After The Boys of Summer Have Gone...

[F350Platinum]

Post #2 from my big camping trip, a most disappointing 6 days of hunting, but hopefully no one thinks detecting is easy. Each day I searched about 15 miles of East Coast Central Beach, walked an average of 5 miles each day. The reason I titled this post like I did was that Eagles tune was in my head all week. 🤪

Some background: 

About 3 weeks ago a massive hurricane (Erin) was off shore, they tell me there were 12 foot plus waves, and the surf washed over the dunes protecting the Barrier Islands in many places. In some cases the beach was reduced at high tide to nothing, even the beach crews and lifeguards had trouble getting around. Then when I went there a tropical system sent 70mph winds, torrential rains, and again huge waves. The wind didn't subside until I left. I drove through it with my RV, but the "Camping Gods" were with us, on the trip the storm parted and we drove in high winds and heavy rain for only about 15 minutes or so. 🙏

I got out there about 7AM each day, and hunted until noon. The first day there was a surf competition that was postponed because of the second storm, the "Hurricane that Couldn't" as I called it. This time I just used the Manticore with M15 and M9, and the Deus 2 with V2 and the 13".

The beach from one end to the other was wiped out, literally. I searched high and low, in some places there was no towel line. I hunted the wet and the surf when it was safe to do so, the tides were extreme high and extreme low, lots of rip and longshore current. Most of the time there were red flags up, the first couple of days there were two.

It wasn't like the last time I was there about 2 months ago for sure. I got lots of stuff then and even an old Spanish coin. This time I could walk hundreds of feet and heard absolutely nothing. 

I guess skill and advice from my friends was the only thing that saved me:

Here is a typical days' junk, I gave away lots of sinkers and a couple of Hot Wheel cars, and people were very nice at least.

Here are the "keeper" finds, about the most valuable is the Yeti Molle Bottle opener at $10. Got only one ring, a kids' Mood Ring. To its credit it works. 🙄

The Hot Wheel car is an older one from 1993, I found it deep in the surf. 

I got a steel Canadian dime and the most worn out nickel I've ever found.

In 6 days all I got were 66 coins. 🤬:

A buddy I hunted with in Florida said he goes in the wet and surf with the sensitivity jacked up and most filters off on the D2, and listens for "whispers". I did that a lot, and got my best find of the trip:

A silver ankle bracelet with some CZs in it. 

This was my last camping trip of the year. At least I got a shot at the "older" beach, as much of the replenishment sand was washed away. There just wasn't much to find. No Guarantees...

🍀

[ColonelDan]

One indisputable fact you can count on every time when detecting the beach...or anywhere for that matter.  If the goodies aren't there, you won't find them no matter which detector you have, what settings you use, which coil is on the end of that detector or how well you can read the beach.   Just fact.... 😜

[Skull diver]

I actually start to think that this after-storm hunting produces less than expected.Due by experience, if at least three days do not pass after the real energy, there's no chance to find the good stuff.

Sometimes we fall casually on a good piece in this scenario, but it is an unrepeatable hit apparently.

 

[F350Platinum]

1 hour ago, Skull diver said:

I actually start to think that this after-storm hunting produces less than expected.Due by experience, if at least three days do not pass after the real energy, there's no chance to find the good stuff.

Sometimes we fall casually on a good piece in this scenario, but it is an unrepeatable hit apparently.

 

I'm bound to the period of my camping stay so I get what I get, I think the beach was washed out by the earlier storm.

Even the crews had trouble getting around.

Also the sand near and in the ocean was very soft, indicating fast sinking of finds.

[rvpopeye]

That storm pressure washed the beach 🥸 but it missed a nice little bracelet . And you found it ! Walking along a slope like that would kill my hips ! 😎

 

[F350Platinum]

17 hours ago, rvpopeye said:

That storm pressure washed the beach 🥸 but it missed a nice little bracelet . And you found it ! Walking along a slope like that would kill my hips ! 😎

 

Thanks RVP,

It was a week of extreme high and low tides, so when the tide went out it was easier. It was tough to hunt the dry sand, some places better than others. The mushy sand was a bit of a concern, sometimes my foot went down pretty far. 😬

One thing I don't understand is why a lot of beach detectorists I see walk straight lines along the beach. If I find a "line" I will follow it, but only if digging what appears to be one found while walking a zig zag pattern. 🤔 

[rvpopeye]

lol 350 ! I guess it's like a band , some people are just straighter than others.......🤩

 

[Skull diver]

19 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

One thing I don't understand is why a lot of beach detectorists I see walk straight lines along the beach. If I find a "line" I will follow it, but only if digging what appears to be one found while walking a zig zag pattern. 🤔 

It depends by how hard it is that line under feets...

In the first picture uphere, where the truck it is on the slope, inclined, well, there I'll spend much of my time...

Downward to the water, I see all of the first seasonal berm removal overburden caused by backwash.

[F350Platinum]

4 hours ago, Skull diver said:

It depends by how hard it is that line under feets...

In the first picture uphere, where the truck it is on the slope, inclined, well, there I'll spend much of my time...

Downward to the water, I see all of the first seasonal berm removal overburden caused by backwash.

Thanks for the advice Skull. 👍 This forum has pretty much made me what I am today, and I appreciate all comments. 🙂

The sand underfoot in the wet was really soft in a lot of places, seems to me the foam from the big waves put a lot of air into it. I imagine any targets were very deep. I only heard things where it was firm.

I did search the slope the trucks were having difficulty going over, It was difficult to walk as well. There was so much black sand up there I could hear it. The towel line was loaded with black sand as well.

It was a difficult go overall. There were a lot of nice people, and I think I sold a few metal detectors!