3/12/20 Report - Found Silver Medallion. Winter Beach and British Camp. 60th Regiment of Foot.

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

Heavily Corroded Silver Medallion After Some Cleaning.

This silver medallion was heavily corroded, but after a lot of careful cleaning shows much of the detail.  The back is more heavily corroded than the front and unfortunately shows no marks or details.  

You can see the stub where the loop broke off at the top.

You can see some writing at the right side of the photo.  It says Apostle.

Silver Medallion Find After Some Cleaning.

It was found in an area with other items, including cobs, presumed to be from a 1715 wreck, but the spelling "apostle" is an English spelling.  "Apostol" would be the Spanish spelling, and "apostolus" the Latin spelling.  The conclusion might be that the medallion has nothing to do with the wreck or the cobs that were found nearby.  That conclusion could be correct, but it might not be either.

There are many ways that things from different countries or cultures and different wrecks can get intermingled.  Beach finds, in particular, get mixed around over the years and centuries, so items from different times and sources can end up in the same area.   But there are other possibilites.

Trade did take place despite attempts to prevent it.  When people are in need, they do what they have to, so trade is always a possibility.  But also remember that the wrecks were big events that drew native populations, pirates and others.  There are a variety of ways that items from various sources could end up together on a beach that has been churning for many years.

I said before that I was going to talk about the Winter Beach camp.  Douglas R. Armstrong wrote a book, The Winter Beach Salvage Camp (Signum Ops, 2012) in which explorations of the camp are decribed.  Here is a brief description from that book. "The campsite was found to run for nearly 125 meters along the beach dune line and extends westward into the woods for another 30 meters.  A second camp, slightly newer and apparently occupied by 18th cenetury British treasure hunters, is located some 90 meters to the south of the encampment area...."

The British camp was smaller and set back a bit farther from the beach.  It was created later - possibly somewhere around 1780.

The British camp contains items apparently salvaged from the 1715 wreck along with later items from the time of the British camp.  So you have items from at least two different times and sources or events intermingled.  That is not to mention earlier and subsequent native activities, and who knows how many more.  My conclusion is that the medallion could have been on the ship, although that appears less likely, or it could have come from the time of the British salvage effort or some other wreck-related events, but it could also have absolutely no relationship to the wreck at all.  The age and source is impossible to determine precisely, although judging from the amount of corrosion, it looks like it has been out there for quite a while.  Perhaps additional research will help narrow down the age or history of the item.

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60th Regiment of Foot buttons were found at the site of the British camp.  The 60th was stationed at St. Augustine around the time of the Revolutionary War.  The regiment was formed in 1757, so we can figure that the British camp dates to at least 42 years after the wrecking of the fleet and possibly as many as eighty or more years after.

The regiment was intended to combine the characteristics of a colonial corps with those of a foreign legion. Swiss and German forest fighting experts, American colonists and British volunteers from other British regiments were recruited. These men were Protestants, an important consideration for fighting against the predominantly Catholic French. The officers were also recruited from Europe – not from the American colonies – and consisted of English, Scots, Irish, Dutch, Swiss and Germans. It was the first time foreign officers were commissioned as British Army officers. The total regiment consisted of 101 officers, 240 non-commissioned officers and 4,160 enlisted men. The battalions were raised on Governors Island, New York. The regiment was renumbered the 60th (Royal American) Regiment in February 1757 when the 50th (Shirley’s) and 51st (Pepperel’s) foot regiments were removed from the British Army roll after their surrender at Fort Oswego.

Source of quote: https://www.revwartalk.com/60th-regiment-of-foot-king-s-royal-rifle-corps/

Now we know that the 60th Regiment of Foot included recruits and officers from many countries as well as the colonies, so that additionally expands the sources and types of items that might be intermingled around a wreck and camp site.

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Remember you can find Bill P's instructions for using Muriatic acid to clean silver items in my reference link list.  Also you will find instructions for tumbling items by using the same link.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

It looks like the surf will be in the 2 - 4 foot range for a few days.  We are getting big tides now though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/19/17 Report - Theories About the Cobs of Bonsteel Park Beach. The Democratization of Archaeology and Our Cultural Heritage.

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

I recently mentioned Bonsteel Park.  The beach in that area produces cobs, including a lot of half reales, when the water hits the dunes.   No wreck has been found near that beach to account for the cobs.

