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I recently sold my old Garrett Sea Hunter XL500 pulse to a gentleman in San Diego.......he has many old Garrett detectors and is always getting whatever hard to find spare parts from Garrett USA. Anyhow, he was informed that Garrett are in the final production run of the Sea Hunter MK2 models and that model will soon be discontinued. Sounds like get them while you can......crazy new prices for them here in Australia/NZ. They are 50% more expensive than they were just a few years ago. I wish I had kept mine.......25 years of production I'm guessing. I can't vouch for the validity of this claim so happy to hear from anyone else who might be in the know. Tony

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

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

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!

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!

Amazed this week by the kind of events. Since last Monday, maybe I've been more productive on the wetsand than on the seabed, calculating effort and dedicated time. By the way, a heavy ear ring and a few coins opened the week and Tuesday an eyeballed wedding band and a thinner religious ring dug on the seabed declared the end of the short yellow stripe... Not too bad, considering 13,27 grams of 18K in total, slightly over the weekly minimum I keep in mind to run things in the right way. Have a great weekend You all!

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.

I recently had some doubts in using the main detector and was pondering the possibility of eliminating some by selling. In detail, I complained of some high ID response that I accidentally dug up in the absence of decent signals. The last victorious session, brought me a 6.49-gram 18K wedding ring and by sheer luck, with an amazing 80, I deigned to dig it out. So this morning I decided to go out with a dear old detector, one that doesn't mess around, and the numbers are shocking considering the spot, the devastated condition of the clay and rocks, and lousy visibility. After 4 1/2 hours on the bottom, thanks to the use of hooka compressor, I flushed out 4 pieces totaling 20 "dirty" grams. The numbers speak for themselves, and I am beginning to have clearer ideas.... I will add no more...

Transition week this last. A drastic drop in temperature first drove people away from the coast and soon after, announced some movement on the seabed. Still little field exposed in the water, but the first cuts appear on the berm. We will see in the coming days if the energy becomes more intense and efficient. Aside from the usual coins caught on the wetsand when the wave did not allow me to dive, two small pieces open the second week of September with a slight improvement over last week. In total, I'm about 16 grams behind schedule, but for now one can only watch for the first autumn storms and hope for an imminent opening. Have a great weekend You all!

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.

Strange week last week... On balance, I can't remember how many times I entered the water and how many profanities I uttered. Still problems with the surface compressor and still poor visibility on a bottom that, although promising, was not easy to freedive on. On Friday night I finally repaired the components that were giving anomalies, and last Saturday I was finally able to carry out a session on the bottom. After about three hours after sunrise and a frightening silence, in the moment of leaving the beach to the swimmers, I pulled out a 6.2 gram wedding ring in 18 carats. Once again, I count myself lucky to have come close to the weekly minimum I am interested in maintaining. Have a great week everyone

Although I will not have a chance to test this coil on the seabed until next Monday, an initial test in the air has me very curious... A few days ago, a user on YouTube complained of considerable noise, very similar to the M11 at the beach with even lower sensitivity, so much so that it could not exceed 20 points. To my surprise, what I noticed instead is that the footprint of this coil does not seem to respond as strongly as on the 8x5". Let me explain, apparently, the lateral response is much less pronounced and sensitive, compared to the obvious center part between the two rx and tx parts. It would appear to be something like a concentric plate, rather than a double-D technically speaking. With fully open pattern and lower separation speed, the differences are practically zero. Talking about sensitivity, 22 as last option before falsing yet in the air. The question certainly arises at this point about effective in depth coverage, rather than mere surface coverage. It is very likely that the difference in depth is almost zero and that the greater amplitude beyond the elliptical perimeter of the M8 is marginal. We shall see...

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

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!

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!

After the last three days of waiting, with little pronounced swell but enough to make the surf area impassable, this morning I tried to hang on despite the water still being choppy and the visibility really bad. Once again, a pattern with really tight high and low iron limits selected the few signals worthy of digging. I must say that while limiting the sensitivity, I am afraid it is the only efficient way for me to make an effective session in certain conditions. As usual the cam's battery died before the glory shine and however, just sand suspension and fast water it's been the subject for 99% of the dive session.

In the common imagination, beach hunting is based on the first few feet of shoreline, sometimes at the top, sometimes at the edge of an eroded step, sometimes in flooded pools after a decent tide. All of this in my area is out of the question and being forced to enter the water and totally submerge, today, after three sessions I summarize what I am observing. On the first day, in a spot I hadn't been to in over 10 years, I pulled out a triple ring and amazingly not far from where I found a twin 10 years earlier. Finally, the first piece of 2024?. On the second day, a really thin ring, different spot, and really unusual water depth. It all ends today, with the third session in the same spot as yesterday, but this time even deeper at about 5 meters and very far from the shore. A man's wedding ring, after a century of other much thinner and lighter finds. The outer sandbar may remain the final frontier. Rarely, pits can open at such depths, and if they do, it is generally because of a play of currents with which one should not mess around. I am considering a floating platform of the bodyboard kind, to be kept on the surface as a safety device for a return to shore or at least to have something to cling to effortlessly and return to shore with the help of the board and fins. By the way, finally some shines.

