Water Hunting Season is Approaching

Over the past decade, water hunting has exploded in terms of popularity. After all, what other facet of treasure hunting provides you with the potential of finding valuable pieces of jewelry at sites just a short distance from your home on a regular basis? The increased competition and improved performance of waterproof detectors has made it a bit harder to come home with a handful of rings every time out, but there are enough sites available to keep everyone happy for years to come.

Unfortunately, as the popularity of water hunting has increased, the careless actions of a small percentage of irresponsible detectorists has had an adverse impact on the rest of us. In some cases, these actions have resulted in areas being closed to detecting, or severe limitations placed on when it is allowed and what tools can be used to recover targets.

The purpose of this column is not to cover the specific detectors designed for water hunting since, often, selection is a matter of personal preference, budget and location being hunted, but rather to cover the various recovery tools available and how they should be used.

The most common recovery tool used by beach and shallow water hunters is the scoop. There are a number of different types available, ranging from small hand-held versions to ruggedly built models with long handles used when searching in deeper water.

The smaller hand scoops come in a variety of materials, such as plastic, acrylic, galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless steel. The advantage of the non-metal versions is that you can pass them over your detector’s search coil to see if the target is inside, saving recovery time. If you are hunting salt-water beaches, the non-metal or stainless steel models will not be affected by the corrosive nature of saltwater. There are a number of different designs of long-handled scoops on the market, with the construction material, size and shape, design and “ruggedness” being the distinguishing factors.

Selecting the right scoop – long handled or hand style – will make a difference in how successful you are and, more importantly, how much you enjoy your time in the field. If you get blisters after an hour, your scoop simply cannot dig into the material on the beach you are hunting or it is too heavy to lift when filled with wet sand, you will soon regret getting into this facet of treasure hunting. Take the time to talk to a dealer that knows water hunting before buying something that might look great in an advertisement, yet fails to meet your needs when it arrives.

A good friend of mine, a long-time water hunter and a manufacturer of a complete line of scoops, is Kevin Reilly, owner of Reilly’s Treasure Gold in Pompano Beach, Florida. If you are looking at getting into beach and water hunting, or want to upgrade your recovery equipment to make 2009 more productive and enjoyable, give Kevin a call at 954-971-6102 or visit his website at www.RTGStore.com

So you have chosen the scoop(s) that meet your needs...do you simply head out when the weather is warm enough and start digging up valuables? Well, before you walk out the door, take a minute to reflect on how you will use your new tools. Recently, it has become more and more common to come across areas where beach hunters have recovered targets and left the holes unfilled as they continue on down the beach.

Even though scores of kids can be seen spending their day digging holes in the sand with their “pail and shovel,” what beachgoers and attendants will note is the treasure hunter that failed to refill their holes. Spend a few seconds kicking the loose sand back into the hole before moving on and let anyone watching you know that you are taking care of the beach. This seemingly simply action will help ensure the beach remains open so you can come back in the future.

Many of us have taken the time to cover holes left by other detectorists in order to protect the privilege granted to hunt the beach. Yes, it is unfortunate that this is actually required, but if you see holes or damage left by someone who searched the area before you, spend a few minutes refilling them to promote a more positive image of our hobby.

The tool of choice for shallow water hunters is the long handled scoop, which is used to recover targets in the deeper areas of swimming areas. Many of these scoops are capable of digging a hole 8” to 10” deep in a matter of seconds and deeper holes just as quickly. If left unfilled, they can pose a tripping hazard for swimmers that inadvertently step into them. There have been a number of times where I was wading off a popular beach and suddenly found myself in water that could have been over the head of a child, woman or teen after stepping into an unfilled hole from a previous hunter. If someone twists their ankle or, even worse, finds themselves struggling to stay afloat, I can assure you that the beach will be placed off-limits for all detecting. If the beach is part of a park system, that ban will be applied to all of the beaches within the system.

Once you have recovered a target, recheck the hole for any additional signals and then refill it before moving on.

Over the past few years there has been interest in the use of a gold dredge in the recovery of coins, jewelry and other valuables in swimming areas. While a dredge is capable of increasing your recovery rate, there is some information which is key to making an informed decision on whether this is a piece of equipment worth adding to your arsenal.

A typical gold dredge is designed to “vacuum” up dirt, sand and rocks from the bottom of a stream and, through the use of the sluice box, removes gold and other heavier material while dumping the rest of the material to the streambed. Over the years, dredgers have frequently reported finding items such as coins, bullets, rings and other artifacts in the sluice box when they emptied it at the end of the day. In the early 1980’s, the use of dredges for specifically recovering coins and jewelry began to take hold and, in the right area, it was very productive. In 1982, my partner at the time and I used one to hunt the old public beach in New Orleans and recovered literally 1,000’s of keepers over a 6-month period. What we have discovered is that while vacuuming an entire section of stream might be an effective way to recover gold, vacuuming an entire beach down to a depth of 1’ to 2’ is not practical. To put it in perspective, a small beach, 200’ long and 50’ wide, would require you to move 740 cubic yards (or the contents of 82 full-size cement mixer trucks).

The proper way to use a dredge for water hunting is in place of the long handled scoop. You tow the dredge behind you while scanning the bottom with your detector. When you get a signal, press the nozzle into the bottom and lift the target. As with a long-handled scoop, make sure you refill the hole before moving on. Sounds like the ideal solution, no? Well, there are some things to consider. First, if all you have is a small car to get around, or you live in an apartment with limited storage, the size of a dredge may not be an option. Second, if you typically have just an hour or two to hunt, taking half that to setup and tear down the dredge is not a good use of your time. And, finally, the sites you search may not allow dredges. Most ocean beaches, state parks and private pay-to-swim sites would never allow you to bring in a dredge. Do research on your ability to use a dredge at the sites in your area before spending more than $1,000+ on one designed for coin and jewelry recovery.

No matter where you live, if you are involved in beach or water hunting, you will need to schedule your hunting around peak swimming periods. Unless the beach is abandoned, you should not plan on searching it on sunny weekends or busy weekdays when the beach is in operation.

Check out the beach when it is at its busiest – not to hunt it, but to see where the activity is concentrated. Those areas should be where you focus your efforts and will usually produce better than simply wandering around hoping to hit a hot spot.

Over the years, I have gotten reports from water hunters as well as beach operators describing beaches that have been closed to metal detecting due to damage done by treasure hunters or by actions such as people hunting in the middle of crowds or sneaking in under the cover of darkness.

Many of these sites had been open to metal detecting; however, regulations have been enacted which expressly prohibit their use at any time and provide for stiff penalties including fines and / or jail time to anyone that violates them.

As with all types of treasure hunting, it is much harder to get a law repealed than taking the time to police ourselves to keep them from being passed in the first place. Practicing responsible target recovery, either on land or in the water, will help ensure that productive sites remain open for years to come.

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