There are different ideas about how the cobs ended up there.  Frogfoot Weller, for example, suggested that the old Chuck's Steakhouse was the site of the wreck of Ubilla's frigate.  Yet, I don't know of any ballast pile in that area.

Others believed that  a smaller vessel associated with the early Spanish salvage efforts wrecked there.

And still other's believe that individual's that left the salvage camp on their way to St. Augustine buried treasure there or met some unfortunate event.

One of the most interesting things to me is the predominance of half reales, which is not unlike some other beaches which are adjacent to known wreck sites.  As I've said before, I have some ideas about why more half reales are found on some beaches while more larger denomination cobs are found in the water on the associated wreck sites.  

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Where do you look when you want to learn about Florida's history?  If you want to learn more about an artifact, where do you look or who do you ask?

I know that most people these days do a good bit of online research.  That has increased dramatically over the past several years.  When I began this blog there were not nearly as many blogs and web sites about metal detecting, archaeology and local history as there are today.  In making more information more easily available to more people, the internet has been democratizing knowledge.

Wikipedia says, "The democratization of knowledge is the acquisition and spread of knowledge amongst the common people, not just privileged elites such as clergy and academics. Libraries—public libraries in particular—and modern digital technology such as the internet—play a key role in the democratization of knowledge, as they provide open access of information to the masses."

Back in  2013 I conducted a blog poll to find out how people learn more about the Treasures of the Treasure Coast.  117 people responded to the poll.  They were people who visit my blog and therefore can be assumed to be more interested than the general population in metal detecting and treasure hunting.

Only 5% of the respondents said they had ever seen any of the coins in the Florida Collection. I don't know what percent of the population in general have seen the coins in the Florida collection, but I would assume that it would be a much smaller percent of the total population.  Among the people that read this blog are some who have found coins that went into the collection.  Anyone who reads this blog has seen pictures of coins that went into the Florida Collection before those coins became a part of the collection.   Not only did they see pictures but they also read something about the coins, how the coins were found and the people that found them.

One of my points today might be an obvious point, but I think it needs to be stressed.  Technology has provided increased access to more and better information about history, archaeology and our cultural heritage.  Every year more people read and discuss and get information about our cultural heritage over the internet.

If you want to study coins from the 1715 Fleet, for example, or any other shipwreck for that matter, where do you go?  The internet more likely than not.  You will find pictures and information in online auction catalogs, on web sites, blogs, ebooks,  and online documents such as dissertations, academic papers and archaeological reports.  The web provides a lot of information that is free and easily available to the public.

The people who contribute to those online resources include many amateurs as well as professionals.  In a simple blog like this one you often see pictures and information contributed by those who actually salvage the items that make up our museum collections.  You see the contents of famous collections as they change hands in online auctions.  You get information from people who make finds in the field and write books, and post their information on the internet.

There are amateurs outside of the state agencies and universities that contribute very significant discoveries, and there are researchers such as Laura Strolia who have contributed top notch research through blogs like this one.  Salvage companies like the Mel Fisher group and Odyssey Marine, not only find shipwrecks and artifacts, but also operate museums and display collections and publish quality research papers.

Archaeology, like other fields, is without a doubt being democratized, yet those of the elite have much to protect.  They feel their jobs, careers, status and reason for being are threatened by democratization of our cultural heritage.  Instead of keeping up, they drag their feet and in the process widen the gap between themselves and the public that funds them.  Their existence is threatened, but the threat is not what they think it is.  Their biggest threat is their own efforts to protect their domain while progress moves on.

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The surf is still small.  We'll have a one or two foot surf Monday, and after that a little increase.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/28/17 Report - Douglas Armstrong Salvage Camp Site. 1565 Fleet. Shoshone Camp Site. Battle of Loxahatchee Reenactment Today.

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

The Battle of Loxahatchee reenactment takes place today in Jupiter.  Here is the program.

And here is the link for more information.

http://www.loxahatcheebattlefield.com/

Thanks to Joe D. for alerting me to this.

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During the winter of 1970-1971, a group of Central Florida relic hunters discovered an archaeological site on the western or inland shore of the outer barrier island in what is now Canaveral National Seashore. Over the next several months, the group explored the site and the surrounding area, locating two more related sites, all within 1.3 kilometers of each other.

