Obvious places to find gold at the beach

When people ask me where is the best place to find gold at the beach, my answer is always the same, the obvious places! 

Here are three obvious places to find gold at the beach using a metal detector.

Opposite a beachside parking lot 

The bigger the beachside parking lot, the more parking spaces the more people potentially losing gold at the beach opposite the parking lot. 

That is simple beach jewelry hunting math, and timing your beach hunts will increase the likelihood of you finding gold opposite beachside parking lots. 

Try not to fall into the trap of believing gold is just lost in one area opposite a beachside parking lot, by only searching one part of the beach. 

For example, only searching along a line in the wet sand, only searching inside water or only searching up in the dry sand.
Here are $25K worth of reasons to search opposite beachside parking lots, both diamond rings were found after busy holiday weekends.
They were also found in areas often ignored by many beach hunters, the high tide line and knee deep water. 

Never overlook the areas just past the busiest stretch of beach and go find yourself some big ice!

Opposite beachside bar's or nightclub's

Drinky winky and gold jewelry are not a good combination at the beach, but I sure would like to see more happy hours at beachside nightclubs and bars ! 

Timing is everything when searching on the beach or inside the water opposite popular beachside drinking spots. 

Night time and early morning hunters often have the first crack at recovering gold lost by courting couples on the beach or swimmers who had one too many.  

Look for towels spread out, discarded alcohol containers, drinking glasses or items of clothing left behind on the beach. 
You often find jewelry in the same area, sometimes just laying on top of towels or clothing. 
I have returned so many cameras, cell phones, wallets and jewelry to very happy and hungover people. 

Also forget about following outdated beach hunting advice passed around on metal detecting forums, if you wait until two hours before low tide to go beach hunting your selling yourself short. 

I cannot tell you what the tide time was when I recovered this superb diamond encrusted 18K gold chain and cross a few years back opposite a beachside bar.

Opposite a known shipwreck 

These are my favorite places to find gold, because old gold is always my favorite kind of gold. 

If you are lucky enough to live in an area with a known shipwreck or two, keep hammering away and you may get lucky enough to experience the thrill of pulling old gold up from opposite a ship wreck site.

This unusual piece of gold was recovered on a Florida beach opposite a known French shipwreck from the late 1600s. 

Local tales of old coins or jewelry washing up or being detected on local beaches after storms are usually true. 
All it takes is a little research to find the general location and the patience to be ready for the next big storm. 
Old coins, jewelry and artifacts more difficult to find than modern coins and jewelry, but if you up for the challenge who knows what fantastic treasure you may find.

So there you have it, three obviously good places to find gold at the beach. Sometimes the best places to find gold at the beach are the most obvious places to find gold.

Makes me wonder why I see so many people walk onto a beach, turn on their metal detector and immediately start walking away from a perfectly good place to find gold.

Roped off areas in the water

Earlier this morning the ocean was a flat as a Paris runway model, so I snuck off work for a couple of hours hydrotherapy with my Minelab Excalibur.

Although the ocean was calm it was pretty sanded in, but I always know where to look for jewelry or more specifically where jewelry is more likely to be within detection range.

I relied on an old faithful water sports rental site, hey let the jet skis blow the fluffy top sand away right? 

Although water sports rental sites are often off limits to swimmers during the day they still have plenty of people swim out to the ropes and hang onto them, even if they do not cross the line.

I have probably found dozens of rings and chains close to roped off areas in the water. Today was no exception, with one gold and two silver rings recovered directly under or to the side of ropes in the water at a local tourist beach.

I recovered two silver rings rather quickly and in the final hour when I heard a nice low tone I started rolling with the GoPro. 

Here is a short video of the 18K gold band recovery showing how close I was to the ropes and how my site selection was spot on.

https://youtu.be/nPnMq7YS89Q

There are many reasons why roped off areas are great jewelry hunting spots, including people grabbing hold of slippery ropes that lead to rings, chains or bracelets becoming snagged.

Or maybe they are just good places for a swimmer to catch their breath and then dive down under the ropes, whatever the reason for lost jewelry around ropes in the water, I like it! 

Many beach and water hunters make the mistake of using roped off areas as turn around points, so they are more prone to be just whiffed at and not searched correctly by many beach and water hunters turning around. 

Also lets not forget about jewelry and sunglasses lost by people getting on and off jet skis or paddle boards, especially when they remove life jackets, rearrange swimwear or their hair. 
I do not have that last problem, but I knew you were thinking it! 

In closing, make water sports rental sites one of the first places you search before the rental site sets up for the day. 
They are also good places to search after a busy weekend, dang Im giving away all my jewelry hunting secrets now. 

Three gold rings and the reasons why they ended up in my pocket

In my opinion you make your own luck at the beach using a metal detector and the less you rely on luck the better.

Here are three gold ring recoveries and three perfectly good reasons why they ended up in my finds pouch.

Never assume jewelry is lost in one area of the beach 

This 18K gold diamond encrusted beauty was recovered about thirty minutes after a couple of people I recognized from the detecting forums told me not to bother searching an area because they just hammered it. 

