Top Beach Hunter.This lucky winner was in the right place at the right time to win the first annual Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Report April Fools Day Top Beach Hunter Award. The award is being selected. That is enough in itself to make anyone proud. Selection was not random. He had to be there at the exact same time that I was there and prepared to take a photo. The award winner will remain anonymous unless he decides he wants his name posted in this blog.
As for cheap tricks or fake announcements on April Fools, you'll have to find that elsewhere.
I thought the following mentioned treasure find was well worth commenting on even though it was found half way around the world. It is the type of treasure that I would love to find. I love old books anyhow. What I am talking about is a bunch of metal books (lead and copper I think it was) that are around 2000 years old. The books are thought to be from the very early years of the Christian era and are likened to the books mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Some are sealed.
To me you just couldn't find a better treasure. It could be significant in so many ways. And it has so much mystery about it. I'd love to find something like that and try to learn all I could about it and it's significance. I'd rather find something like that than a pile of gold.
If you want to read about those metal books, here is a link to more of the story.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1371290/70-metal-books-Jordan-cave-change-view-Biblical-history.html
On a related topic that has more relevance to the Spanish shipwrecks in our area, it appears that the early Franciscan missions were designed and constructed so that the rays of the sun would illuminate the host on special days of the year.
Here is the link for more on that story.
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_17740781?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1#
Some water hunters use dive weights to help them hunt in rough water when they are hunting in deeper water. The weights help keep them anchored. That is one way to go. I tried it early on and didn't really care for it. Instead of trying to resist the waves, I learned to use them.
What we see on the surface during a rough seas might make you believe that the waves are moving in a line one after the other directly towards the shore. That is what it looks like, but the particles or water in a wave actually move in a circular motion. I won't get into detail on that here. If you want to look into that more, go ahead.
Anyway, if you are wading in deep water, lets say up to your chin, on a rough water day, and you try to keep your feet anchored on the bottom, you will tend to bob up and down. If you keep your feet anchored on the bottom, an approaching wave will first draw you in one direction and then smash you as you try to resist it.
I remember one very rough day before I learned better that the waves were so rough that they kept knocking my ear phones off and gave me a headache.
Some people try to fight the water like that. I've found that it is much easier to simply lift your feet at the right time and as the wave passes, you will first be moved a little in one direction and then returned to the spot where your feet were to begin with. Just learn to pick up your feet and float at the right time. And then put your feet down where you started.
If you've found a target, simply mark it quickly by digging a quick little hole to serve as a marker. Then when the wave returns you, you'll be able to find the exact spot quickly by finding the hole with your foot. No problem.
You can also leave your scoop with the bottom buried in the hole and held in place by the sand in the scoop, and either hold onto it or grab it when the water returns you.
Another thing I like about this method is that you don't have to bother with weight belts, weights or any additional equipment. I like to keep equipment to a minimum. Carrying around and fooling with additional equipment takes time and cuts down on your flexibility to alter you hunting plans. Who wants to walk up the beach a half mile carrying dive weights etc.?
Its partly a matter of personality and personal preference I guess, but I always say, "Go with the flow." You can't fight nature and trying to do so will be a big waste of energy and effort.
By the way, practice in shallow calm water before ever attempting to hunt in deeper rough water. Be safe. Be sure you are comfortable and can easily handle the prevailing conditions.
Found Object.I'm trying to figure out what this might be. I know it is hard to tell much from this photo, but the object seems to have four arms extending from the main part, and each arm used to be curved back like the one on the bottom left. The other three arms show evidence of where the curved part broke off. It looks like it was made to lay flat, but two of the arms got bent upward. After studying it a while, it looks to me like it is decorative and was attached to something else flat. But I really don't know. Any ideas appreciated.
Forecast and Conditions.
The wind is from the west and the sea is calm. In the photo at the top of this post, you can see the water gently lapping at the beach.
This morning there was a little washing on the front beach that was sifting out shells and other lighter materials and depositing them on the front beach. There was a little dip right in front of the beach. When I cam back, the shells in the water and on the very front beach were covered with a thin layer of sand. The beach can change quickly.
I continue to find artifacts. Nothing good, but the possibility is there whenever you are finding older items - old copper, iron, fossils, etc.
It looks like Monday or later this weekend the ocean will get a little rougher. Not enough to improve conditions for finding cobs. That will take more than four foot seas.
The water will remain relatively smooth for a day or two.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
