Showing posts with label surf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surf. Show all posts

Thursday, June 4, 2020

6/4/20 Report - Great White Trolls Treasure Coast. Lazy Surf and Beaches. Blind Creek Designated Clothing Optional.


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




Miss May
Source: BrevardTimes.com link below.

FORT PIERCE, Florida – A female great white shark measuring 10 feet, 2 inches long was tracked swimming off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida at 7:46 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020...
Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.brevardtimes.com/2020/06/great-white-shark-tracked-swimming-off-fort-pierce-florida//


Here is where Miss May was sighted.
Great White Shark Miss May trackked off Fort Pierce, Florida. Credit: Ocearch
Location of Miss May on June 3.
Source: Ocearch.org/tracker.



The above position of Miss May is given by https://www.ocearch.org/tracker.   Besides sharks you can reset the species to track whales, turtles and other animals.

Very interesting site.

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Turtle Trail Wednesday Near Low Tide.
Photo by DJ.

You can see that seaweed has accumulated on the beach since Tuesday.

You can take Tuesdays photos and compare them to the Wednesday photos and correlate that with what the surf was doing to get a sense of what a direct east swell will tend to do to this location.


Turtle Trail Near Low Tide Wednesday.
Photo by DJ.

Thanks for the photos DJ.

You can stil lsee the flat out front.

Tuesday I saw a large object in the surf out where the waves were crashing.  At the time I decided to take a closer look at it later when the tide was lower.  That was a mistake.  When I came back I couldn't see it at all.

Over and over I find that on the beach you have to do things when you get the chance because you might not get another chance.

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St. Lucie County has officially designated Blind Creek Beach as a clothing-optional beach.  Naturists have been working for that designation for years.

Clothing-optional beach etiquette is described on the http://www.treasurecoastnaturists.org/beach-etiquette.html web site.

If you don't want to see naked bodies don't go to this beach.

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Cristobal hasn't moved much yet, but is still expected to head towards Louisiana.
]

Source: nhc.noaa.gov



It looks like we'll be in for a lot of small surf for the next week or two.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

5/19/20 Report - Bonsteel and Douglass. Renourishment Coming To Beaches Near You. Distancing. Surf.


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

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday
Photo by Steve M.

Steve M. sent these photos from Frederick Douglass beach.  As you can see it is low tide, and there are a lot of shells.


Frederick Douglass Beach Monday.
Photo by Steve M.

Sunday Steve was up at Bonsteel.  I haven't been there for a good while.


Bonsteel Sunday
Photot by Steve M.

Thanks Steve.


Bonsteel Sunday
Photo by Steve M.



DJ found sent me the following information from Indian River County offices.

Seagrape Trail Dune Crossover Update - In response to questions regarding when Seagrape beach access will reopen, it likely won't be before late 2020 or early 2021. It was badly damaged from high surf, strong winds from the east and higher than average tides, and County staff deemed it was not repairable. The descending stairwell and pilings will need to be designed, permitted and replaced. Seagrape Trail Beach Access is located in Sector 3, which is scheduled for a beach and dune nourishment project starting in November 2020. The replacement of the crossover will take place and be synchronized with the beach and dune nourishment project.


I added the underlining.

Sector 3 includes Turtle Trail too, so expect a lot of new renourishment sand in a few months.

Thanks DJ.

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A couple months ago I added a social distancing hoop and coronavirus cap to the fashion model below.



Turns out it was not too far off.  One restaurant is using wearable innertubes for distancing.




See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N536P6JBl50  for the video.

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Surf Predictions
Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like the Treasure Coast will see an increase in the surf in a day or two.  We'll see how the timing of the wind and surf direction plays out.

The general level of knowledge and discussion about metal detecting, especially beach metal detecting, has advanced since the time this blog began.  It used to be that people watched for and talked about big waves.  There was little talk, however, about the importance of the direction of the wind and swells.  Some detectorists (though they weren't called that much back then) may have understood the importance of direction, but if they did, it wasn't often a part of the general discussion.  If you don't believe that, dig up some of the old metal detecting books and magazines and take a look.  The importance of wind and wave direction simply was not understood and talked about as much as it is today, and I think this blog had something do to with that.  That is just one example of how I believe this blog has advanced the general level of knowledge and discussion of beach metal detecting.   I could mention several more examples that I think you'll agree with if you think back to ten or twelve years ago.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Monday, May 18, 2020

5/18/20 Report - Arthur To Stir Outer Banks. Laws. Turtle Trail Hunt. Mystery Object.