I had my eye on the two guys ahead of me in the water at a tourist beach, making the same turn around points in thigh deep water.

I guess the knee deep water I recovered this "Bobby dazzler" was not worth searching ? 

Go with the flow

The Saturday morning I recovered this expensive 18 K gold diamond engagement ring, I arrived at the beach intending to water hunt after sunrise.
From experience, I know the importance of always searching up on the beach opposite all the sites I intend to water hunt at.

The diamond engagement ring was recovered above the towel line in the dry sand along with a pocket full of coins.

I never did make it into the water, instead I went with the flow and continued dry sanding.
If I only did one thing ( Water hunting) all the time this ring would probably have been recovered by someone else.

Put the hunt in treasure hunt 

I am always researching new beach and water hunting sites and trying different places.

This heavy gold jade ring with diamonds reminds me why I do not follow the detecting crowd to the same places every weekend.
After hurricane Sandy in 2012 I could have joined the detecting crowds at the tourist beaches, but I decided to search a small beach I read about in a local history book with a rumored late 1800s shipwreck. 

The beach was eroded, targets were scarce, but if you don't try different things you will not find different things. 

I wear this superb old ring at speaking engagements, it reminds me to always put the hunt in treasure hunt and search new places. 

Never assume a place has been searched thoroughly, or that jewelry is only found in one area of the beach, and make your own luck instead of fighting for sloppy seconds at heavily hunted beaches.

Target depth tests

When I search for jewelry at a tourist type beach, I like to make sure my metal detector is fine tuned for detecting small gold.

I often use a thin gold ring on a length of string to help make sure I am using the correct metal detector control settings to get the best target depth possible at the beach. 

If you are mainly searching for coins at the beach, try using a small thin piece of silver with a hole in it, tied to a length of string to use as a test target.

Tying knots in the string every three of four inches will help you judge how deep you are detecting the gold ring or coin.

I prefer to use a small thin gold ring as a test target, as I know if I can detect the test target I will have no problem detecting larger pieces of gold jewelry.

If you set your metal detector controls to the same settings every time you go beach hunting, you have the most to learn from this simple ring or coin on a string test. 

It takes five minutes out of your beach hunting time to make sure you have your sensitivity and discrimination controls set correctly to detect what ever it is you are hoping to detect at the beach.

Occasionally testing your metal detectors response to test targets at the beach will insure you do not have an unknown problem with your metal detector. 

When you do the same things and set your detector up the same way every time you visit the beach, you run the risk of not knowing you have a problem which hinders your chance of recovering a desirable target.

Along with the lower beach test in my previous blog entry, target depth tests are the second way I judge a new metal detector or search coil at the beach. 

Check out these gold chains (Found without pendants) I have recovered on past beach and shallow water hunts using my favorite Minelab metal detectors. 

Some of these notoriously difficult to detect gold chains were recovered from pretty good depths thanks to testing similar targets at the beach ahead of time.
Target depth tests help me to know if I need to tweak certain metal detector control so I can detect the targets I am searching for, I think you will agree it is always better to know the depth and sensitivity capabilities of the main thing you are relying on to detect stuff.
Never assume anything in beach treasure hunting, and that also applies to your metal detector controls by making sure you are getting the most out of your metal detector.
When is the last time you tested your metal detector at the beach to see if you could detect something you hope to detect?
Little things often lead to big things in this hobby, as long as you know how to take care of the little things that can make a huge difference.  

Does your metal detector or search coil pass the lower beach test?

The lower beach close to the water is a good proving ground for metal detectors and search coils. 

If you are serious about being a beach or water hunter, your equipment has to be up to the challenge.

Metal detector or search coil, if it does not pass my three basic tests on the lower beach it is not going to become part of my beach or shallow water hunting arsenal. 

I say shallow water hunting because you can get away with a non waterproof metal detector if you are very careful, and I mean very careful! 

I often try new metal detecting equipment, it's just another way of staying ahead of the competition. 

It makes good treasure hunting sense not to get left behind using outdated treasure hunting equipment or techniques. 

Sometimes I discover something that gives me an edge over the competition, other times it goes pear shaped. 

The main thing is I saw for myself, and if a metal detector or search coil did not live up to expectations it is usually because it failed to perform well on the lower beach proving ground.

Wet to dry sand transition 

Going from the dry sand to the wet sand is the first real test of a metal detector or search coil you hope to use for beach hunting. 

You can use the most expensive metal detector or search coil, but if you cannot make out good signals from false signals in the wet sand, what is the point of using it.

Noisy chattery metal detectors  cause you to miss valuable targets on the lower beach. Putting you at a disadvantage over other beach hunters using equipment that can handle searching over wet freshwater or saltwater sand.

Seaweed 

If your metal detector or new search coil emits a false signal every time you sweep over wet seaweed, you run the risk of  missing valuable targets. 

High tide lines are often littered with seaweed, high tide lines are great places to find jewelry and coins washed up along with the seaweed. 

I have a little more wiggle room for using equipment that gives the occasional false signal over soaking seaweed, but within reason.

Seaweed holds saltwater and takes longer to dry than the surrounding high tide sand, causing havoc with many metal detectors or search coils. 

