Following up on my previous blog about how I prefer to use discrimination at heavily hunted sites, this gold chain is one of the reasons why I do not "Dig it all" at these type of sites.
I have always had the same search strategy for heavily hunted tourist type beaches, get to the gold before the competition.
Im not interested in clad coins or junk jewelry, in the words of the late great Freddie Mercury "I want it all and I want it now."
The 18K gold chain in this photo was recovered towards the end of a two hour beach hunt earlier this year, with four other beach hunters searching along a quarter mile stretch of tourist beach.
The other guys were hunting as a group and I know at least two members of the group were digging it all using their pulse induction metal detectors.
I was using my Minelab CTX 3030, cherry picking for gold or silver jewelry by only stopping to dig low or high tones.
My metal detector is set up to respond to four audio tones, a modified low tone, a high tone and two mid tones.
For anyone interested, my CTX 3030 settings are in my two CTX 3030 beach and water hunting books.
I only stop to dig two tones at tourist type beaches, especially if the beaches are heavily hunted.
Low tone gold and high tone silver are the two tones that get my toes tingling, I dig my fair share of low tone aluminum and nickels, but hey its unavoidable.
When you are not digging every piece of junk and clad coin on the beach, you do not have to spend all day at the beach metal detecting to find something good.
My average jewelry hunt is two or three hours at a tourist beach, searching for gold or silver in those two or three hours.
I combine my beach reading skills and experience using metal detectors to seek out the high priority targets I am searching for, especially at sites I expect competition.
Years ago, I remember every time I would detect a piece of gold the signal would stand out so much from the coins and junk I had been wasting my time digging.
I decided to research what metal detectors gave the best audio response to gold and silver and use that information to help me better make use of my beach and water hunting time.
Beach and water hunters spend way too much time agonizing over they could be missing at tourist type beaches, instead of what they could be finding.
Get to the good stuff by skipping over the bad stuff, hands up how many beach and water hunters dig stuff up knowing darn well exactly what the target is before they dig it up.
I do the same, just to targets I know have a high probability of being gold or silver.
I always use the best features of my metal detector to maximize my chances of recovering what ever it is I am searching for.
The majority of the time the best features on the metal detectors I use for beach and water hunting, are the iron mask and discrimination control.
These two features increase my chances of detecting jewelry, while at the same time helping me avoid digging unwanted junk targets.
Junk is junk, no matter where you find it so the less time you waste stopping to dig junk the better.
Metal detecting times have changed and metal detectors have changed, you no longer have to dig everything at the beach, just in case you mistakenly reject one valuable target.
Competition has reached crazy levels at many beaches, so using the best features on your metal detector to help you detect desirable targets faster, makes perfect treasure hunting sense.
The old saying "You have to dig it all to find the good stuff" is just that, an old saying.
Even though I have quite a few miles on my beach and water hunter odometer, I am a discriminating treasure hunter.
I class discrimination, target depth gauges, and display readouts as all very good aids to detecting jewelry and coins instead of junk at the beach.
Using discrimination is the best way to quickly sample a new beach or beach hunting site, or detect a coin line.
It is also the fastest way to search an area you expect to have competition, you can always recover the area digging rejected targets, if you believe there may be other valuable targets masked by the targets you initially rejected.
You have options using discrimination at heavily hunted sites, move on to the next site or stay and dig the junk you left behind.
If you dig all metal targets from the start at a heavily contested jewelry or coin hunting sites, those junk targets may cost you a good find you did not have time to get to.
No thanks, I prefer to use discrimination to get me to the good stuff faster.
I never worry about what valuable targets I may be missing, only the valuable targets ahead of me I can detect!
Many people mistakenly assume once beaches effected by coastal storms are heavily hunted and weeks pass by there is nothing to find.
From previous experiences searching beaches after powerful coastal storms even beaches that appear sanded-in can be productive many weeks or months afterwards.
Use this photo of my Spanish 1715 fleet treasure ring as a reminder not to assume all the best finds are recovered directly after a coastal storm.
Back in early 2005 when I recovered this 300 year old Inca gold and Colombian emerald treasure ring, I had many Treasure Coast beaches all to myself as other beach hunters gave up on the dream of finding hurricane treasure.
Obviously not me, I was just as hardcore a beach hunter then as I am today.
I believe jewelry and coins wash off the beach and wash onto the beach during a strong coastal storm, I often describe the beach as being like a push penny arcade game.
If you keep grinding you can often find jewelry and coins on a beach well after a strong coastal storm.
I always prefer to rely on persistence, patience and perseverance instead of lady lucky when beach hunting.You will have plenty of post storm beach hunting opportunities, if you rely on the three "P"s of treasure hunting. Days, weeks and even months after a powerful coastal storm, beaches are effected by wind and waves that take just enough top sand off an area to expose goodies to patient beach hunters.
Some of my favorite beach hunting finds were recovered many weeks or months after a coastal storm rearranged beaches.
At tourist beaches jewelry hunting is always lucrative following high surf rearranging beaches after a storm.
