Where's the good stuff?????

[stpauli914]

I guess this is kind of a poll of sorts. I am wondering if any of the seasoned beach hunters can chime in as to where they have found the most good jewelry. The beaches I am hunting are crowded everyday that the sun shines in the summer and there are equal numbers of swimmers, sunbathers, volleyball players, etc. Where do you think would be the best chance to find some gold after a busy weekend:

Dry sand where people spread their towels?

Volleyball courts?

Wet sand down by the waters edge?

Knee deep?

Waist deep?

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

 

[jyt2017]

Each beach is different. I am learning two, one big popular one with less affluent clientele. And another small private beach. Each beach has its own ways. I would say that where ever the stuff is dropped, if it gets touched by wave action, its gonna get deposited in low spots.

My luck on salt water beaches is pretty bad. For a full work week on that big one, I found less then 5 in change and signals are far and few between. The small private one, I have located pockets of pulltabs...but no change.

I am in new england so its not like down in florida, where fresh drops are more common year round.

Anyway...some other members will prolly chime in. HH -Joe

 

[bcoop]

Aaron

There are several factors that may determine where "The Good Stuff" may be. The surf and tides help change that every day along with what was lost and where.

If you could round up everyone that has ever lost a piece of jewelry at the beach, poll them and categorize the most common areas jewelry items were lost. I would say in the water would be the most common area.
Cool water causes your fingers to shrink, then add horseplay, swimming, playing beach games and alcohol. It all causes people to lose rings, bracelets and necklaces to be lost in the surf.

I have went down to the beach at high tide and observed where people were playing in the water. During low tide all the wet sand is where people were playing several hours earlier and I have found jewelry and lots of coins in the wet sand. Now at low tide look and see where the people are playing in the water. If no one ever hunts the swimming areas of the water at low tide then there may be a treasure trove of jewelry in those areas.

Jewelry can be found anywhere on the beach but your looking for the greatest chance. I believe that is high tide line to chest deep water. I have personally found jewelry at the high tide line in the edge of the dry sand and along the towel and beach tent lines. Those areas are littered with aluminum drink seals, pull tabs and foil but good stuff is there too if you want to deal with the dry sand and junk.

All the places you mentioned are places that indeed produced finds. You might search a volleyball court in the dry sand 3 times a week for a month and not find one piece of jewelry then the next time you go you may find a nice big diamond engagement ring, you just never know.

I hunt with a buddy that has beach hunted for 40 years, all he uses is an SE PRO and hunts high tide line to the water edge. He has some of the best finds you'll ever see from thick gold necklaces to gold grills. If no one is on the volley ball courts he will search it before he leaves.

The most common way to hunt is utilize your tide chart and get to the beach a couple hours before low tide, hunt the wet sand and follow the tide out. Hunt the areas where most of the people are or have been, the more people the more chance of lost items.

BCOOP

 

[stpauli914]

JoeB and BCOOP,

Thanks for the replies. BCOOP, that was very kind of you to go into such great detail. I do notice that everyone in the water tends to congregate at the waist deep line. I imagine that will change depending on the tide as well. I never thought about having to weed through all the trash up in the dry sand, but it makes a lot of sense. Looking forward to more replies as well.

Aaron

 

[pelanj]

Hello, I have been scanning one small beach a few times. I have found most of the coins and small silver rings close to the children's slide. Almost all jewellry (another silver ring, a small silver earring, silver bracelet and a golden wedding ring) was close to the water in the wet.

As I see it, there are two factors. Look where the most people go and then the shape of the beach given by waves and winds. For example, I could find quite a lot of copper coins at the farthest point, where the water reaches during storms. Just below the line of sea weed (if there is any). I have also found most of the coins in the wet in the middle of the beach - it was U shaped, so in the middle of the U. Try to imagine the waves, how they move the sand and do a quick walk through first to know the beach.

I have never been out in the water, but I hope I will this summer However I must say, I love to find any coins, even though the value is not much. It is some nice spent time at the fresh air with the finds as bonus.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Bcoop's advice is dead on! I just finished another article for Carla Banning at Lost Treasure (hell yes I'm name dropping!), about what a noobie needs, and needs to know about beach and saltwater detecting. I consulted with several beach hunting legends while writing it, and have been in the water and on the dry sand myself for real-world experience over the last few weeks. At low tide, knee-to-waist deep, then in the wet sand where waist deep was at high tide! I will of course let you know when the piece is published!