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


Tropical Storm Arthur, which formed off Florida on Saturday, was expected to strengthen and whip the Outer Banks with rain and gusty winds overnight into Monday, the National Weather Service said. Eastern portions of the state should brace for localized flooding and hazardous marine conditions, forecasters said...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/tropical-storm-arthur-sets-its-sights-on-north-carolina-coast/ar-BB14d73e?ocid=spartandhp

The Outer Banks also have some good shipwreck beach metal detecting.

If you are interesting in metal detecting the Outer Banks, here are the laws.

https://www.firstflightrentals.com/blog/metal-detecting-laws-outer-banks/

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DJ sent me these two photos and an email description of his hunt at Turtle Trail yesterday.  Here is what he said.

North of Turtle trail, there is a large rectangular target that I thought was an engine block (still may be). It is confusing because it usually is deeper than dig level and in that the readings run from copper, aluminum to iron. But the general size and shape can be determined in pinpoint mode. Yesterday, part of it was slightly above the sand at low tide where some sand had been washed away. Hard to tell from the picture but it looked like two square compartments connected by a taller iron divider. Away from that divider were the multiple readings. I had never seen this before so some sand must have been moved. 

Large Object North of Turtle Trail.
Photo by DJ

The other two
pictures [one below] was of an item that I first thought silver, as one edge was very shiny. Not metallic. My acid test solution was old and not reliable. I dipped it in 50/50 acid and the whole piece oxidized. I seem to remember silver would not do this in acid. It is about 1-1/2” by 1/2” . The back has a ball shape with a hole that may have been an attachment point or holder. My best guess is a lapel pin or hair barrette. A few very corroded iron nails and chunks of iron along with the usual flakes. I placed a magnet in the end of the scoop handle so I can just check a surface sighted flake as iron without a lot of effort.

Small Mystery Find.
Find and photo by DJ.



... Also found a few pieces of sea glass, one was jet black on the ground but when held up it was olive green. I had heard of this black glass on your blog.  
There were about 8 detectorists, lots of walkers and only crowded at the beach access tough everyone kept their distance. Our new normal now I guess.

Thanks for the report DJ.

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It looks like there are a lot of good bargains in the current Sedwick Auction.  Maybe all the corona-balona is keeping prices down.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Interesting looking surf predictions.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net


Monday, March 9, 2020

3/9/20 Report - Recent Beaches and Finds. Tides Interacting With Surf Height.


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

John Brooks Sunday Near Low Tide.
Yesterday was National Women's Day, so I hope all you husbands were thoughtful enough to take your wives metal detecting in honor of that day.

It seemed to me from what I saw that there were more and better finds Saturday than Sunday.  But it is probably to early to say, and we might hear of more good finds as the reports come in.

These photos show how a couple of the beaches looked on Sunday.  John Brooks was one big gradual slope.  It was being thoroughly  gridded by multiple detectorists.

Turtle Trail on the other hand, had a few small cuts, but fewer than Saturday.  The cuts were mostly left over from Saturday and some were gone.

The wind shifted since Saturday.  Saturday's cuts formed when the front first came through and the wind was strong from the north.


John Brooks Near Low Tide Sunday

Turtle Trail Sunday.
There was a cut in front of the Turtle Trail access on Saturday but Sunday it was gone.

A beach can either improve, get worse, or stay about the same.  When you have a decent surf there will be changes, even though they might be small.

Turtle Trail Sunday.

I didn't see a huge number of finds Saturday, but I did see at least one very nice shipwreck treasure.  Maybe we'll get a photo of that one.   '

'I didn't see any interesting finds Sunday, although there could have been some.  Of course, I didn't see most of the beaches.

John E. sent in photos and had questions about his Saturday finds, saying Unusual group found today … modern coins, I have been fishing 50 years and never seen a lead weight like this one, the “Indian princess” rings up 29-30 on equinox, also a 1930-S wheat cent.... anybody have any ideas on weight and small statue ? 