Please note: This detector is waterproof down to 5 metres.. Unless you're some freaky deep sea shipwreck archaeologist, this gives you just the right depth range to hunt your local beaches (thanks to Jaws most people won't swim in waters deeper than this).. $ = Ozzy dollars.. Prices are according to a quick online search.. I'm sure that with a bit of ferocious haggling this VLF scuba detector could be yours for much cheaper, especially second-hand.. Here's the recipe: Slowly lower a lukewarm Xterra Pro ($499) into a huge pot, then swiftly add a stone cold V8X coil ($179).. Don't be afraid to mix things up, adding this coil instead of the one your Xterra came with will transform the flavour of the brew from turf to surf.. Before you add any water make sure you gently stir in a yellow pair of waterproof headphones (various makers - $185).. To test the water integrity of your VLF scuba detector, vigorously swirl the mixture in salty water for at least an hour at your nearest nudie beach.. There you go, a brand spanking new VLF scuba detector for only Au$ 863.. US$ 577.. € 527.. GBP 453.. ¥ 83,928.. Bargain! ?

I found an excerpt of a session. That day, apart from a huge uncovered surface, almost no targets and a purely luck find. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2XNwsgq7Uu/?igsh=YzcwaDQ2NmIzbXJt

Well my trusty Sand Shark finally died and well we all know Tesoro is no longer with us. I need a new PI specifically for beach detecting wet salty sand, in tidal areas mainly looking for jewelry. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.........thanks! Robert

After some time, we all have a spot that unlike others, we know like the back of our hand, that spot where more than others we had satisfaction and even lessons. It is the spot closest to home, the one you reach with little effort and know with your eyes closed. Well, two days ago I met a diver friend in town struggling with his hooka and having to take advantage of the few days of 0 energy for the last sessions of the year, yesterday I brought a cylinder with me so I could give him air and a few hours on the bottom. The wonder? Entering the water together in the home spot and in the slime that makes the water murky discovering that some god has ripped out tons of sand without anyone noticing yet. I start breathing at an accelerated pace, but I don't care because there is a compressor on the surface and for the next 4 hours I won't dare move away from the pit. I discover with little surprise that the holiday season has already brought the need for another 2kg of ballast to stay down on the bottom.... I can hardly believe it at moments, and although I have moved hundreds of boulders and searched meter by meter in over 15 years at this place, for the umpteenth time Mother Nature surprises me with a new combination of red clay, fine crushed stone, black sand, then orange, shells of all kinds, and large boulders on top of the cake with seaweed topping deposited between the cracks... The scenery tells of a bad current that has dug down to the mother layer as never before, in addition to old waves of a power rare in these parts. But the seaweed reminds me of the late recognition of the closing party. I start with the smile of a child at Christmas and listen confidently for the presence of iron, then silver, coarse aluminum, and dig up nothing but distinct mids... Bang, a reddish snake at least 20 years old appears.... I am sure I am in the oldest section, the most ravaged by dozens of other hunters, and I am struck with nostalgia. I may have seen 20 more of the same shape, but I haven't dug any in forever.... At that point, already happy to have caught a piece just where I least expected it, I insist and move a good 100 meters away catching sight of another really huge pit. It's been almost three hours and I'm starting to stand on the bottom almost belly down.The wetsuit has soaked through to the cells closest to the skin and the temperature has dropped considerably. You can tell by the loss of interest and control that you are about to get hypothermia.... Just before the headache, determined to resurface and already blessed with gold in my glove, another indisputable signal in the 40s stops me.... Bang again... Thin, barely bigger than my little finger and as beautiful as ever, comes a second ring from another time.... There is no way to explain, on balance I don't get to 4 grams total, but the place, the history and memories I have among these rocks, are back together after too long. I leave the beach struggling to get out among dozens of meters of seaweed, dirty and breaded like a schnitzel...I turn around and say, "You got me again..."

Which one of these SMFs would you consider waterproof? I've heard of a mod for the Equinoxes that makes them waterproof and used by divers.

With only three useful sessions this month due to annoying waves along the coast, the last of the three a few days ago was special. A variation to the tone profile proved effective at least for my hearing. Given the difficult environment where I usually research, pitch tone seemed the only solution to the continuous playing on the saline of 2-tone profiles and up. By really minimizing the instrument's chattery behavior, I fear I misunderstood the audio response of the peaks, no doubt overlooking signals that needed to be dug out. I am certain of this, because the same little patch where for almost two hours I used pitch tone without interesting signals, came back on in full tones giving me a hard time...I came to the conclusion that I was probably too used to "Minelabbish" signals, since in Square full tones the voice of the Deus2 sounds a lot like that kind of audio response. In the short snippet of video below, a ring of silver and one of gold jumped out after finally perceiving them correctly in headphones...

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....

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.