Looking down and around

When you are into metal detecting you find yourself looking at the ground a lot, even though I often use a metal detector with a VDI screen I always have my eyes trained on the ground or on the ground ahead of me. 

I have recovered so many great things using my "Twin optical scanners" while sweeping a metal detector search coil in front of me. 

Yesterday I was able to help a stranger out in a parking lot because I am always looking ahead with an eye towards the ground. 

As a person walked towards their car in a beachside parking lot, I saw papers flutter to the ground as they pulled their car keys out and got inside their vehicle.

The person backed out of the space and was pulling away but I stepped in front of their car holding my hand up and pointed to the ground. 

I picked up the six $20 bills and gave them back to the person who thanked me before driving off.

On Oak Island this summer I found a wallet stuffed with some lucky old couples holiday cash in the hotel parking lot, I say lucky because I handed the fat wallet to the hotel receptionist who reunited the happy couple with the wallet.

I believe I have posted a few stories of finding cash while walking the dog this year and even a prosthetic leg leaning against a chain link fence, talk about getting legless lol 

The point of todays blog is how observational skills help in metal detecting, instead of looking at a metal detector screen look at the ground you are covering.

Always keep an eye out for things that do not belong or look out of place, especially a the beach if you are a beach hunter. 

A favorite trick of mine when searching tourist beaches at night is to search in a line below the previous high tide mark, wearing a headlamp with the beam angled just along the high tide line.

Im metal detecting but watching for anything caught in the headlamp beam, at first light my attention changes to trying to spot any potentially interesting areas on the beach as the early beach hunting bird often gets the worm!

After years of looking at the ground and the ground ahead of me, my ninja site reading skills are something I rely on all the time. 

Being in the right place at the right time means little unless you see the things that make a difference.

A beach is constantly changing, make sure you see the subtle as well as the obvious changes, the compactness of the sand, a shell line, exposed rocks or any number of things can help you if you are looking down and around. 

Something to think about if you believe only a specific metal detector or search coil make everything possible at the beach.