Saturday Finds by John E.

Weight Found by John E.

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Below is the surf prediction for Monday.  The time of the tides can be important factors that interact with the surf.  For example, Monday's high tide is supposed to occur during peak high tide.

I drew the approximate high tide and low tide on the surf prediction.  High tide (H) occurs while the surf is near its peak, and low tide (L) occurs as the surf is decreasing.

Having high tide at the same time as the peak surf will have more effect than if the peak surf occurred during low tide.



The high tide will add to how high on the beach the water gets, while the low tide will take it lower.

The low tide will drop the water X amount but appear to have a greater effect when the slope near the water is less steep.  A drop of a foot can move the water line out many yards.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net


Friday, February 14, 2020

2/14/20 Report - Surprises! Treasure in Jar of Clay. Earthquake Footprints. Encrusted Bits. Increasing Surf.


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

Treasure From a Clay Jar.
Source: English.tau.ac.il web site (See link below)


We’re always told that the journey is just as important as the destination. This is true in many aspects of life, but perhaps nowhere as much as in scientific research. Flexibility, curiosity, and attention to detail can lead to a treasure you weren’t even expecting to find. TAU’s scientists talk about research that began one way and ended another, thanks to a few surprises along the way...

That is the beginning of an article in the Tel Avive University News entitled Recalculating: when research starts one way and ends another.   It is about surprise discoveries that change the direction of the research.

Continuing with the first story in the article...

A treasure in a pot

A team of archeologists on an excavation mission found that sometimes the appearance of a clay pot is no indication of its contents. "On one of the excavations in Megiddo, we removed the partitions separating the different sections of the dig and found a whole clay pot full of dirt," says Naama Walzer, a doctoral student in the Department of Archaeology and Early Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University.



"We packed it up and planned to send it to a molecular residue lab to find out what used to be stored inside of this pot, which we dated to around 1100 BCE." The pot was stored in an office, but after a while it became clear that preservation in that area of the excavation wasn’t up to standard, so the team decided to empty the pot, in a controlled way, and poured out its contents on the table. "We weren’t expecting to find what ended up being inside: a treasure trove of jewelry, considered one of the greatest troves found in Israel from the Biblical period!"   (See photo at top of this post.)

Among other things the trove contained nine large earrings and a seal ring, over a thousand small gold beads, and silver necklaces and jewelry.  "This is how we found the big treasure of area H, which is now part of the permanent exhibition, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem," concludes Walzer.

That is the first story of several interesting stories found in that article.  Below is the link for the rest of the article.

https://english.tau.ac.il/news/recalculating\


If you look at the earrings found in the over three-thousand year-old jar, could you tell that they are not modern or how old they are?   They aren't really that much different from modern earrings.  That is how difficult it can be to identify the age of an item by just looking at the form of the object.  Those types of hooks worked then and would still work today.

Someone once said that he learned everything he knew from six fellows: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.  So here is one question - Why nine earrings.  Seems an odd number - in more ways than one.  Loss?  Extra Earring?  Only wore one at a time?  Just a grouping?  What?  Who knows?

Written around 59AD by Paul (who, by the way, was a shipwreck survivor), 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, reads, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   He was evidently familiar with treasures in jars of clay and saw it as a suitable metaphor.

You might find the second story in the article interesting too.  In the picture below, notice the swirly sedimentary layers.  It is at the bottom of the Dead Sea (lowest place on earth that is dry land) and the swirls, it seems, were created by earthquakes hundreds of thousands of years ago.


You might enjoy reading that story too.

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I was picking up some small bits of metal when I was finding cobs a few weeks ago, and said I was going to take a closer look at some of those to try to figure out what they are.  Here are a couple of small encrusted bits that I'll be cleaning.



The one above seems to be as heavy as lead.  I wouldn't be surprised if that is what it is.



This one is flatter and hard to compare but doesn't feel as dense.

Both have a brown/orange encrustation.

They are being cleaned now.

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Sourcea; MagicSeaWeed.com

As you can see, the surf will be building today up to around six feet.


Happy Valentine's Day,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Monday, January 20, 2020

1/20/20 Report - Some History of Treasure Coast Treasure Hunting: Bruce Ward. Bigger Surf Coming.