The recent hurricane in florida did very little visible damage to beaches in south Florida, but I know over the following weeks and months I will be in for some interesting beach and water hunts.
I know the emerald treasure ring I found was more than likely moved around by two hurricanes in late 2004, and I remember thinking in early 2005 there must be more good stuff just out of detection range.
Long after any coastal storm, if you keep plugging away you may discover a find of a lifetime.
Avoid waiting around for more favorable beach or water hunting conditions or giving up on a good beach site that is temporarily sanded-in.
Keep plugging away and be ready to take advantage of future openings at good beach sites known to hold something good.
I wonder how many people walked over the area I found my find of a lifetime?
It just goes to show, if you don't go you often never know!
I expect many beach hunters will be scratching their heads today, after hitting the beaches to search after hurricane Mathew just moved along almost the entire east coast of Florida.
Plenty of flooded areas close to the beach, trees toppled and property damage, but not the beach erosion many beach hunters had travelled long distances to detect.
There are several factors that determine if a beach erodes, the main two things that produce cut beaches are the wind and waves hitting the beach from just the right direction.
A good direction for wind and waves will depend on how the beach runs along the coastline.
I really did not expect this storm to erode the majority of east coast Florida beaches, because of the high tide times and the fact that good directional wind were only going to hit beaches for perhaps half a day.
Huge onshore directional swells were softened up in very sanded in shallow water close to shore.
Sand bars all along the Florida east coast are high and wide with beach replenishment sand washed off the beaches after previous rough seas this year.
They act to cushion the blow from the raging surf and help push more sand onto already sanded in beaches.
The good news if you are a water hunter, a huge amount of sand has been moved around.
Sand has to have been moved from somewhere, and perhaps the water is the place to take advantage of the hurricane.
This hurricane just goes to show how important it is to know before you go, meaning knowing what to expect.
I did doubt my beach reading skills after being contacted by so many people saying they where traveling to the east coast of Florida to detect after the hurricane, what if I am wrong I thought?
Knowing what conditions are needed in order for beaches to erode comes in very handy, especially if you are traveling to detect.
I would not have been able to spend much time on the beaches if they had eroded, the safety of my family and friends comes first.
My wife and youngest daughter are out of town and I am pulling double daddy duties with our eldest daughter and monster pitbull.
All the webcams and beach reports posted online today confirmed my suspicions about this hurricane hugging the coastline and causing little beach erosion, but who knows it could have taken a jog to the right or left and been a different story.
Going back to my previous blog, I am sure many beach hunters have learned valuable lessons for the future from this hurricane.
They may not be returning home with pockets full of jewelry, coins or artifacts, but many will now know that not all coastal storms are guaranteed to improve beach hunting conditions.
I am quite sure many frustrated beach hunters will now look deeper into what conditions are needed to open up Davy Jones locker, also what equipment to take for the next big coastal storm.
PS
Why does the local beach report blogger always disappear for a few days during a storm lol!
As I always say, learn to read the beaches you want to hunt and you don't have to wait for anyone to tell you when to go.
I expect many beach hunters will be scratching their heads today, after hitting the beaches to search after hurricane Mathew just moved along almost the entire east coast of Florida.
Plenty of flooded areas close to the beach, trees toppled and property damage, but not the beach erosion many beach hunters had travelled long distances to detect.
There are several factors that determine if a beach erodes, the main two things that produce cut beaches are the wind and waves hitting the beach from just the right direction.
A good direction for wind and waves will depend on how the beach runs along the coastline.
I really did not expect this storm to erode the majority of east coast Florida beaches, because of the high tide times and the fact that good directional wind were only going to hit beaches for perhaps half a day.
Huge onshore directional swells were softened up in very sanded in shallow water close to shore.
Sand bars all along the Florida east coast are high and wide with beach replenishment sand washed off the beaches after previous rough seas this year.
They act to cushion the blow from the raging surf and help push more sand onto already sanded in beaches.
The good news if you are a water hunter, a huge amount of sand has been moved around.
Sand has to have been moved from somewhere, and perhaps the water is the place to take advantage of the hurricane.
This hurricane just goes to show how important it is to know before you go, meaning knowing what to expect.
I did doubt my beach reading skills after being contacted by so many people saying they where traveling to the east coast of Florida to detect after the hurricane, what if I am wrong I thought?
Knowing what conditions are needed in order for beaches to erode comes in very handy, especially if you are traveling to detect.
I would not have been able to spend much time on the beaches if they had eroded, the safety of my family, friends and house comes first.
My wife and youngest daughter are out of town and I am pulling double daddy duties with our eldest daughter and monster pitbull.
All the webcams and beach reports posted online today confirmed my suspicions about this hurricane hugging the coastline and causing little beach erosion, but who knows it could have taken a jog to the right or left and been a different story.
Going back to my previous blog, I am sure many beach hunters have learned valuable lessons for the future from this hurricane.
They may not be returning home with pockets full of jewelry, coins or artifacts, but many will now know that not all coastal storms are guaranteed to improve beach hunting conditions.
I am quite sure many frustrated beach hunters will now look deeper into what conditions are needed to open up Davy Jones locker, also what equipment to take for the next big coastal storm.
