from the first drop off and this, in the home gulf it is a sign of patience needed. I can't calculate how much fresh drops are buried under the gulf now, but I need back a dredge or an efficient device that can blow overburden fastly.It is not a quick job, it is a nightmare back from many years ago. Have a great weekend all of You.
  10. Only a very few times during the year, can there be tides that allow you to get to areas not often seen. Last week was such a tide for many years I had not seen that I could recall, the bigger the tide, the bigger the drop. Many years ago I discovered this spot here in England by chance when out fishing at night. Always looking for places what I could see in the headlight was an area which had a lot of bits of pottery & quite a few marbles with the odd coin lying round. Months later on a big tide I took my Compass out there and discovered a great spot. An old water drain finished here & everything that was lost down sinks, baths, and streets came down this pipe & fanned out below. Its a large solid bed of iron filled with everything you can possibly imagine. Over time, I've detected, chiselled and dug this place whenever possible. Had everything from Gold coins, jewellery, cutlery, toys, badges, buttons & much more. One of the commonest items are toothpaste & ointment tubes made from lead alloy. This and the masses of cutlery, was the clue to its origins along with hundreds of brass dress pins & old brass nappy/dyapier pins. The pipe was seemingly in operation from 1880 to 1943 then not used at all. I had two dawn runs there just, the first time this year to be able to access the spot which is a half mile from the seawall. First time, I dug a channel to empty water out a deeper pool area so I could get in there with the Manti & M8. The iron is not the problem, I work that ground all the time - its the responses from the absolute masses of non-ferrous bits. Besides digging & chiselling out using a detector is really difficult. The only method I have is to block out the first 20 positive signals, this eradicates the majority of small NF stuff. Also, I really tighten up the upper & lower ferrous settings. Two sessions gave the results pictured. I particularly like the naval & shipping line company buttons & the Military badges, one is Royal Marine Light Infantry WW1, Master Gunners Badge and the best is a Regiment from the city of Liverpool, also WW1. Many foreign coins have turned up here including a Wheat cent on this occasion. Many finds are locked in concreted iron & need chipping out. The pearl handled silver fruit knife being a great example along with the 1889 silver spoon. The barrel jellyfish would make a great fossil in the distant future! The Manti's audio is a key element in working these highly unusual places. A long wait until the next time..
  11. Yesterday, we were at the end of a king tide cycle in S. Carolina. I went to the beach at dead low tide to work in the water say maybe up to a foot deep. Since this area isn't frequently exposed, I wanted to do weak signal work. Now, mind you this is a trashy, USA beach... where they do beach bonfires. There is tons of aluminum slag, pull tabs, etc. I had the sensitivity jacked up in the 22-25 region. EMI is a big problem here, since I hunt along "hotel row". Get the machine all settled down... As I would swing across an area I'd get a little response. Turn 90 degrees to narrow the area, and get a little response. Readings from 11-55, chirpy and faint, erratic. Dig down 1-3 scoops and the signal(s) disappear completely. If I hadn't got signal in both X and Y planes, I'd have moved along, thinking the machine is giving a false reading. What is going on here? Is it me, the machine, external factors or a combination of all the above? Working in beach mode, wet. Ground balance fixed on (0) zero.
  12. Amphibious week is the theme of this latest Friday update that I have been publishing for some time... With a really uncertain weather picture and some pretty impressive waves, I've been trying to take advantage of the first hints of erosion where I could dare.I'm starting to not remember where and under what conditions I've intercepted gold, but I'm keeping a particular focus on continually varying spots. I think I have given a massive cleanup in at least 4 places where in the past two months I seemed to be the only one still finding pieces. Finding a single ring in hundreds of square feet covered on the bottom I am beginning to perceive it as an event of luck rather than skill. So this is a new chapter of wetsand work and diving, alternating according to the will of the sea. Have a great weekend You all 🙏🏼
  13. This week, unlike last week, it was not the swell that kept me out of the game, but other breakdowns at the surface compressor. Although I adopted scuba tanks from the top, I did not have enough bottom time to produce better. As soon as the compressor problem was fixed, Thursday morning a little more than a gram 18 K earring revived the situation. Yesterday morning through my own fault, I missed a session thanks to the devastating dinner the night before.... To conclude this morning I conducted a blind session with zero visibility and brought home a Casio watch still alive. Really hard to say the feeling after 9 grams less than the week's minimum 😑 Have a great weekend You all.