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


January 1965 Issue of Argosy Magazine Containing Story of Bruce Ward's Treasure
Submitted by JaminJackUSA.


If you are interested in the history of treasure hunting on the Treasure Coast you might want to find a library copy of the January 1965 issue of Argosy Magazine.  

Several days ago I posted a nice four-reale that was purchased by JaminJack from the estate auction of Bruce Ward.  Jack sent me a copy of the Argosy article as background on the adventures of Mr. Ward.  The article describes Ward's big find, which was made in 1964, early in the history of modern Treasure Coast treasure salvage, and at a time when the Real Eight Corporation and a variety of other smaller and less documented treasure hunters were working along the Treasure Coast.  This is the type of article that no Treasure Coast treasure hunter will want to miss.

Photo Appearing in January 1965 Argosy Magazine.
Submitted to TBR by JaminJack.

Bruce accumulated a lot of treasure, which he did not sell because he planned to make start a museum.

Here is a photo of a homemade dive platform that he created and used until he upgraded.


Photo of Homemade Dive Raft Shown in January, 1965 Argosy Magazine.
Sent to TreasureGuide by JaminJack.
And here is his salvage boat, the DeeGee.

The DeeGee Salvage Boat.
Source: Jan. 1965 Argosy Magazine.

Thanks JaminJack.

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I was working in the yard this morning when I noticed that the wind had changed direction.  It is now coming more from the north, and it feels like a bit of a cool front came through, so it was not surprised when I looked at the surf predictions and saw that the surf will be increasing.


Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like maybe up to a ten feet surf by Wednesday.  And some north winds before that.

That is a big enough surf to move some sand.  I just wish the wind kept coming from a northerly direction for a longer time.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net


Wednesday, December 25, 2019

12/25/19 Report - Merry Christmas: Art of Treasuring. Princely Bronze Age Treasures Discovered. Seagrape Trail.



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




Source: Edition.CNN.com link below.


(CNN) Archaeologists in Greece have discovered two "princely" Bronze Age tombs containing engraved gold jewelry and other artifacts.

The discovery of the beehive-shaped tombs, which date from 3,500 years ago, sheds new light on life in ancient Greece, the team behind the excavation said...

During an 18-month excavation, the archaeologists unearthed objects such as a gold ring engraved with two bulls surrounded by sheaves of grain, as well as a gold pendant depicting an Egyptian goddess who protected the dead...

Here is the link for more about that.  



  
Thanks to SuperRick for that link.


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Super Viral YouTube Video You Must See If You Haven't Already.
Here is the link.



So what does that have to do with metal detecting, you might ask.  It is the essence.   The video teaches an important lesson.  Treasure doesn't have to be gold or silver.  It doesn't even have to be worth much of anything.  Treasure is different things to different people.  Treasure can come in many different forms.  No matter what the form, the important thing is that it gives joy.  Some people find treasure everywhere.  Others can't find it anywhere - even if you dump a pile of it in their lap.  Instead of joy, they turn to selfish greed, suspicion, anxiety, fear and anger, and are more bitter and sour than before.

I call it the art of treasuring.  Some people have it and others don't.  You can treasure family, other people, experiences, memories, coins, sea glass, fossils or shells - and even bananas.

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Seagrape Trail Beach on 12/24/19
Photo by DJ.
DJ said that with the exception of one low spot, it was sandy.

You can probably see the low spot just above the center of the photo.   That is an area where shell piles often occur, and where you can sometimes find shark teeth.

Thanks for the report DJ.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

It was raining on the Treasure Coast earlier.

It looks like we'll have some pretty good surf today.

I MIGHT get out to see one or two beaches for a short time.

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Use treasure as a verb as often as a noun.  When "treasure" is a verb, the power is in the person.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

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Wishing you once again a great Christmas.
From the TreasureGuide@comcast.net





Sunday, December 1, 2019

12/1/19 Report - Beach Conditions Today: John Brooks Beach Scalloped. Ring Find. Smaller Bottle Finds.


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


John Brooks Near Low Tide Sunday Afternoon.

I visited the beach this afternoon.  I just wanted to see what was going on, but got in about a half hour of metal detecting.

As you can see above, there wasn't much erosion at John Brooks.  There was a little scalloping.


