The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: Rio Mar

Showing posts with label Rio Mar. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2019

11/17/19 Report - Unusually High Surf On Treasure Coast But No Big Improvement in Beach Conditions. Storm Affected Outer Banks.

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

John Brooks Beach Early Sunday Afternoon.

The water had been high - I'd say as high as when Dorian was here. At John Brooks beach, there were no cuts despite the high water.

John Brooks Beach Early Sunday Afternoon.

I then looked at Rio Mar. It was not good.

Rio Mar Sunday Afternoon.

Turtle Trail had filled in some since I was last there. Notice that the erosion control bags are now covered except for a little cloth.

The water had been hitting the dunes during the last high tide.

Turtle Trail Sunday Afternoon.

There were a few detectorists there, which is not unusual for a weekend.

At the access stairs, it looked like an additional half foot of sand was there now.

Turtle Trail Sunday Afternoon.

Again, despite the unusually high water, which was hitting the dunes, there were no cuts and the beach was higher than previously.

We've been getting weather off a storm that has been moving up the coast. Below you can see it.

Tthe Outer Banks had 22 foot waves and coastal erosion. Some of the roads were closed.

Ventusky.com

As you probably know, the Outer Banks also has some good shipwreck treasure beaches.

Source: NOAA

There is also one area showing activity on the Atlantic National Hurricane Center map.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The surf will have reached a peak by early tomorrow morning.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

At the peak surf, the wind will be west/northwest.

At least the sand is getting stirred up a bit and the dunes are getting cut back a little. If you look around enough, I'm sure you can find some areas that are eroding.

I have some things to clean before I know what they are.

I also have some comments on recent musket ball finds to post.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

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Thursday, September 19, 2019

9/19/19 Report - Beach Conditions Along The Treasure Coast. Ten Centavo Coin.

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

John Brooks Early Thursday

I took a look at John Brooks and Frederick Douglass beaches this morning just before 9 AM and found the water coming up fairly high. It was hours before high tide, and it looked like the water would get as high as after Dorian. The next two days the water is expected to be even higher than today.

John Brooks Before 9 AM Thursday.

Frederick Douglass Beach Just Before 9 AM Thursday.

Notice the shell line. There haven't been many shells lately.

Frederick Douglass Beach Just Before 9 AM Thursday.

Yesterday Joe D. visited a lot of the Treasure Coast beaches and sent me photos. Thanks much Joe. That should be a lot of help to people wondering what beach conditions are like, whether to make the trip or where to go.

The following series of pictures was taken yesterday by Joe.

Rio Mar.

Vero

Vero Boardwalk

Turtle Trail.

Turtle Trail

Seagrape Trail.

Wabasso

Golden Sands.

Treasure Shores

Treasure Shores.

Ambersands.

Thanks again Joe.

I looked north of McLarty yesterday and it was about the same. There were no real cuts anywhere. The water had been to the foot of the dunes, but where there was a cliff, it was renourishment sand.

I know a lot of people were disappointed so far with all of the high surf we have been having but almost no erosion or cuts. As I said above, we are supposed to have even higher water the next two days.

I think the big problem is all of the renouishment sand. It is still protecting the dunes, and there is a lot of it out in front of the beaches too. Also, the water has been hitting the beaches directly from the east instead of at a an angle.

At this point I can't rate beach conditions as any higher than a 1 (poor). Maybe that will change soon. We can hope.

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Here is a coin that John E. says matches his find that I posted yesterday except he isn't able to make out the date.

Cuba 10 Centavo.

Alberto S. commented on that coin.

Very interesting find of a Cuban coin in Vero, makes you wonder how it ended up on a beach there, maybe an American tourist visiting Cuba and returning with some pocket change? As to the words on top of the star; Patria y Libertad translated to English; Country and Liberty. You would find those words on coins of the time which were minted in Philadelphia for the government of Cuba, actually there were several coins minted in Philadelphia see the attached list published by the NGC Collectors Society. The coin found by John E. is probably a Cuban 10 cent coin and not a 1 cent, there are some differences and in the attached image I tried to show some features that distinguish the 1 cent from the 10 cent coins, similar markings are on the 20 cent and the Cuban peso but since he said it was the size of a dime then it probably is the Cuban 10 cent coin, one additional detail is that the C which is visible in the coin that he found is slightly off center which is not something you see in the 20 cent or peso where the first letter of centavo or peso seems to start at the center also, but not sure, I think there is an E following the C. Personally, I would have been thrilled to make such a find as it is from my country of birth.

Thanks Alberto.

If I correctly recall, Sebastian Steve found a similar coin on a Treasure Coast beach. It does make you wonder how it got there.

There is plenty of weather to watch. I'll stay on that.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

Sunday, September 15, 2019

9/15 Report - Photos From Around the Treasure Coast and More High Surf Predicted.

