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Monday, July 31, 2017

Beach & water hunting troubles

Many moons ago I managed to run across a trifecta of bad beach and water hunting situations, all thanks to an early predawn hunt at a local tourist beach.
After getting kitted out and walking on to the beach, I was immediately accosted by a group of drunk youths asking me what I was doing and how much was my equipment worth.
Not very much as  I made it myself was my reply and they backed off when I told them my scoop was very sharp. I was ready to go medieval but it was not necessary as I walked into the water and that put an end to that potential threat.
I continued searching in the water, although I usually would only search inside the ocean after sunrise. 
With my back to the beach pinpointing a target, two approximately five foot long spinner sharks passed between me and my search coil. 
The sharks pectoral fins brushed against my thighs, luckily I was wearing my brown shorts. 
That is it I thought, I'd rather take my chances with the land sharks. 
About an hour into the beach hunt, a bad thunderstorm rolled over the area.
I headed straight to my car and drove home, drunken lager louts, sharks and lightning, do you think someone was trying to tell me something? lol !
Today's blog is about watching your back at the beach and being aware of your surroundings.
I am sensible now at not taking chances at the beach, starting with parking and sitting in my vehicle for a few minutes to scout the area for unfriendly's.
I also prefer to check a beach out first without carrying my equipment, just in case the beach conditions looks terrible. 
Better to take a quick look at the beach conditions than waste money feeding hungry parking meters without knowing if you are going to stay.
I also never get in the ocean before sunrise, automatically taking myself off the breakfast menu.
Some people like to metal detect in the ocean at night, I do not anymore.
Get caught in a rip tide at night and your in trouble. 
Not metal detecting at the beach during a thunder storm is a no brainer to me and that was before I heard about a guy getting struck and killed by lightning metal detecting in the water at Jupiter beach.
My metal detector often tells me it's time to go when a thunder storm approaches.
A lighting strike several miles away will cause your metal detector to false. 
Better to be safe than sorry, carrying a metal detector and metal scoop on a wide open beach.
Watch your back if you are searching beaches at night and use caution near the water or during a storm as no amount of gold is worth dying for.
Put safety first and what ever it is you are searching for at the beach second. 







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