Beach Metal Detecting Tips!
So you want to try beach metal detecting?
We have a bunch of great beach metal detecting tips to get you started in the right direction and finding more when metal detecting on a beach. Follow this and you should start finding some great stuff in no time.
Make sure you have the right beach metal detecting equipment. Beach metal detecting is different to relic hunting or park metal detecting in that you need different tools to do the job properly. For park metal detecting a small hand digger tool is best, for relic hunting you need a relic hunting shovel. But for beach metal detecting, if you intend to metal detect on sandy beaches you will need a sand scoop. There are a couple of different types of sand scoops to consider. Firstly there is the hand scoop.
This is a small unobtrusive scoop that you would use by kneeling down on the sand and scooping out the sand until you find your target. This works well on soft, dry sand but can be hard on compacted wet sand. It can also be hard on the knees if you are often kneeling down on sand, your knees can become raw. Imagine kneeling down on sandpaper for a while and you will get the idea. Also, if you keep having to stoop low to retrieve your targets you might find that your back can get sore. On the plus side though, hand scoops are relatively inexpensive. The other type of scoop to consider is a long handled sand scoop.
The benefit of one of these types of scoops is that you won’t need to kneel down very often, saving your knees and back. You use them by inserting the scoop into the sand behind the target you want to dig and then pushing your foot against the back of the sand scoop and scooping out a wad of sand where you think the target is. These scoops are great if you intend to use your metal detector in the water, you can retrieve your targets without ever going under water yourself. However the downside of the long handled beach metal detecting sand scoop is that they can be quite expensive. Elsewhere on the metal detecting tips website we have already discussed how to select the best metal detector in our metal detector buying guide for what kind of metal detecting you intend to do, however it is worth touching on a few things again in relation to beach metal detecting.
If you intend to use your metal detector in the water you will need waterproof capabilities. Some metal detectors have coils that can be used in shallow water as long as you don’t get the control box wet. Other metal detectors can be used entirely under water. Make sure that you fully understand your metal detectors waterproof capabilities before you take it anywhere near water. If you are new to metal detecting and haven’t yet chosen a metal detector then be sure to check out our metal detector buyers guide to help you choose the metal detector that best fits your needs.
So now you have your metal detector and scoop you are ready to hit the beaches to start beach metal detecting. Firstly you need to check and make sure that you can legally metal detect there. Do you have permission? Do you need to ask for permission or is it a public beach that doesn’t need any permission to metal detect? It’s vital that you know this information before you start detecting to ensure that you are allowed to metal detect so that you can relax and enjoy your beach treasure hunting without having to look over your shoulder throughout your metal detecting trip. Another of our beach metal detecting tips is pretty simple. Be courteous to other beach users! No doubt the beach that you intend to use your beach metal detector on will have a lot of visitors. If not then it should have, because you are going to be looking for the stuff that people drop! But we’ll get to that part soon enough. The points we are getting to here is that if you are beach metal detecting then watch out for other people using the beach. Don’t be a nuisance. Keep a respectable distance from people who are sunbathing or spread out sleeping. You really don’t want accusations made against you so it’s best to err on the side of caution and give people their space.
If you see people playing beach volleyball, throwing a Frisbee or a ball around then keep away from them.
Also don’t leave holes uncovered. Treat a beach as you would any other metal detecting permission. Always, always fill the holes that you have dug. Also, just as importantly always remove any trash or dangerous items that you find, such as glass, nails, sharp pieces of metal etc. No doubt curious beach goers will be inquisitive and you will get people asking you about what you are doing. Be friendly; Show them your junk pouch and that you have removed glass etc. You’ll get a good reputation and you’ll be less likely to attract negativity from other beach users. Negativity can happen, I’ve seen YouTube videos that make me cringe with guys leaving junk on the surface, not filling their holes and getting in between people who are lying on the beach. These kinds of things will attract trouble, so be friendly, courteous and smart and you’ll have a much better beach metal detecting experience. Another idea if you intend to do beach metal detecting on busy beaches is to simply pick times to metal detect when the beach isn’t busy. Go early morning, or later in the evening, or on week days instead of weekends. You will probably have a better beach metal detecting experience if you have less people around. Speaking of other beach users, that leads me on to another beach metal detecting tip that many people may not consider, but I have heard this happen to beach metal detectorists far too often. Be careful showing people that you don’t know your good finds, particularly if you find rings, watches or jewellery. I have heard terrible stories of beach metal detectorists that have excitedly shown people a great find that they have just had such as a nice gold ring or necklace only to be approached by a friend of the person they just showed it to claiming ownership of said gold ring. That leaves the metal detectorist in a quandary. Where they know that the person who has approached them claiming ownership is not telling them the truth and is unethically trying to profit from them, but the beach metal detector user has found something that clearly belongs to another person and cannot prove that the other person is lying to them. It’s better to keep quiet about those kinds of finds, you don’t want to risk being threatened to hand things over or even worse assaulted by someone who is not telling you the truth. However I do advocate trying to find the owner of a valuable jewelry item whenever possible. You can search local lost and found listings, or contact local Police if you have found something that you think someone is looking for. It is always best to do the honest and ethical thing. So where on the beach should you start beach metal detecting? Well it just so happens we have metal detecting tips that might help you with that! Look for places on the beach to use your beach metal detector where you know people may lose things. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, yes it really is. Look for the places that people play beach volleyball. Is there a beach volleyball court? If no one is using it then scan it with your beach metal detector. When you have people diving around after the ball then they’ll often lose rings, earrings, necklaces etc. Take your time and search those areas well. Also, look for the places where people sit or lay on the beach.
I have a friend who is a former enforcement officer in areas that included popular beaches and he said he lost count of the number of times people have approached him saying that they took their jewelry off and placed it on the corner of their towel, only to forget about it until the end of the day and pick up and shake their towels free of sand, sending their rings flying too. So search places where you have seen people lay towels down. You might make a nice find! Another great beach metal detecting tip is to think about when is the best time to go beach metal detecting. Consider going detecting on Monday mornings straight after a long hot weekend when you know a lot of people would have been using the beach. Also consider going beach metal detecting after holiday weekends when you know all of the beaches will have been packed.
Also consider beach metal detecting at the end of a hot summer season. Use your local knowledge of busy periods to maximize your find rates Beach metal detecting can be a lot of fun, especially if you are prepared and plan your hunts properly. We hope that our beach metal detecting tips have been useful to you and that they may have sparked some ideas for you and that you can implement some of these beach detecting tips in your own beach hunts on your local beaches. Let us know if you have your own tips you think are worth sharing to the metal detecting community. We would be happy to publish articles, letters, videos etc. So let us know what you think! Until next time, Happy Beach Hunting!
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