Metal Detecting at the Beach!

The beaches in the United States have been a wonderful spot for the vacationers and pedestrians for as long as time has been. It is a wondeful place to relax and be at ease listening to the white noise of the waves crashing and reforming as you stand on the beach breathing in a sigh of relief of the tranquility of this peace. Beaches also within the last 50 years have grown in popularity with another group of people called Metal Detectorists. These are a special breed of people that want to enjoy the peace of the ocean but at the same time want to find treasure too! And let me tell you, there are plenty of treasures down the shore from constant traffic on the beaches to shipwrecks from hundreds of years ago. i am going to give you an overview of what type of detector I use, why I use it, and the things you will find. Also, I will go into hunting patterns when swinging your detector to obtain good yield, and I will also give you some knowledge and hints when searching the beach or in the surf.
Now to begin I will be showing you the Metal detecting instrument I use and why I feel it is the best in the detecting industry. The detector I have is a Beach Hunter I.D. from Whites industries,and itis able to search the beach as well as begee fully submersible to search up to 25 foot depths. I suggest these detectors to all for the simple fact that I have tested out detectors from other gepanies and WhitesI have found is the best.Not all detectors can go under water for it will destroy their circuitry, but this one is specially designed in a watertight case. Also the headphone are waterproof as well, which makes searching even easier.

As you can see this instrument is waterproof and has easy set up instructions on it to use. This machine has three different colors to show you what yield you might have found. Red stands for iron or trashlike metal most of the time, yellow stands for jewelry and some occasional trash, and green stands for most coins whther silver, gold, or normal clad. It is extremely easy to use as most metal detectorist know because it only has three different tones. Most detectors have what is called a V.D.I. chart and you can have all kinds of tines sometimes making it hard to differentiate between the good and the bad things. These Detectors depending on where you get them can run in between 800-1000 dollars in price. It is a little steep but the yields are truly amazing. Here on land some places have been searched to death, but the oceanfloor as well as lakes and other bodies of water are constantly providing good treasures.
Next i will show you the instrument you need when retrieving your finds in deep water or on the beach.

This is called a sand scoop. This is a long sand scoop for the purpose mainly of deep water, but can be used on the beach too. Scoops can gee in varying sizes depending on your gefort level. As you can see with the scoops, they easily sift through the sand to capture the treasure lying beneath. It is a huge time saver and worth the money. Scoops can range in price from 25-100 in price.
Okay, now that we know the instruments to use we can move forward to the detecting experience. Beach hunting is a great time to detect and to catch some sun while feeling the oceans breeze. Before you start detecting the beach formulate a plan since the beach is vast and can be miles upon miles long. The best thing to first is locate your troughs, where the water is siting on the beach. These are well known areas to detectorists and do provide some decent yield. Most people rush into detecting here and miss everything, but if you have a plan then your set to go. Another good place to start is bythe water for the simple fact that most jewelry is lost here in the shallows. Most of you reading now are probably scratching your head wondering why here, but I'll tell you why. Most people when they go in the shallows still have a ring on their finger and as they enter the cold water, their finger shrinks, therefore allowing the ring to gee loose and go into the shallows. And from the storms and tides geing in constantly it stays there for awhile and is waiting to be found.
Run a search pattern in the shallows or on the wet sand in a back and forth pattern to increase your yield. You will find jewelry, coins, fishing weights, trash, and even debris from old ships. Always respond to any noise your detector gives you. The silent noises usually mean that it is a deep target and much more valuable. Depending on what you find, your treasure might be worthless for the simple fact of metallurgy. Salt is extremely high in the waters of the ocean and easily can destroy a metallic object. Gold is impervious to the salt which is a good thing. Silver can last a few months before it corrodes. Normal clad objects if not found withina month can easily be eaten away by the salt to nothing.
When it gees to deep diving it necessary to use scuba gear. You can find a great pair at your local sporting goods store for about 60-80 dollars. This allows you to breathe easier and to see clearly. Searching underwater is very hard since you really can't get a good pattern down from the waves and tides geing in and swaying you back and forth, but you can try. Plus you have to carry the detector and the scoop with you as well, which can be a hassle. When you hear a tone on the detector when searching make a note to step on the spot with your foot to keep track of where the tone came from. Then carefully scopp the area till you find your signal. Most underwater detectorist have a special pouch to store your finds which ensure it will not escape while searching for more good things.
Be careful when detecting for their are thieves out there and they will do whatever they can to make your life miserable to get your treasure or machine. If you find something valuable keep it to yourself. By announcing your find you invite problems.
Hopefully this quick guide has given you some knowledge into detecting at the beach and I hope it helps you in your search. Happy hunting!