 

[stpauli914]

PelanJ and Terry,

Thanks!

Terry, what have you found during your few weeks of real world experience?

Great info everyone! Keep it coming!!

 

[bcoop]

Other things to look for while beach hunting are cuts on the beach. What I mean by cuts: Cuts are areas of the beach where the wave actions from strong tides or storms have cut sand off the beach. There may be areas that have ripples and troughs, some may still have a little water in them. Those are good areas to search even right above them and right below them. The areas where more sand is removed, the better chance you will have hearing those deep targets that may have otherwise been out of reach.

There is no fool proof way to walk on the beach turn on your machine and dig a good find, but you can put the chances in your favor by hunting the common areas and reading the beach. Another good area to focus on is the natural funnel areas. What I mean by that is, most beaches have access areas such as a board walk. They don't want you on the dunes or disturbing the sea oats, this makes natural funnels where people must migrate to when exiting the beach. Those natural funnels can produce good finds as well, people start digging in their pockets as the funnel area decreases because they are getting close to their vehicle. Some people tend to put rings and valuables in their pockets for safe keeping but running your hand in your pocket to pull out a set of car keys produces a tragedy if you have placed your ring in there too.

The beach is ever changing, when I am on vacation I spend somewhere between 8 to 10 hours a day on the beach detecting for a solid week. You can head to the beach, lets say at an early morning low tide and spend 4 or 5 hours detecting and quit with a handful of pull tabs and a few coins. After high tide has come and gone, you can head back to the beach for the evening low tide and dig handfuls of coins and jewelry to go with it. You have 2 high tides and 2 low tides every 24 hours so the beach is ever changing. Everyday you have a new group of people along with the regulars playing on the beach which in turn gives more chances for items to be lost and retrieved by you.

If I could give any advice concerning when to hunt, it would be ( 2 hours before low tide and persistency) There is one other thing, a machine that will punch deep in the salt water sand to see those targets. In my honest opinion, besides using a Pulse Induction machine the Minelab Explorers and the E-Trac can not be beat. No single frequency machine can penetrate the salty sand better. The Excalibur is a great machine as well but if Minelab made a waterproof E-Trac there would be no use for an Excalibur.

BCOOP

 

[stpauli914]

Bcoop,

I'm printing that reply!! Thanks so much!! Hopefully one day I'll be posting a find like yours!

Aaron

 

[Terry Soloman]

PelanJ and Terry,

Thanks!

Terry, what have you found during your few weeks of real world experience?

Great info everyone! Keep it coming!!

I have about 15-hours in the water so far. Minus a One-gallon-size baggie full of bottle caps, pull tabs, bobby pins and other assorted metal, here are my finds. The toe-ring is not silver, and the English coin is my favorite find so far, as I found it on Oakland Beach on Long Island Sound during low tide in 8" of water.

 

[stillhuntin]

Heres a good read http://www.outerbanksnc.net/beachtips.html

 

[JOE in MD]

Most of the gold I find is in knee to chin deep water. Where ever people are swimming. They might be a little more cautious since gold is around $1500 an OZ!

 

[amberjack]

read then swing and then read then swing then read then swing then read then swing sounds boring but its a process of learning and action if you do this you will find goodies i am 100 percent sure of that !! most of all have fun out there

 

[mudpuppy]

Heres a link to a site I think will help you. It was written by a man named Norm Garnush, a fellow beach hunter now deceased its a great read.
http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

Good Luck, you cant find any good stuff in the house! HH
Mud

 

[John(Tx)]

I always look for the low areas of the beach. I will then dig my scoop into the sand and see how deep the gravel and black sand in our beach is, if it's 12" or less, I will start hunting and almost always find silver coins and an occasional gold ring. When the scoop doesn't hit the gravel in the depth I mentioned, I never find silver or gold unless it's freshly dropped and that is rarely. Hope this helps. HH

 

[stpauli914]

I found it New post going up in a minute
Thanks to everyone for keeping me motivated and giving me the good tips!!

Aaron