Rushing water over the search coil 

If your metal detector or search coil goes nuts every time water rushes over your search coil on the lower beach, you again run the risk of not detecting valuable targets. False signals are caused by either the water bumping your coil or the extra amount of salt rushing over the top of your coil at saltwater beaches. 

Either way it can be very frustrating using a chattery metal detector in the surf zone. 

If your metal detector or search coil is effected by more than one of these three lower beach situations, you may be in for some frustrating times on the lower beach. 

Experienced beach hunters may be able to diffuse difficult lower beach hunting situations by tweaking your metal detector controls and using different search techniques. 

Although experience has taught me, it is always better to use the right tools for the job. 

I use equipment that helps me to detect fine gold jewelry, like this emerald wrapped in 22k gold wire. 

The emerald pendant was found in choppy surf back in 2013, obviously not much of a metal target to detect, but not having to deal with a chattery detector or false signals means you do not miss jewelry like this. 

Traveling to detect tips

I have been on several trips abroad this year and because I am a hardcore treasure hunter, I took my detecting gear with me. 

A couple of months ago my email inbox was full of questions from people who were traveling to Florida to detect after a major hurricane moved along the coastline of Florida.

So here's a few thoughts about traveling to detect and what to take along for the journey.

Your favorite metal detector

Always take the metal detector you are most comfortable using, traveling to a place you have not searched is not the time to use a back up or situational metal detector. 

For example if you use a VLF metal detector, leave the PI detector at home and maybe vice versa depending what metal detector you use the majority of the time. 

Nothing beats being comfortable and at ease, instead of wishing you had brought your old faithful metal detector with you. 

Search coil selection 

I take the stock coil and an extra larger search coil than I would normally use when traveling to detect. 

Knowing from experience that both of these sizes suit the majority of metal detecting situations I am likely to encounter.

Better to plan big than go small and worry about ground coverage and target depth.

Accessories 

I prefer to take a metal detecting sling or harness when I expect to spend more time than normal metal detecting. 

Spare battery packs are important and so too is a pin-pointer and finds pouch. 

A Travel scoop for beach hunters or a fold up spade for land hunters makes sense, or you can buy a digging tool locally after you arrive.

Two simple and often overlooked things can ruin a trip you have a chance to metal detect on, a broken search coil bolt or arm cuff strap.

Good look trying to find both of these items locally abroad, I carry both of these items in my vehicle whenever I go metal detecting. 

Lastly don't forget to travel light and layered. You get what you pay for when it comes to outdoor clothing. 
A cheap rain suit after five minutes in the woods, will make you look like you had a run in with a grizzly bear. 

When I know I am likely going to be water hunting, I take a light wet suit, hard soled dive boots and gloves. 

Here's a short video of a recent land hunt in England and a small medieval hammered silver coin I pulled up using one of my favorite travel accessories. 

https://youtu.be/5ijioo7WSu8

Discrimination by use of a metal detector target depth indicator

I had a chance to do a little metal detecting on a recent overseas business trip and I relied heavily on my metal detector target depth read out while searching for old coins and artifacts.

It is amazing how many pesky bottle caps and pull tabs you find in off the beaten track sites. 

Often out of the way places you would least expect to recover the same modern junk I find on Florida beaches.

If the situation calls for it, I will discriminate by target depth when searching for modern gold jewelry at tourist type beaches, especially during heavily sanded-in beach and water hunting conditions.

Discriminating by target depth is probably a technique more known to people who search for old coins in trashy inland parks than to beach hunters. 

The basic premise is that you can avoid digging shallow junk targets by only stopping to dig targets with deep target depth readings. 

Old coins are not usually going to be shallow targets in a park, a trained ear can easily help pick out the tone of a silver coin in areas with large numbers of shallower modern coins.

At a sanded in tourist type beach, gold is found at deeper depths than common beach found clad coins. 

Gold being denser or heavier, sinks into fluffy loose sand much faster and deeper than clad coins. 

This helps explain why many beach hunters return home with lightweight junk targets during sanded in conditions, instead of gold.

I'm not much into returning home with chump change, which is why I often like to use a metal detector with a screen and target depth indicator at tourist beaches. 

I prefer to leave the junk and get the gold before the competition. 
Yes I know it's beach hunting heresy, but in my opinion you do not have to dig it all to have a successful beach hunt.

When you know gold is highly likely to be detected deeper than clad coins and pull tabs, don't dig any target registering near the surface, unless of course it sounds like gold. 

The time you waste digging obvious non gold targets eventually starts to eat into your precious beach hunting time.  
The more obvious surface junk you waste time digging, the further you will find yourself away from recovering gold as you run out of metal detecting time.

Back to my recent couple of short hunts during my recent trip, I used six inches as the likely modern finds cut off target depth. 

Every older coin or artifact I recovered had a target depth reading of nine to twelve inches, well beyond the modern finds cut off depth.

The next time you know you are digging shallow junk during sanded in tourist beach conditions, use that experience of yours to resist the temptation to stop and dig surface junk. 

Check out your target depth display and move a step closer to recovering gold. 

This is just an " Outside the box" technique that helps you adapt to a specific situation.