  14. The week just past, remains more a symbol to pay attention to, than anything memorable in terms of finds. A few coins, found at times when having to stay away from the water and walking along the shoreline, some appearance of a new stretch where to take action soon, but other than that, just great risk and quite a bit of road traveled without fruit. Last Monday, as always at dawn, I enter the water at one of the spots I have been alternating for months. Although the forecast was not so clear, within a quarter of an hour the waves became heavy, then high, then threatening. I get out with difficulty and before I do any damage to my equipment, I abandon the spot and return home. Once again, the surface compressor must have "ingested" water and although this is a brand new engine, problems with the volume delivered begin. Tuesday morning, same spot on the shoreline, but a worrisome new layer declares the games closed. I'll save you the trouble of reading further and end with Saturday morning, then yesterday, with the last area I imagined productive, which exposed some lead, a fake gold earring and little aluminum. No miracles, no conditions...The sea won this time. Good Sunday to all of you.
  15. Anyone who reads my posts recently saw a floating sifter I got for beach hunting, and thank you all for the suggestions regarding making it better. I took the advice of one of the people that responded, sent it back, and got the one I really wanted, the great but expensive Tube Tubb: This thing is big, kinda heavy (around 3 pounds), and expect to pay around $200 for it, but it's made in the USA, has no metal in it at all, and has a really thick fiber sifter with 3/8" holes. It can take a big scoop of rocks and silt and will not flip over just like the other one, but it's way more well made. It's 31" long by 16" wide. I got mine from Serious Detecting, but it's pretty much available from many metal detecting specialty companies online. My next problem was how to carry it. 😬 One thing I noticed with the other one was that because it's huge and the grab handles are thick, you have to carry it by hand or attached to a lanyard and it bangs all over the place during portage, not to mention keeping one of your hands occupied. I've seen the Hoover Boys using one but they just toss it in a boat, I have to walk to the beach from the parking lot. 😵 I searched Amazon for various backpack rigs and came upon this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08372G1VX Again it's kinda pricey ($68) but it's the only thing I could conceptualize holding this sifter. 🤔 Man was I surprised when it got here. It's a bit fiddly to adjust at first, but it's extremely well made and worth every penny, the perfect backpack carrier for the Tube Tubb. Pop the two button locked Bianchi clips and you're ready to go, you can keep the backpack unit on your back while in the water. 🥳 It has comfortable and easily adjustable shoulder straps and a cross strap as well. It also has a cushioned pad with two zipper pockets. Now with both hands free to carry my detector and scoop, I should be all set for some serious water hunting this fall at my rocky, pebbly beach. I will revisit this post when I have used this rig.
  16. Last month I noticed some excavation work being done on a local beach. This is an old beach, but trying to find older coins is really hard, especially at the top with deep sand. But as the work area was repairing a small section of an old slipway, they did dig deep for the concrete sections. The dugout mound of sand contained clay, iron & masses of coinage. What made it so special, was the volume of silver compared to the copper coins, never had anywhere like that. It was not difficult to get well over 100 coins after each tide for a few trips. The excavated sand was banked up temporarily to keep the water out of the excavation as long as small tides came on. After the coins started to thin out considerably, I waited for the bigger tides to scour the bank. It was the same all over again with a new crop of coins & other bits of interest. Jewellery not so common, but a really small 18ct Diamond eventually turned up - really low but good sounding target. There's always a chance of competition so I absolutely battered it for the four days the excavation existed. The last big tide flattened the whole thing with a lot more stuff appearing. What was noticeable was the larger easy targets disappeared quickly on the first passes with the next run having more smaller items. Initially, I put on a turn of speed - but accurate hunting, with very very quick target recovery. The last time I went for the final hunt, I took it very slowly and carefully puling out small items & deep ones which the Deus is easily capable of. Green stands out well in the sand, so no pinpointer required mostly thereby slowing me up. The area was quite large taking three hours to cover completely, or less if the tide swept over. All too soon the job was over & things look just like they used too. I have an idea though that during winter storms, some more stuff will appear as there was some parts I couldn't get to because of the work zone. I've used the D2 since its introduction as is my favorite machine. At the moment, though, I do use the Manticore with the M8 coil for iron spots (not forgetting the little Tesoro!) especially with the shape of the coil. Its all just personal preference. I feel I can do better with the D2 - I've called it a bag filler with me covering large areas quickly. Also, a simple thing as its perfect shaft design helps a lot over the other offerings being completely strain less. Photo 2 is the bank washed out. 3 is the cleaned silver, top part is 50% (1920-46) silver the lower part 92% (Victorian to 1919) Photo 4 shows green corroded silver coins before cleaning. 5 is typical hunts copper coinage from 1860's to 1960's I might now call the Deus the Silver Scythe.
