7/5/14 Report - Little Diamond Sparkler Find & How To Recover Deep Targets In Moving Water and Mushy Sand,

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Little sparkler found on the 4th.

You might recall the cobs recently recovered from the Green Cabin Wreck that Captain Martinez of the Capitana showed us not long ago.  Neither showed the denomination, but both are eight-reales.

Captain Martinez said both of those cobs are in the lab now and he'll send more info on them when he gets it.  He also said he'll be sending photos or new finds too.



On the Treasure Coast the seas are still calm.  I did a little hunting Friday morning near low tide.  Some people were out very early to reserve their place in the sun.

In the dry sand were a good number of shiny new clad coins, with just a couple discolored ones.  You can always expect at least some new drops on hot holiday weeks.   It appeared that at least 80 percent were recently dropped and did not show any effects of weathering. 

Now there will be all the new debris from fireworks to deal with on the beaches, such as sparkler wires.

I also sampled the wet sand and shallow water.  The wet sand didn't produce much besides some junk jewelry - no coins and no aluminum. 

There was a lot of sea weed piled up on the beach front and also in the shallow water.

The shallow water produced some junk jewelry too, and one good target (See above.), which was deep and took quite a while to recover due to its depth and the moving water and sand that kept filling the hole.

I stuck at it though.  It always really bugs me to have to leave a target giving a good signal just because I'm not able to get to it. 

While trying to recover that good target I thought of some tips that I should give you for recovering deep targets in moving water and sand in the shallow water. 

The small waves were breaking over the bar just to the East of me and then rushing over the dip, which is where I was trying to recover the target in semi-mushy sand.  It wasn't the most mushy I'd ever seen, just not firm.  The top layer was fairly thick and without any course shell sand.

Anyhow, here are some things to try when trying to recover deep targets in moving water and mushy sand.

First switch to pin-point mode and get a good fix on your target, noting both the position and depth of the object.

Second, remove a scoop of sand right over the deep target.  That little hole will serve to mark the location visibly, or if the visibility is not good, you  can relocate the hole quickly and easily by feel with your foot. 

If the water is rough enough and deep enough to make it difficult to stay in position (it wasn't Friday) try to keep one foot planted at the edge of the hole to keep yourself in good position.

Now, it is time to move sand.  If you got a good fix on the depth of the target, you have an idea how much sand you need to move.  If it is a lot, then I'd recommend foot fanning.

Plant your non-predominant foot (I'll assume you are right handed, or footed.) to the left of the small hole.  Don't anchor your foot too close to the hole because the hole will be expanding.

Take your long-handle scoop and anchor it to the left of your left foot so you can lean on it while trying to stand on one foot and fanning wildly with the dominant foot. 

Once you feel firmly set, start moving your right foot back and forth over the center of the hole until you have fanned enough sand to be getting close to the object.

Warning: doing this bare foot can result in things such as a fishing lure popping up and getting stuck in your foot.  I know.  It is best to have some foot cover.  A trimmed swim fin is excellent for moving a lot of sand.

Check the hole with your detector.  Still in pin-point mode, angle the coil up at about a 45 degree angle and face the coil over the sloping sand on four or more sides of the hole.   If the signal is louder when the coil is angled over the left slope of the hole than when it is over the right hole, then you have a good indication that the object is not in the exact center of the hole but off to the left a little.  If that is the case, or if the hole has expanded so that your left foot is now in the hole, readjust your stance farther to the left.

After fanning a lot of sand, if you fanned too much, the object can now be on the slope of the hole or even outside of the hole, so check with your detector once in a while to see if the target moved.  If visibility is good, keep watching for the target to show up.

The ideal is to fan just enough sand so that the target is just barely covered.  Then use your scoop to scoop it up.    (That is why your estimation of depth is important.)

 If you try to scoop up the object while it is deeply buried, you can scoop it up with so much sand that the object will be on top of a scoop full of sand and can fall out over and over again as you lift it through the moving water.    That is especially true of light objects as well as gold chains. 

Gold chains will very often slide out of the front of the scoop unless you get the entire chain well in the scoop, which is not easy.