Using metal detectors, the treasure hunters dug up a variety of objects of European origin, including large numbers of iron ship’s spikes, some jewelry, and numerous Spanish and French coins dating to the 16th century...

Here is a great link to read more about that.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/14lostfleet/background/survivor/survivor.html

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In the mid-16th century, France was eager to assert her claim to the New World, both to seize the opportunity for wealth and commerce and to ease religious tensions at home by providing a refuge for Protestant Huguenots. A series of fleets were sent to colonize the wilderness of “La Floride” starting in 1562, alternatively lead by Jean Ribault and René de Laudonnière...
If you want to learn about the lost fleet of 1565, here is a good link.


http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/14lostfleet/background/background.html


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A wildfire high in the alpine forests of northwestern Wyoming has revealed a vast, centuries-old Shoshone campsite, replete with cooking hearths, ceramics, and stone tools and flakes numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The site, found along Caldwell Creek in the Absaroka Range, had likely been used intermittently for as much as 2,500 years, archaeologists say.

But most of the artifacts point to a prolonged and impactful presence by the Mountain Shoshone some 300 to 400 years ago...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

http://westerndigs.org/wyoming-wildfire-reveals-massive-pre-contact-shoshone-camp-thousands-of-artifacts/

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It isn't often that you get such a prolonged period of smooth surf.  And on top of that, there is actually a negative tide.

The smooth surf will be with us for at least a few more days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/13/16 Report - 16th Century Spanish Dagger Found on Treasure Coast. Beach Conditions Pretty Poor. Tropical Storm Ian.

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

Here is an interesting item.  It is for sale for $1550 online, and is described as a 1715 Plate Fleet dagger.

The item description says, 16th Century Spanish, Toledo Steel dagger, found in a Spanish salvor's camp in southern Brevard County, just inshore from Florida's Treasure Coast.  The camp was either a survivor's camp or a salvor's camp which salvaged the 1715 Fleet in 1715-16.  The handle was probably replaced in the early 18th Century with Mesquite wood, obtained in the New World (Mexico), and pinned with a bronze pin, the back being filled in with lead.  A rare and unique dagger! The inscription is early Spanish - pre 16th Century.  Comes with COA from the original salvor.

That is the description.  Of course I can't verify any of that, but it is interesting.

Really remarkable condition for being buried hundreds of years.

Below is the link to the web site which has a variety of other old nautical items for sale.

http://www.nelsonshipwreckpirate.com/NauticalAntiquities.html

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John Brooks Beach Yesterday Near Low Tide.

We have a disturbance hanging over South Florida right now, but it isn't expected to develop.  I think all we'll get out of it is some more rain.  (See map below.)

Same Beach Looking South.

You can see where the high tide got to.  Notice the sea weed, which is usually a sign that the beach is building rather than eroding.

Tons of Sea Weed At Low Tide At Walton Rocks.

There are times, though rare, when there is sea weed on a beach that is producing.  What happens is that a beach cuts and then the wind shifts and the sea weed comes in a covers the cut.  I've seen that happened, but only a few times.

When there is heavy sea weed on a productive beach, you either have to detect through inches of sea weed or move the sea weed.  A few inches can make a difference.

Another problem is that aluminum and light junk can be in with the sea weed.  It is a mess but not always to be avoided.  Usually, though you find it when the sand is being dumped onto the beach.

Hurricane Ivan and Two Disturbances.

Tropical Storm Ian is supposed to stay out in the middle of the Atlantic.

There is a new disturbance coming off of Africa.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/3/15 Report - Some 1715 Fleet Salvage History and Implications. Five Simple Ways To Improve Detector Perfomance.

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


I thought I'd present a little of the history on the 1715 Fleet today.

We know about the salvage efforts of recent years, but salvage of the fleet started immediately after the disaster.  Of course the first priority was survival.  Fresh water and food was needed.  Guns were undoubtedly a top priority.

Imagine the hostile environment of the barrier islands in those days.  I read that survivors buried themselves in the sand for relief from the mosquitoes.

Within a week of the disaster, Juan del Hoy Solrozano, sergeant major at Havana, had divers working on three of the eleven ships.   Those were the Tierra Firme Almiranta, Urca de Lima and La Hollandesa.  Those efforts continued for several years.

