What size of waves do you battle?

[YOHOHO]

I'm fairly new to beach detecting and have stayed on the dry sand with my DFX, but I really want to enter the water. I just need to get another detector...

I'm in Redondo Beach (Southern California) and was wondering what size of waves do you all battle? I've seen reference to heavy surf and such, but what is "heavy surf"? I guess I'm just trying to get a general frame of reference since I see many East Coast postings... Are you dodging surfers? Rogue waves? Or consistent pounding?

Thanks so much!

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Here is one from the archives, circa '05. Not too rough, but you get knocked around a bit, I like it!
[attachment 127176 IMG_0987.JPG]

 

[tvr]

I'm near east coast.
I don't get nearly as many hours in the water as do many here on the forum do since I only get a couple weekends and a one week vacation at the beach a year and am starting only my third year with a waterproof detector, but here goes:

For me it depends a lot on how the waves break as to how hard it is to hunt. I have been in 3 foot swells that were smooth and easy to bob in. I could stay upright and hunt as deep as I could reach to get the detector and scoop on the bottom. Fatigue was not an issue; it was very relaxing.

I have also been in one foot chop that did not look bad but was breaking right before a 1 to 2 foot cut on the bottom. The chop coming in would push one way, the the under tow would pull the other and at waist deep working the cut I got knocked off my feet 8 to 10 times in an hour. It wore me out and an hour was about all I could do that time and feel safe with the fatigue level. Detector and scoop are attached to right and left arm respectively with boogie board straps for easy retrieval.

I try to stay away from surfers and boogie boarders. When I have been near them, the surfers usually turn away or bail out a little further out but kids on boogie boards are, well, kids; and to avoid them about the only option is to move where they aren't and to hunt early before they get there or hunt later when they are starting to go to dinner.
tvr

 

[Chi Town Bruce]

Old post but, still fun!


http://www.findmall.com/read.php?26,739764,739847#msg-739847

 

[YOHOHO]

Thanks for the insight/perspective....It definitely helps


Great pic and video!

 

[Dig]

Hahaha here on the West coast of Florida we have baby waves...unless there's a tropical storm or a Hurricane. All the same I have been rolled a few times on windy days but perseverance pays. Just remember not to turn your back on the ocean.

 

[MissSpark]

...And wear Weights!

I am just lucky I have Dig there with me , keeping an eye on the water and preventing me from floating off with his detector.

 

[therover]

And it goes from 1 foot deep to about 8 feet deep after 2-3 steps at high tide. with pretty big waves so it's near impossible to hunt those conditions. At low tide, it's different, and if there are sand bars, you can get out there and it's still calm.

If there are any off shore storms, sometimes all hell breaks loose and you have to be wary of even being in the wet sand/suds for sometimes that rouge wave will hit you and possibly knock you over.

Most waves at low tide are 2-3 feet with 4-5 second intervals which is not bad.

 

[bdahunter]

It depends upon wave frequency and where the waves are breaking but 3 foot is very doable, 4 gets tough unless they are spaced well apart and 5 is NUTZ but a real good workout.(shorter hunt too) Chest deep hunting stops at 4 footers generally because you have to keep riding each incoming wave which means the amount of time with your coil on the sand is limited and so are the finds. Remember to watch out for a bigger than average wave and every 7th wave thereafter as the 7th wave is usually the biggest of the set. Rogue waves are an absolute menace and I've been picked up and tossed onto the coral by a rogue wave which was absolutely no fun at all.

Good Hunting,

BDA