  17. This week, I really have a hard time explaining what happened and I find there is a strange, inconceivable balance in things. Monday morning, in the total absence of any idea or area where there was less sand than around, I return to a spot where although there are obvious rocky spots within sight, no one has dared to approach the flap beyond the shoreline buoys for years. I end up above on an expanse of massive boulders that were probably uncovered long before judging by the seaweed contamination. I stay with the M8 at really minimal sensitivity and almost by accident, dig out three signals not far apart, maybe 10 meters...An hour and I get home because of people swimming around the surface compressor...Damn! Tuesday at dawn I return of course to the exact same place, where by necessity I took reference with compass and signal on the ground not to waste time to intercept the precise area. Nothing, not a single signal left. I was aware that after one such day, 10 more totally different ones follow...Indeed.... On Wednesday I change area and in utter disappointment the surface compressor stops working and I run out of air in the first few meters from shore as I prepare to move away into deeper water. I return to shore to do a brief check and without wasting too much time, I use my snorkel to continue and angrily hold on to the first few meters below the shoreline. I eventually manage to find in the middle of nowhere a decent signal under a 70. It was a small 925 silver engagement ring, very much like a wedding band and for that, really a mockery and no picture of it. I go home with a smile because at any rate, in just one hour Monday, I doubled and exceeded the minimum target this week only to have to engage in deep maintenance... Have a great weekend to all of you
  18. Well, this time last monday, with still low visibility I've been lucky enough to intercept a cleaner water spot where in the really shallows some clay and rocks were keeping two ear rings at a good distance one from the other.B Both 18k marked but the bigger in white gold. Tuesday, in the hope to find more and not keeping memory of the brutal almost 4 hours to bring home 2 dirty grams the day before...I've been back there to find a doubtful round charm with a missing image in the middle..I can clearly see a strong glue dot and in spite of an immaculate appearance and 18K-ish colour, it will be tested to call it a win... So 1.99 grams pending... Wednesday far from that area but another time in a too small clay patch, something similar to a miracle happened... A tiny open hoop yellow 18K ear ring right above a thin broken bracelet...So the ear ring signal made possible to see it in the same water moved hole...I tell You, I realised just leaving the area overtired in my ears due to crap of any sort and when back in my car, that all of them were 18K. Thursday and last session of the week cause of usual late arriving of swells after last hurricane near You upthere, I ended up in another beach where still today and maybe December there is and will be too much sand after last winter miracle of rocks in sight...Three hours and a tiny 18K white band to leave happily the spot to dawn warriors swimmers....If I just could had a grenade sometimes...But that's another story 🏴‍☠️ All of this with my self repaired and again trusted M9...But today I'm back to my first Mlove8... On Monday the battle restarts 🤞 Have a great week end You all and stay safe!
  19. Recently decided to hit an old (out of the way) saltwater swim area (and small grassed area) that I have been meaning to detect for years. Managed one gold and one platinum ring (not shown).....but the amount of old Australian $1 and $2 coins was crazy. Unfortunately over half the total value of about $110 is "mutilated" coins, corroded so badly from seawater or hit by mowers that they are no longer legal tender and can't be taken by banks or other institutions. The salvageable coins is about $50 (right half of the picture). The Excalibur and Manticore certainly worked well together.
  20. Unlike usual, this time the weekly wrap up starts last Saturday and ends today.... With a seabed still stressed from the last swell, less-than-stellar visibility, and tons of new sand to make August exactly as usual, I pulled up a solitaire that I initially mistook for steel and discovered to be 18-karat white gold. I spent only a few seconds retrieving it and putting it away, only to proceed to the exit and leave bored after three hours. 2.20 grams, which I happily chose, being a perfect size for my woman. This ends today, with a very similar session and just 1.99 grams in two earrings.... Typical of this summer period, it alternates between absolute zero and little, unlike late spring where on the contrary, empty days alternated with balanced grams. End of story for this week... Tired as usual ... but fighting as well... Have a great w.e. You all!
  21. Okay, this time more than celebrating a period of good production, I am keeping in mind the worst dates of this summer and taking action for next year.... Although we are only a month away from peak beach attendance, to date, I have encountered more than three weeks of bad swells and have spent few sessions on the bottom and more time at the wetsand. As expected, the result is that the fresh drops are probably too deep to manifest themselves and a few pieces of really old gold, perhaps not caught in the obviously eroded spots, is all I can take away for now. Last Monday this very old ring, now devoid of stone, was the only prominent piece on the seafloor besides several coins dug out at three different beaches on the wet sand. In miles of sand on which I have walked and checked, not a single piece of gold and a very small amount of coins when diluted over so much space. The prevailing wind is screwing up "my" coast with a majority of inshore and bloody filling in more sand. I am tired beyond comment and have started using my left arm to lead the detector. I fear I have epicondylitis. Have a great weekend everyone!