Illegal salvors also arrived from all over the Caribbean.  In 1718, that is three years after the disaster, the Spanish surprised and captured eight sloops in the act of looting the wrecks.

We also know how in 1716 Henry Jennings attacked the salvage camp where a lot of the salvaged treasure was kept in a block house that was on the narrow strip of land near the present McClarty museum.

As I've mentioned a few times lately, it weren't thrown away so much like they are today.  In days past items were repaired again and again.  Archaeological excavations show items such as guns that were over a hundred years old that had been repaired and upgraded again and again and were still in service a 100 years after they were first manufactured.  That is something that can make it more difficult to identify the age of artifacts.

We can imagine the Native Americans and how they would have been attracted to the wrecks and any strange items found on the wrecks or on the beach.

I remember once when a cargo ship leaving Port Everglades lost a cargo container of furniture and people were running up and down the beach picking up what they could.  It was mostly small tables, as I recall.  That would have been nothing to the wreckage of the 1715 Fleet.

I think people often think of the wreck as happening and then just laying there to decompose over the years.  I'm thinking that it must have been like a carcass on the Savannas of Africa.  It would have attracted everybody from miles around.  First the big predators like the lions and jackals, which would have to protect the carcass from other predators or lose their prize.  Then would come the smaller predators and vultures to clean up any easy pickings.  It wouldn't stop until every useful item that could be easily obtained was taken.

The only thing that saved all of that treasure over the years is the water and sand, which made the remaining treasure invisible and/or simply unsalvageable.

We know that by 1744, while much of what could be salvaged at that time had been salvaged, the British cartographer Bernard Romans reported the masts of the Spanish Fleet were still visible above the water.

You know how it goes.  The beach hides things like coins.  The sand covers it up, only exposing a little from time to time when the conditions are right, and then covers it up again.

The masts and other visible signs eventually rotted away or were covered up and the fleet faded into history until Kip Wagner started it all over again.

One thought I wanted to put out there today is that the galleons and all the treasure didn't sink straight to the bottom and then sit there for three hundred years undisturbed.  We know the water moves things from time to time, but I think we often fail to take into account all that took place in the years after the sinking, especially all of the salvage efforts by the Spanish, pirates or privateers, and Native Americans.

We know that items have been found around the salvage camps.  I'm sure the the salvage crews, working with less technology and precision than is exercised today, picked up items and sometimes lost them in the sand again.  I'm sure that there were people who made off at night to bury their own little personal cache with the hope of recovering it at some future time.

When you find a piece of treasure on the Treasure Coast, it might have been lost and found before.  It might have been salvaged and then lost in one way or another.  It might have been lost by pirates.

One thing I find useful is this chart that I've posted a few times before.




The chart provides a reminder of many of the ways that things were dispersed from pre-impact to post salvage.

It is difficult to guess how an item ended up where it did.  It might have come from the local shipwreck.   Or it might have ended up where it was found only after a long series of human and natural events.  That makes it all the more mysterious and wonderful, and provides a lot of food for thought as we try to unravel the mystery.

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Here are five simple ways to improve detector performance without any adjusting your settings.

1. Keep you coil close to the ground.

2. Keep your coil at the same distance from the ground through the entire sweep.

3. The front and back of the coil should be the same distance off the ground - not tilted.

4. Make the change in direction at the end of each sweep smooth.  Take some of the jerkiness out of the change in direction.

5. Identify and use the optimal sweep speed.

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We had a West wind this morning on the Treasure Coast.  The surf was only around one foot.  Expect a smooth surf through at least the weekend.

Fred is still out there as a tropical storm but won't affect us.

Happty hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/30/14 Report - Analyzing Beach Behavior Patterns To Know Where To Detect, Salvage Camp and Gold Signet Ring

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

Gold Signet Ring Beach Find.

Here is a strategy that some experienced beach detectorists use.  I know that it is effective even though I don't use it much myself.   

Some experienced detectorists go to a very busy beach, find a high spot that gives a good view of the entire beach, and just sit with their detector prominently displayed, and survey the beach.

If you do that you might be surprised how often you will see people frantically on their hands and knees sifting through the sand with their fingers trying to find a newly lost item.

There will also be times when people see you with your detector and come up to you and ask you to search for something they just lost.

There are two primary goals to this strategy.  The first is to survey the beach and what happens there, and the second is to be visible and available.