Light objects like pull tabs can slide off as you raise the scoop of sand through the moving water.  Light objects like that can also be moved a good distance with the moving water when they fall out of the scoop.  It can take a little time to relocate them.  They will tend to be moved in the same direction as the moving water.

If a target moves a good distance after you try to scoop up, there is a good chance that it is aluminum.
A heavier target won't move as far when you lose it and will often fall back down into the hole.  A target can slip down the side and get reburied by sand refilling the hole.  That can result in the signal becoming more faint.  You might have to take time to relocate the object.

Despite the fact that you are trying to get deep, it is better to not over-fill your scoop when trying to scoop up a deep target in a hole. 

Also, before lifting the scoop, give it a little time and shake it a little while the scoop sits in the bottom of the hole to let the target settle better into the scoop.  Then when you lift the scoop, not so much stuff will slide out as the scoop is lifted.   If your scoop sifts fast that will help too.

I didn't know there was going to be so much to this when I started typing.

The process can be much easier if you have good visibility and can get a look at what is happening under water.  A snorkel mask can help.

One thing I want to emphasize is how to angle your coil up along the various slopes of the hole to identify the position of the object relative to the center of the hole.   When the hole is smaller all you need to do is put your detector in pin-point mode and place the coil angled up the slope from the center of the hole in four or more directions.   If the hole has become bigger, you can sweep up each of the slopes.  There is the possibility that the object has been moved up the slope or even out of the hole, as well as the possibility that it is still buried below the hole.


 A good fix on the location of the object can save a lot of work.  


Thursday night Hurricane Arthur came ashore near the southern end of the Outer Banks as predicted.  

http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-arthur-scythes-outer-banks-north-carolina-072924809.html

That should have given the guys up there a good opportunity.  Hope they are all safe.

They are very good at predicted tropical storms these days.  The paths are pretty much right on.


I understand there are new rules on taking batteries on planes.  I'll get into that more tomorrow, as well as some other things.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/8/13 Report - Secrets of Foot Fanning, Metal Detecting Club News & Treasure Auction News

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

12 Year-Old Snorkler
With Found Ring
AP Photo.

I posted a link to this story a couple of days ago.  A lady lost a $4000 ring at the bottom of a waterfall.  This twelve year old boy decided to snorkle to look for the ring and found it by a rock.

If you read that story and think about it, there are some good clues to be found.  Notice where the ring was lost, how it was lost, and how and where it was found.

The ring was found laying by a rock.   He didn't use a metal detector.  Ask yourself why a detector was not needed?   Think about the likely bottom conditions etc.  Remember that when you read the tips I posted below.

First, some news.

The St. Lucie Metal Detecting Club will hold its next meeting Oct. 13, 3 - 6 pm at Bernie's house.  A club hunt is being planned for Sept.

The deadline ( Aug. 17 ) for consigning to the next Sedwick auction to be held Oct. 30 is about here.  Time is running out.  This auction will be live from a resort just outside Downtown Disney.


I talked a little yesterday about the misconceptions that persist about detectorists and digging.  It seems that government officials and archaeologists and others who are not detectorists believe detectorists go around digging big holes like archaeologists or kids playing on the beach.   What they must not realize is that depth in metal detecting is measured in inches, not feet, and much of what those who detect actually do, as I explained yesterday, only requires a little sifting or fanning rather than digging.

In the water, even though a long handled scoop can be a very handy piece of equipment for sifting sand, it is also useful for other functions such as helping you navigate and staying connected to a spot on the bottom while you are bobbing in rough water.

One function of the long-handled scoop that is very important to me is to be a third leg.  That can be very useful in rough water, especially if you are going to fan with your foot.   Some extra support is helpful, especially when one foot is busy fanning sand.

When walking on a rocky bottom with limited visibility, it is also easy to step on a rock and sprain an ankle.  That has happened to me.  Again, the long handled scoop provides some extra balance and support.

Foot fanning can be used almost anywhere when you are in the water.  I've used it in the lakes in Minnesota where the lake bottom was covered with egg sized pebbles and where it would be very difficult to use a scoop, to the bays of St. Lucia in the sunny Carribbean.

