The plan is, there is no plan.

A year ago, I was standing on the beach before sunrise holding this beautiful 18K white gold engagement ring with three superb chunks of ice in my hand. 

I had gone to the beach early and planned to shallow water hunt, but before I could get down towards the water I was busy scooping targets. 
Hands up how many water hunter's reading this would have turned their metal detector on just before or after getting in the water?
That is exactly the point of todays blog, the plan is there is no plan. 
I always go to the beach with an open mind, having a general idea what I want to do, but letting the beach conditions have the final say. 
If I had not turned my CTX 3030 on in the dry sand, I certainly would not have had a chance to detect targets and recover the expensive diamond ring before stepping onto the lower beach. 
Versatility and being able to adapt to changing conditions, always insure you have a chance of finding jewelry and coins. 
Versatile metal detectors also help, allowing you to change search modes, search coils and refine your beach or water hunting plans. 
Many beach and water hunters search the same places, the same way all the time, instead of getting out of their comfort zone by trying something different. 
The next time you go to a beach that is searched by several people metal detecting, take a look at how many people are searching the same area. 
Then take a look at where the people using the beach are located, are they sitting or laying in a straight line in the wet sand? are they all in the water? are they all sitting or laying in a straight line the dry sand?
Those people standing, sitting or laying in many different areas at the beach are the reason why I can walk off a heavily hunted beach in Florida with an expensive diamond engagement ring just as the lifeguard is showing up for work.
Jewelry or coin hunting is not about how many hours you can walk in a straight line searching the same areas at the beach,  its about putting yourself in position to be successful by not having a set jewelry or coin hunting plan. 
The plan is, there is no plan to jewelry and coin hunting at the beach, the only thing a plan will do is cause you to miss jewelry and coins.