I knew one fellow that used to do this at Carlin Park in Jupiter back in the eighties.  If someone asked him to hunt something for them, he would charge twenty dollars. 

I'm not saying you should charge for your services, but some people do.  You might find that it is worth doing even if you don't charge.  You will still benefit from learning more about the beach and where people tend to lose things, and also have the satisfaction of finding lost items.

If you don't charge, don't expect a reward.  People very often don't give a reward.  I don't understand it, but that is the way it is, so don't expect it.  The satisfaction can be enough, plus you will learn more about where to spend your time detecting.

When you are hunting a specific item you will sometimes finding something else.  Be prepared for that.  Get a detailed description of the lost item that you are hunting.

Some people will try to claim things you find when the item does not belong to them.  As I said, be prepared. 

Clear the area.  Draw boundaries in the sand.  Explain that you need to be able to systematically detect a grid.

When you clear an area, it gives you room to swing your coil and detect a proper grid, and it also allows you to get a good look at the item before you show it.

Recovery skills are always important.  You will benefit by being able to quickly scoop and view an item before others get a chance to get a look at it.

While watching people at the beach, you'll be able to quickly identify the quantity and quality of potential finds from the beach in general as well as different parts of the beach.

Some beaches are visited by glitzy people who wear extremely valuable jewelry, and some are visited by people who wear virtually no jewelry to the beach, and some wear only junk jewelry or none.  You'll be able to observe that, but you'll also see where different types of people sit and play.

Sedentary people do not lose much.  The people that will be losing the most are those that wear the most but also are the most active and careless. 

Notice where people sit, where people stop and readjust their belongings, and most especially, where they play.  Notice where people play football, volleyball, dive, stand on their hands, and turn cartwheels.  The play zones will normally be just outside of the crowded sitting areas.

Sedentary people will occasionally lose things, and that can be quality stuff, but they won't lose things as often as the wild and crazy crowd.

While I don't go to the beach and sit, I have been on the beach enough to make the observations, and being an analytic sort of person, I do know the patterns.

Did you ever notice how many people who come to the beach with a ton of stuff for the day, stop about five yard on the beach side of the walkover, put down some of their stuff, survey the beach looking for a spot to camp out, and readjust their load before moving on.  I call that the stop spot.  That is just one example.

Since I don't like to go to the beach when the crowds are there, this isn't a favorite strategy of mine.  I don't like to sit either.   When I observe, it is while I'm busy doing something else. 

I do know this strategy can be worthwhile though.  You will occasionally see people in the act of trying to find things.  You will have people come and ask you to search for something they lost.  And you will learn more about the beach and where different kinds of things are most likely to be lost.

Pay attention to where different kinds of people congregate and what they do.   Make out a mental map.  

You'll discover that once you get the hang of it, that you can analyze where people will go and what they'll do on almost any beach even if you visit when the people are not there.  Every beach will have a stop spots, for example.  There will also be the locations where the wealthier but more sedentary people sit.  There will be the places where the younger and more active crowd frolic, etc. etc.

Also note the time of day when people come and go. 

Photos and postcards can also help with your analysis, even if you have never been to a particular beach before.


One person recently wrote asking me about the salvage camp near Turtle Trail.  I presume they were asking about the Winter Beach salvage camp site.  There is a book on the Winter Beach salvage camp written by Douglas Armstrong that you can find on Amazon,com.  There is a lot of good detail in the book, including site maps, finds, etc. 


Yesterday I mentioned genealogical research again.  I keep mentioning it because I keep learning so much from it.

I discovered a source of old land use maps that are really great.  I'll get into that tomorrow.


On the Treasure Coast we still are supposed to have about a two foot surf.  Unfortunately we still have the southeast winds and swells.

Tomorrow the surf is supposed to increase some.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/24/13 Report - British Salvage Camp on Treasure Coast & More on Beach Holes

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

60th Regiment of Foot Button.
Photo from the Worthpoint link below.

You probably know something about the Spanish salvage camps that worked the 1715 Fleet wrecks immediately after the disaster, but did you know that there was also a British salvage camp on the Treasure Coast?

There is a lot of evidence to that fact.  And I am not talking about William Jennings and his gang.

Several British 60th Regiment of Foot buttons were found back in the eighties on the dunes very close to where one of the Spanish salvage camps was located.  In fact right beside an old Spanish salvage camp.

