(02-26-2017 05:58 PM)Ben Town Wrote: [ -> ]Nice finds.
I'm going to St Joes and Destin in April, will be taking the 3030 and a friend will have an E Trac.
First time beach hunting , any pointers ?
BT
I got a few, some you might already know.
1. Sunscreen, Hat and sunglasses.
2. Once you locate target in water use your foot to mark coil position and move coil out of the way. Then place your long handle scoop into position.
Getting it right takes practice. Best to take little scoops unless you know you can recover it in one full scoop. Sometimes if you miss, and target is off to the side it will fall into the hole you just created going deeper. If you suspect the target is deep its best to make a wide hole slowly going down. This will keep the sides from falling in on a single scoop. This all depends on the surf, sometimes you only have one shot /one scoop if the surf is rough. You will feel the force of the waves once you try to stay planted. Gulf Coast is a calmer coast.
3. Sometimes if I lose a target, take several scoops out as fast as you can, dumping it beside you this works in water and wet sand. Often you will recover it. If your in the water, and lose it after all this tell yourself it was a light piece of aluminum and the waves took it away. Not a piece of Heavy Gold and it sunk out of range. Hahaha
4. If so one comes up to you asking you to find something be sure to get a description in case you find another ring while searching for theirs. Lots of dishonest folks would say it is theirs.
5. Where should you hunt? Normally water produces more rings, obviously this includes wet sand. However, towel lines can start at the edge of high tide and be 100 yards wide or more, depends on the beach and how popular it is. I have seen five rows of towel lines. I have seen rings, chains, phones, watches. earrings come from this area.
But not has many rings and lot more trash.
6. I normally leave the dry sand for others. One of the biggest reason it takes a lot of energy walking in the dry sand. I like to hunt the dry sand after a heavy rain or storm when it is packed and easier to cover. Some of the nicest finds I ever seen come from dry sand. One was a almost 3 oz Platinum chain. My friend found a gold ring by a trash can walking out. I said seriously, all that trash in that area and you pick out the gold.
7. Parking sometimes it is a 5 hour limit this causes problems if you walk several miles down the beach hitting the popular areas. I have had to run back to the vehicle and this sucked. The parking police around here want to write those tickets.
8. Sometimes it is best to hit beaches early or late, since folks will not be in your way. Be careful hunting a crowded beach the kids especially run without looking and the scoop could really hurt someone. I carry it in way that is likely not to hit someone and when digging be aware who is around you. The handle could whack someone, and the kids are curious, they sneak up on you.
9. Soft oatmeal sand means probably nothing but fresh drops and sitting on top as sunk out of sight. Look for area that solid and the scoop will tell you a lot. Feel the bottom and look for deeper areas. (trough)
10. Good luck and have fun!
Do research on the 3030, some of the older ones had a problem with leaks around the battery compartment. I think, they resolved the problem with a different gasket.
FYI, I did find this Gold ring in wet sand about 30ft from water's edge at low tide. I found the tungsten ring in about waist deep water. So the good stuff can be anywhere. More likely in the water area and less trash there too.
Thanks everyone for looking and good luck to you too!