Foot fanning can move a lot of sand quickly, probably a lot more than you would ever imagine if you haven't used the technique.   It can be much faster than hand fanning.

Everyone knows that sand is moved by the currents, and try as hard as you might, it is difficult to dig a deep hole in moving water.   As I explained yesterday, that is not what I am out there to do.   In fact, I prefer to be in areas with packed rock bottoms where it is near impossible to make a dent using a scoop.

When you are dealing with one of those highly productive dips with a packed rock bottom, foot-fanning is the technique I would choose.  If you are wading, it is by far my preferred technique.  Your hands will probably be full anyhow.

You can bend  a stainless steel scoop by trying to dig a packed rock bottom.  That is something you don't want to do because the expensive scoop will never be as good again once it gets bent.

Instead of trying to dig, stand over the pin-pointed spot, firmly grasp the long handle of the scoop, and lean on it, using it, as I said, as a third leg.   Position yourself over the pin-pointed spot, and start fanning with your foot.  If the target is shallow, as will often be the case when you have a bottom packed with rocks, the target might be exposed after the first few strokes. 

At first fan using a few short  vigorous strokes with your foot directly over the spot and close to the surface.  That will concentrate the force on a small area and will help mark the spot and help determine if the target is real near the surface or not.

Foot fanning, as contrasted with hand fanning, is done front to back instead of sideways. 

After the first burst of strokes with your foot, observe the results.   If there is any sand on top of the rocks, you will most likely see a depression in the sand.  If the bottom is packed with rocks, the sand between the rocks will be lifted out of the cracks between the rocks when you fan.  That makes it much easier to move the rocks out of the depression.

Pin point once again.  The object might have moved.  If not, then try to determine how deep the object is.  Then proceed to foot fan more vigorously, taking longer strokes, so that not only the sand is moved, but smaller rocks will also be moved out of the hole.   

You can foot fan very vigorously with the free foot while leaning on the long handled scoop for support.  You can learn to focus the force on a small area or a larger area.  Both the length of the stroke and nearness to the surface are important.   As you learn how to do this, you'll see that you can move a lot of material quickly.   The force can be concentrated on a small area or spread over a larger area.

It is best to wear foot wear when foot fanning for a couple of reasons.   One is that stones will pop up and hit your bony foot on the ankle or toe or where ever it hurts the most.   Things like fishing lures will also occasionally pop up and can stick in your foot.   That has also happened to me.  Fortunately not too deeply.  
Like I said, you might be surprised by the amount of force you can generate by foot fanning.   And also like I said, there is no need for digging.

One technique that can be used to make foot fanning even more effective, is to take an old scuba flipper (you've probably found one or more if you've hunted much in the water) and cut it back.  Remove most, but not all of the flipper.  If you plan on foot fanning, using the modified flipper on the foot you use for fanning, and it will increase the amount of material you can quickly move.  Don't leave too much of the flipper though, or it will slow down your fanning.

One thing about fanning sand in the water is that the water will quickly move the sand back to where it originally was.  Nature will do that for you very quickly in most cases.  In some cases too quickly.

However, if you have moved a good bit of sand and it isn't refilling too quickly, and you are working in an area dense with targets, as these rocky areas tend to be, take the opportunity to scan the entire area where sand was moved again with your detector.   Scan the depression and any slopes.  You will often find more targets in the area where the sand was moved.  Keep detecting and moving sand as the area grows.  It is a lot easier to move more sand where you already have moved some sand.  You an spend a lot of time and recover a lot of targets from a small area like this.

Like I was saying yesterday, I focus a lot on finding the types of places that I want to spend my time detecting.   And when I find a good one, detecting depth is not the most important thing.


Here is a good link to a story about what all they are digging up during construction of a railway in London.   Thanks to Marsha R. for the link.

http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Work-on-new-railway-line-digs-up-London-history-4716141.php


On the Treasure Coast the wind is from the southeast today.  The surf is a little rougher, somewhere around two or three feet.  It kicks up a little more from time to time.

Overall beach detecting conditions have not changed much yet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net