The button shown here is not one of the buttons from the salvage camp, but I am showing it as an example.

It appears that the British salvage or "treasure hunting" camp is from the late 1700s, possibly around 1780.  Besides the buttons many other artifacts, including musket balls, flints etc. were found and indicate the presence of the camp.

Several fellows dug that area back in the eighties, including some that are recognized as amateur or non-vocational archaeologists.

Now the area is covered by a private residence and is off limits.

Back in the late 1700s there were undoubtedly still some remaining signs of the wreckage and the Spanish salvage camps along the beach and also popular knowledge of the earlier events.

Here is a link that will provide a picture of what the British treasure hunters probably looked like and a little history of the 60th Regiment of Foot.   It does not mention what brought them to Florida, although it is known that they served in the Caribbean.

http://www.militaryheritage.com/60thregt.htm

And here is the source of the button photo.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/60th-regiment-of-foot-button


As you might know, two days ago I received a report indicating that Brevard County was going to make it illegal to dig holes on the beach.  That story developed quickly.  The next day I learned through a News 13 article that Cocoa Beach was indeed considering the issue, but that there was already an ordinance that made it illegal to dig holes on Cocoa Beach.  The city was considering "fine-tuning" the ordinances. 

After receiving a link to a current City of Cocoa Beach ordinance from Mitch K., I saw that the current ordinance stated that it was illegal to dig holes on the beach that would endanger people.  That is certainly reasonable enough. 

I suspect that any revision to the ordinance will also be reasonable, but it is good to be informed and involved so that you know what is going on and are able to provide input from the perspective of the metal detecting community.

Although the story developed very quickly as I received various reports and I wanted to get whatever I received out as soon as possible, I wish I would have done a better job.  It kind of reminded me of the way the press dealt with the quickly developing Boston Marathon story and got some things wrong early on.  Of course that is at a totally different level.  Nonetheless, I am sure that most of you are more informed about it now than two days ago and in a better position to act and provide input. 

Below is a link to the existing ordinance that Mitch K. sent me, which Mitch says became effective early in 2012.  Read it for yourself.

http://www.cityofcocoabeach.com/Cityhall/Ordinances_Index/Ordinances/2011-2015/2012/1545.pdf

If you have a very detailed eye, you might have noticed that the original report that I received referred to Brevard County and the News 13 article and the above link is from the City of Cocoa.  I'm not prepared to elaborate on that now.

My least favorite topic for this blog, even though I get a lot of question about it, is the rules, regulations and laws affecting metal detecting. There are layers on layers and I do not want to be in a position of interpreting, explaining or summarizing what seems to me to be a confusing mess.  Thank goodness most of our officials are very reasonable people. 

I usually advise people with questions about the laws that apply to a specific park or area to ask somebody - sometimes a life guard will be on duty and will be able to tell you, or make a call to a government office.  That is simple enough and usually does the job.

You probably remember back a year or so ago when we had to act to stop legislation proposed for the State of Florida that would have seriously affected the treasure hunting community.  Vigilance and involvement is continually required.

There was one time when I was told by a life guard that detecting was not permitted at a park after I had just walked onto the beach with my metal detector.  I said OK and put my detector away and moved on.  No problem.  When I got home I called the county office and talked to an official to further inquire, and he told me that although detecting was not allowed there, it was about to change and gave me a date for the change.  As a result, I was one of the first to know about the coming change and was one of the first to detect the park after the ban was lifted.  My point is that it paid to ask.

When talking to public officials, make your point as clearly and respectfully as possible.  Present a good image for the hobby. 

Sorry for any confusion, but I thought it was important to put the information I received out there as quickly as possible since I didn't know how quickly things might be done.


It is a beautiful morning on the Treasure Coast.  The waves seem to be coming directly from the east.  The surf is about  3 - 4 feet today and will be about the same for a couple of days, while the wind is predicted to take a more northeasterly direction.

I'm disappointed that the prediction on the surfing web site for Sunday has been changed a little.  It looks like there still might be a brief period of 5 foot and higher surf, but for most of the day Sunday, they are now showing less.

Low tide today is about 1:40 PM, and it looks like the low tide will be a bit lower than it has been lately. 


Anybody have any reports or stories from the Treasure Hunters Cookout?  I know everybody had a good time.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net