Weekend beach hunting tips

Here are a few tips from my “Hardcore Beach Hunting” book to hopefully help you to find what you are searching for this holiday weekend.

Timing

Avoid racing to the beach early Saturday morning if you are trying to take advantage of weekend crowds at the beach.  

I know it’s tempting if you are a weekend warrior but patience is a virtue when you are dealing with tourist type beaches.

Head to the beach on Saturday afternoon or evening or better still wait until Sunday before you go metal detecting. Sunday evening would be the best time to search after two busy days of beach activity.

Traveling to detect

If you live within reach of several beaches but you only have a few hours to metal detect, hit the nearest crowded beach instead of traveling long distances to detect big name beaches. 

You cannot find jewelry and coins sitting behind a steering wheel unless they belong to you. 

Be ready for anything 

Spare batteries, a search coil, digging tool or metal detector will insure equipment failures do not ruin your chances of finding something good this weekend.

I think like Noah and take two of everything, just in case it goes pear shaped or I end up staying longer than expected.

Plan ahead 

I always plan to hit two beach hunting sites with two different intended parking spots.

If the site I had planned to search first does not look very promising I can quickly move on to the back up site.

I also keep an eye on local beach cams towards the end of the week to help me identify crowded sections of the beach. 

If I have to search on the Saturday at least I know where people may have lost jewelry before the weekend.

What competition?

If the site is already being searched take the area not being searched or follow the other searcher or searchers. 

You never know what the beach hunting gods have in store for you. 

I have recovered so much good stuff following other people using metal detectors or from areas I perhaps would not have chosen to. 

Don’t miss the forest for the trees

The weekend is a great time to see where people crowd or congregate on the beach and in the water close to shore.

 More than likely you can see where to search the next time you hit the same beach.

People watching is one of my favorite site reading skills, I see what groups are more likely to lose what and where.