PS
Why does the local beach report blogger always disappear for a few days during a storm lol!
As I always say, learn to read the beaches you want to hunt and you don't have to wait for anyone to tell you when to go.
My inbox is full of Hurricane Mathew questions, so here are a few beach hunting tips that should make a difference if beaches along the east coast erode due to the hurricane.
1. Site selection
This is post hurricane beach hunting tip number one as far as I am concerned, you should have one or two sites picked out that you are going to hit first and a number of good back up sites.
Always go to the site or sites with the most potential, not the sites everyone else is probably heading to.
Knowing what wind and waves are necessary to erode your favorite beach hunting sites is the key to having success after a coastal storm and of course this is why local beach knowledge rules!
2. R O T
Return on investment is very important to me, which is why I hit the beaches I know the best, sites that are preferably within a decent traveling distance.
The more time you spend behind a steering wheel, the more time other people have to search a site before you show up.
After a major storm has caused beach erosion, you want to give yourself the best shot of finding something good.
Local beach hunters have a heck of an advantage over people who decide to travel long distances to detect the same beaches.
Advantages including time saved not traveling to detect and inside information on what part of the beach looks the best to search.
3. Equipment choices
Following up on my previous blog, it is important to use the right equipment to take advantage of prime beach hunting conditions after a hurricane.
Try not to get carried away thinking about deep targets and ground coverage when six to ten feet of sand have been stripped from the beach.
Go for the easy to detect targets, an eroded beach is not the place to get bogged down digging everything.
Think about what you are really searching for, what it sounds like and where it is likely to be found, then choose the equipment that will help you do that.
Also be prepared to stay at the beach much longer than you usually would, including taking extra batteries, water and snacks.
4. It ain't over until the fat lady sings
I have searched beaches I know are very productive with monster cuts and not found a darn thing, but the following days I have cleaned up.
When a beach is stripped of sand and targets are as rare as hens teeth, you may have better luck on the following high tides as things taken off the beach and into the water are pushed back onto the beach.
The giant sandy conveyor belt theory of jewelry and coin hunting has worked well for me in the past, so don't forget to search for coin lines.
I usually search higher up on the beach after erosion first takes place, then lower down over the following high tides as the surf calms down.
5. Savor the moment
Beach hunters lucky enough to search an eroded beach after a hurricane, often only appreciates the opportunity they had well after the hurricane.
Some of my favorite finds have been recovered after severe beach erosion caused by hurricanes, the lessons learned from those hunts really helps you prepare for the next big storm.
Finds like these rings recovered after a hurricane in 2012, a vintage 18K Cartier diamond & emerald ring, antique 18K jade ring and an18K amethyst ring, with a combined appraised value of $20.000.00 Talk about site selection, good equipment choices and the luck of the English!
Unfortunately I do not have the time to go metal detecting directly after this hurricane, but I am hoping things I have learned from previous storms will at least help me pick a few trinkets up the weekend after.
Who am I kidding, I know I will find some good stuff well after the storm has passed.
Savor the moment and put the stuff you learn from this hurricane beach hunting experience to good use after future storms.
Good luck and be safe hurricane beach hunters!
One of the hardest things for a person getting into beach hunting to figure out is what equipment to invest in.
I should add that many experienced beach hunters also have a tough time figuring out what equipment to use.
Over the last week my inbox is full of messages from people ready to go beach hunting after hurricane Mathew.
Several people asked where is the best place to search, but the majority of questions had to do with what metal detector, search coil or recovery tool I recommend using.
From my messages I know many individuals and groups are traveling down to Florida to try their luck when Mathew moves a couple of hundred miles offshore.
My blog is not based on beach conditions or posting photos of the same beaches every other day, so I will pass on giving my predictions of what this hurricane will do for beach hunters.
I was surprised so many experienced beach hunters do not know what metal detecting equipment would be the best to travel with, as I have seen some pretty nice finds posted by some of the people asking the equipment questions.
If you are one of those people reading this blog this is not intended as a slight, just an interesting observation about how even experienced beach hunters have trouble deciding what equipment to use.
Even I have discovered several things that work better for beach and water hunting in the last year, because I consider several of these equipment choices advantages over the competition I will keep those choices under my hat.
I can tell you some equipment changes are metal detecting equipment and others are clothing related.
That is also the advantage of having an open beach hunting mind, you use what you need not what everyone else uses.
Several times over the last year I have been surprised to discover something I have used for a long time was not as good as I thought it was, and an alternative item turned out to be a good advantage.
That basically sums up todays blog, find what works best for you in the areas you search, but try other things just in case they work out much better for you.
I believe traveling to detect is where you learn a lot about the treasure hunting equipment you are using.
The less changes you have to make the better, good equipment choices work anywhere.
There is a lot to be said about using equipment you have confidence in and you know will get the job done.
It is very easy to get comfortable in beach hunting, especially when you have success using the same equipment a long time.
Sometimes it takes a detecting trip or something that takes you out of your beach hunting comfort zone to help you find something that can make an unexpected difference.