John Brooks Beach Sunday Afternoon.

You can see in the photo above that the scalloping was not a lot, but there were some interesting features.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Afternoon.
The waves were breaking on the sand right in front of the beach.  The west wind was blowing the tops of these waves.


Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Sunday Afternoon.

The sand has been disappearing from Fort Pierce South Jetty beach.  I'll bet that there will be a renourishment program before long.

As I said, I did a little detecting, about a half hour, and picked up about fifteen modern coins and the following ring.


Found Sunday Afternoon.

I've been on the ring trail lately, but unfortunately most are junky.



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Three Small Found Ink Bottles.
I showed several found ink bottles before, but they were all of a larger size than these.  These ones are 1 ounce and 3/4 ounce ink bottles.

The one on the left above is a cut glass Sanford's ink bottle.

Sanford's Ink Bottle 

The center bottle is a Carter's ink bottle.


Carter's Ink Bottle.  One Oz. 

The Carter's bottle shows the Hazel Atlas symbol.  My father packed bottles in a Hazel Atlas plant in the early 1940s, so I wonder if he possibly packed that bottle.



The cork top ink bottle on the right of the top photo is a Higgins Drawing Ink bottle.

Higgins Ink Bottle.

I assume it is the oldest of the three, but haven't yet researched the dates yet.


I just added these to my TGBottleBarn web site.   http://tgbottlebarn.blogspot.com/

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The high tides are smaller than they were in the recent past, and after today the surf will be decreasing.


Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Saturday, November 16, 2019

11/16/19 Report - Recent Finds: Musket Balls and Ring. Great White Sharks Migrating. Bigger Surf Coming Soon.


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

Recent Treasure Coast Beach Finds.
Finds and photo by DJ
Here are some recent finds made by DJ. 


DJ had the following to say about the musket ball finds.



-Musket balls - pleased the Equinox found these so effortlessly. I think if there is a good target within 8-10 inches this machine will find it most times. 


-lots of lead bits, too small to identify. 


The musket balls were where one might expect; found on the 10th. The next day I went back and only found a small musket ball that was cut into a 1/8 piece. 

DJ wondered why some of the musket balls were cut down in size. What do you think?


He also found the following ring which he described as, Gold-ish ring - light weight ring and found in a large shell pile against the odds...


Ring Found by DJ.


The ring was found back when the shells were being thrown up, I hit 6 targets that sounded pretty good on the Equinox but each were the old pull ‘rings’. The 7th was this ring. I took it into West Bay for an opinion that turned out to be ‘not old’ I appreciate those folks opinions very much.

So I started to clean the ring, first soaking, then gently prying off the green, then 10% acid and when nothing else happened I tried electrolysis for an hour. Seemed to help and I was able to get enough crust off to determine a pattern engraved or stamped into the ring. So I began to use some (hand rubbed) light metal jewelry polish and broke it into four pieces.

Further reading I found a reference to 9k gold that was mixed with silver or brass and had gold applied to the surface. Someone else had a similar experience and thought that his gold and green ring was the base metal leaching out, giving it a green ‘silverish’ look. Hated that I broke but glad it was not a really old or valuable find. 


Ring Broken in Four Parts.
Photo by DJ

Thanks for sharing your finds and comments DJ!  Congrats.

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A  great white shark measuring 9-foot-8 inches in length has been tracked entering Albemarle Sound—a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina...

OCEARCH has been tracking sharks off the North American east coast for several years, revealing how great whites often migrate thousands of miles from more northerly latitudes to the warmer waters off the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida during the winter...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.newsweek.com/great-white-shark-swimming-north-carolina-coast-1471951


By the way, I understand that the North Carolina beaches have had some good erosion lately.  But it is also cold there.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com


November beach conditions have been better than they were the past few months.  With the beach sand levels reduced in some locations, further erosion could get us down to some good hunting.

One thing I noticed a few days ago when checking out a cut below the Fort Pierce inlet, the eroded beach was curved, as you would expect, and while the sand in front of most of the cut was mushy, there was a spot that was less mushy and where more targets were found.  I don't think it was a coincidence that the firmer sand and better targets were at the spot where the beach curved most sharply.

If you walk along the beach front and find a firmer spot, check it out.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net