  22. I have read and consumed this forum for quite sometime in the sidelines. I like what I see and read too. Things in this hobby have changed dramatically since I started in 1977 here in England. Not for the best in many ways, so refreshing to be part of this quite unique forum. Appreciated Steve & every contributor. Here's my little offering which I hope some find interesting. No matter what type of other detecting I do, always will i return to my favourite type of searching in big iron, I love it! There is an old saying in England, 'Where there's muck there's brass' I first came to this shoreline in 1978 at 14, mentored by an old friend whose knowledge knew no bounds, sadly gone now. Been working it ever since on a regular basis. I've been down here with a vast array of detectors over the years, the last couple with a d2 & Manti. I used the latter today, as I love the M8 coil. Hopefully, XP will release their 10x5 next year. Small coils & concentrated searching is a necessity here. As the tides were so darn small, I was quite restricted to the area I could look at. The small spot I picked is low generally so always does produce something, but I normally head elsewhere to more productive spots. I spent three hours here until I was pushed off by the water covering over the area once again. The sand & stones are covered with large iron covering the surface and hidden below like an iceberg. in 1997, the whole area was dug over for sea defense work and masses of iron from the old dismantled pier were exposed. Best way is to remove scrap as much as possible & pile it out of the way, even though there's more underneath. As the spot was relatively small I worked it back and forth many, many times from all angles continually for the 3 hours. And the non-ferrous targets came, slowly but surely. Due to the iron bars, plates & other stuff, all the signals were extremely narrow and very easily missed. Hence my slow re-working over & over again finding targets then more again. Not in profusion, but enough to tell me to stay put and work it hard with the M8 coil. Since the dire lack of concentric coils on modern detectors, I prefer elliptical DD in these situations. Even so, its not easy - you have to give it full concentration to the constant ferrous audio signals trying to pick out any good targets that you can. By the end, there was a good number of coins from the Victorian era to the 1930's which is normal for the area. A silver sixpence cut in half from the 20's (hard target in these circumstances) was the only silver coin found, but several other coins encased in iron always interest me as it shows the beach bottom is close. Best find is the WWI sweetheart brooch given by a Royal Tank Corps soldier to his lady. Its one of my favourite finds this year as I really like Military stuff. One of my all time favourite detectors works really well here, a Compass Scanner from 1990. Manticore does well, but frankly no better than that classic machine. Laws of physics apply now just the same!
  23. Week started not great when I think about the fact that for about 15 days bad waves kept me out. It wasn't until yesterday that I was able to dive safely when I discovered I had a serious instability problem with the coil. The M9 was making terrible noise at whatever level I set the Manticore and by pure chance I managed to pull out three stainless steel rings before leaving the area in despondency. Back home, it was not until yesterday afternoon that I was able to see that I had a cut on the coil cable with the wires exposed. This morning with the M8 back at work, in disbelief, I unearthed an 18K snake ring among the same holes as yesterday, where I had most likely passed by without noticing the signal among all the perceived noise. Ever since I started visiting old spots with the M8, this has been the longest period without seeing gold also accomplice to the bad wave energy. Monday, it's back to the drawing board. Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe!
  24. Interesting read and video. Any members experience with any locations on list? https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/2024/06/04/metal-detecting-beaches-florida-sebastian-vero-fort-pierce-treasure/73880538007/
  25. Well, I started my beach season a little bit early. Hunt #1… It’s been a while since I got out, so I decided to try a very small beach that I’ve done before. It usually produces some Buffalo nickels, and sometimes some silver, although not in any quantity. I split the time between the GPX and Manticore using the GPX for the upper beach and wet slope, and the Manticore for the low tide area, as well as the wet slope. I’m most comfortable using the GPX on beaches due to the fact that it doesn’t struggle with the changing sand composition or the wetness of the sand. The Manticore takes more adjusting to keep it getting the same signal width. I had to adjust the recovery speed from 6 to 4 depending on which section I was hunting. I spent about 8 hours hunting and did fairly well. 2 silver coins and a silver ring were the best finds. A bunch of change with a decent amount of wheat cents, made for a good day. I thought I was going to be detecting most of the day in rain and some thunder, but fortunately it never ever rained on my parade!!. Great to get out and start detecting a new beach season. I’m also about to start a King Philip’s war project 2x a week, so I go from not detecting for months to detecting 3x a week. ? I can feel the soreness already. ?
×
×
  • Create New...