Pin-pointer advice for beach and shallow water hunters

I like to carry a waterproof pin-pointer when I go beach and shallow water hunting, especially when I know I am going to be searching rocky shorelines.
Most waterproof pin-pointers are only depth rated to ten feet, usually ruling out using them in deeper water searches.
I have used several different waterproof pin-pointers and the one I have been using for over a year now is the Minelab ProFind 35.
I am very impressed with the way it is detects small targets and the way it works in saltwater, something many so called waterproof pin-pointers struggle to do.
The ProFind 35 has also been put to the test in a wide variety of beach and shallow water hunting situations.
Being able to stand up to a little abuse is important to me as I often search harsh environments for metal detecting equipment, including brackish swamps, saltwater mangroves, coral reefs, compacted shell and jagged rock beaches.
My pin-pointer has been has seen serious action and been dropped on rocks, spent a couple of days on an offshore coral reef and run over by a beach cleaning tractor.
Or as I will say if I have to one day send it the Minelab repair center, normal use!
However, I am happy to say that it has taken a licking and it is still ticking
Pin-pointers are not usually associated with beach hunting, but they are a valuable accessory if you search tough terrain where recovering targets is much more difficult that detecting targets.
I have given a shout out to my Minelab banana, but there are other waterproof pin-pointers to choose from.
Read reviews and make sure the waterproof pin-pointer you choose to use can do two things, detect a small ear ring back on the highest sensitivity setting and be used in saltwater without going nuts.
Again do your homework before buying a waterproof pin-pointer as some pin-pointers advertised as waterproof behave erratically around salt the one mineral saltwater beach hunters have to deal with on a regular basis.
Remember, you have to turn the sensitivity down to use a pin-pointer in saltwater, don't worry about losing pinpointing depth after lowering the sensitivity on your pin-pointer.
If you are carrying a pin-pointer to the beach you obviously need one to help locate and recover detected targets trapped between rocks, shell or coral.
All of these type of tough beach recovery areas act as natural coin, jewelry or artifact traps, prohibiting the stuff you are searching from sinking out of metal detection range.
A waterproof pin-pointer helps you to isolate a detected target in touch to search areas, how you extract the target is up to you.


You don’t always have to walk around or past difficult to search areas, put your metal detector and scoop down, use the pin-pointer and a flat head screw driver or pair of needle nose pliers to winkle the good stuff out.