Newbie needs tips on beach hunting

[zonee]

Hello all!

My husband gave me a Gold Digger for Christmas. I work on Miami Beach graveyard shift and am going to try it out on the public beaches in the mornings after I get off work approx 7 am.

I have seen one good tip about going the day after a holiday weekend.

I realize that the Gold Digger is an entry level machine, but I doing this for a fun way to enjoy the beautiful mornings we are blessed to have here most of the year. If I make a great find maybe it will pay for a better machine down the road.


I haven't done any MD since I was a kid. We used to go four wheeling in my Dad's old 48 Willy's Jeep out around my hometown of Tucson, AZ. I remember we found one old adobe home site somewhere out there in the desert and found so many items at that one site my Mom had them hanging as decorations around her back porch for years.

Beach hunting is new for me. I doubt if this detector is water proof so I not planning on doing that, but any tips from the veteran dirt fishermen here would be greatly appreciated and I promise I'll upload any pics of any nice finds I get.

I have been here since 1998 and have never seen anyone on the beaches with detectors,...

 

[Sky1]

I heard that as long as the sand is not soaked it will still work ok. You might have to turn the sensitivity down a bit. Good Luck!

 

[nugget]

Hi Zonie, you'll probably need to keep to the dry sand, you can run the sens a lot higher than on the wet. Go low and slow keep your coil level through out your swing. I reckon you'll do really well if the beach has'nt seen a lot of detectors. Best of luck to you. Cheers Nugget

 

[NightStalker]

If your beach is any thing like in Australia after 5am during Summer, aerogard is a must as the flies will drive you nuts.
Dig all signals as long as they are not iron....good luck.

 

[zonee]

No flies or skeeters on my beach(es). Landsharks are another thing entirely.

Went for first time this morning didn't get much time in though as hubby was with me and he got bored real fast when he found that my finds were a Corona beer bottle cap, a piece of rusty wire, and a washer LOL. Went down on South Beach but didn't get there until late morning (I would prefer sunrise!!!) and all the tourists were already out and about. We got the last parking spot. I didn't even try and go near the water line too many nearly naked people laying around. South Beach is packed with tourists.

We were there about 30 minutes then hubby wanted to go to lunch. I am trying to get over a nasty respiratory virus so that was about all I was up for anyway. The fresh air was a good thing.

I did see a guy leaving in a partial wet suit carrying and open coil detector and a long handled sand scoop. So there are MD'ers here. I didn't get a chance to talk to him.

I will try again on Wednesday morning and Jan 1 after work.

 

[Aces High 333]

Welcome and congrats on the detector. I agree with the above posts. Also search high traffic areas, blanket areas. I'm up here in N. Fla. We get those " where did that come from" storms and I know in Miami there more violent storms there. I've been doing a CSI thing whereas I would stand between the beach and parking lot envisioning beach goers running to their vehicles, dropping valuables, getting out of the rain...
Good luck, HHing Go Seminoles

 

[zonee]

Finally got out this morning after work... did a 45 min fitness walk then pulled out the MD.

Not even a chirp near the waterline. Found 2 trash pieces then decided to head home after 20 minutes. I figured this beach (haulover) was a po man's beach so probably wouldn't have any luck.

I kept swinging on way to car. On side of pathway to lot found a 14K gold band!

Ok I am hooked now LOL!

 

[mwaynebennett]

WOW, you lucky dog. Way to go.

Mark