I use my T2 at the California beaches, mostly dry sand. It also works in damp and wet sand. As you move closer to the surf, the ground balance drops until it will no longer auto tune, so I manually set it, usually in the range between 2 to 12 if the sand is saturated with ocean water.. The detection depth is less, but it works. I have also used it over shallow submerged sand and found I can still detect something, but it's easier to use my PI detector when I 'm hunting in the water.
Also in the beach sand, we have pockets of black sand that is heavy in iron, making it nearly impossible to use any detector. I once hunted at a cut at the beach that had a layer of 2 inches of this black sand over the normal sand below. I had to hold the coil about 6 inches above the surface in order to get any usable signal at all. The T2 had a reduced depth of only maybe 6 inches below the surface in this condition, while all my other metal detectors were completely useless. But the T2 paid off, because I found a silver walking liberty, a silver quarter and 2 mercury dimes in addition to some wheaties. This black sand is usually found in pockets that give falses that are easy to recognize along with the hot rocks. Another thing I see is the amount of salt water moisture content of the sand changes a lot as you move toward the surf, needing a change in ground balance. What I do is follow the surf line to stay in a path that has a relatively constant amount of moisture, then make a second and third pass closer to the water after resetting the ground balance.
I have better wet sand detectors, but I usually reach for the T2 because it is lighter and easier to use, has better discrimination, and I can swing it all day without getting tired. What I found is the only thing the T2 doesn't do very well at the beach is to find treasure that is submerged.
I have had good results using the T2 in fresh water at lakes and streams. I can submerge the coil up to about 2 feet before I worry about getting the control box wet. The ground balance is not a problem, so I can auto tune it.
Best wishes,
J_P