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

John Brooks Saturday Evening

I got out last evening just before dark to look at a few beaches. Here is John Brooks. There was no new erosion there. There was none at Frederick Douglass either.

John Brooks Beach Saturday Evening.

Turtle Trail Saturday Morning.

Photo by DJ

DJ took these photos of Turtle Trail on Saturday. It looked better than what I saw on South Hutchinson Island. Note the increased slope on the front beach.

Turtle Trail Saturday Morning.

Photo by DJ

DJ also sent the following photo from Rio Mar. It also has a slope on the front and some black sand.

There is still a lot of sand there. I can remember when there were a bunch of huge concrete blocks showing there and the beach was cut back into the dunes.

Rio Mar Saturday.

Photo by DJ

Vero Near Mulligan's

Photo by Gaylen C.

Galen C. sent these photos of the Vero area. People sometimes forget that silver reales have been found in that area. I remember one found right in front of the Holiday Inn.

Vero Boardwalk

Photo by Gaylen C.

There has been a lot of talk about the Vero Boardwalk. There has been erosion there for quite a while.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Humberto is moving away from us, and the other system in the Atlantic is still far away.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

The surf predictions don't look bad. If they are correct, we will be getting some higher surf for an extended period. Tuesday or thereabouts, we'll be getting some north winds. All of that surf should help some.

Beach conditions have been generally poor for a few years now. All of the sand from the beach renourishment projects has not helped. Most beaches still have a lot of sand.

The Vero area looks a touch better than the South Hutchinson Island beaches.

There are still places out there where there has been enough sand moved to uncover modern items. Last night after checking out John Brooks I stopped a little to the north on the way back and quickly picked up 19 modern coins in a short amount of time. That was my third test of the Equinox in the field. I only dug coins. I didn't dig one piece of junk, and I didn't dig anything better. I was moving ridiculously fast. It wasn't a fair test. My wife was with me and it was getting dark and we got hit by a passing rain shower. I could have easily missed a piece of gold or something. It has been surprising me how many modern easy modern coins are out there to be found. I guess folks are focusing on shipwreck stuff even though they have been difficult to find.

Thanks to all those who sent photos. You make this possible and help everybody.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Sunday, August 4, 2019

8/4/19 Report - Gold Shipwreck and Beach Nuggets. Two Kilogram Nugget Found. Killed by Falling Beach Dunes.

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

Three people were killed when a dune collapsed,

I've seen similar dangerous conditions on the Treasure Coast. There was one beach a few years ago that was very dangerous. Be careful when working next to a high cliff. Heavy slabs can fall off without warning.

Here is the link for more about the incident.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/encinitas-bluff-collapse-victims-killed-identified-as-women-from-same-family/ar-AAFieoT?ocid=spartandhp

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On 7/31 I posted some of the most recent 1715 Fleet finds. Included was a group of gold nuggets from Rio Mar.

I found at few gold nuggets at John Brooks. The largest, and the one that I posted before, is shown below. It was found near three other smaller ones. I didn't find any other old items that day.

Photo by TreasureGuide

As you can see, this one is sharp, and maybe you can not see it as well, but it has a good bit of quartz on it. I should get a better photo of it sometime. Being so sharp and angular, it doesn't look like placer gold.

The nuggets from Rio Mar that I showed in 7/31 are similarly angular, but I don't see any evidence of quartz.

Photo submitted by JaminJackUSA.

A search of the Mel Fisher artifact database, shows a lot of nuggets, but all of those in the database came from the Margarita and Atocha sites. I did not find any in the database from the Treasure Coast.

I'd like to see photos of other gold nuggets from Treasure Coast shipwrecks or shipwreck beaches.

Rio Mar has long been known as the primary site on the Treasure Coast for nuggets and fine gold - some of it too fine to be easily collected.

I've also posted some possible nuggets that could be dental gold or other miscellaneous melted bits that are difficult to identify as being wreck related, such as the one shown below that was found by Duane C.

On the subject of gold nuggets, here is a good story.

A Victorian retiree has struck gold, unearthing a 2-kilogram nugget worth about $130,000 on the outskirts of the gold rush town Ballarat.

The amateur prospector was searching through old pastureland in a now 'top secret' location when his metal detector started beeping.

He started digging and quickly uncovered a .22 lead bullet.

Thinking that was that, he was about to move on — but his detector was "insistent" there was something else further down.

Located under 30 centimetres of wash under about 15 centimetres of clay was the whopping gold nugget, which has since been named You Wouldn't Believe It...

Here is that link.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-27/gold-nugget-found-in-ballarat-by-retiree/11353044

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We are still having nice big tides, but little surf on the Treasure Coast.

From the National Hurricane Center:

A westward-moving tropical wave located about 300 miles east of the
central Lesser Antilles continues to produce an area of cloudiness
and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions are forecast to become
less conducive during the next couple of days, and significant
development of this system is not anticipated.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...10 percent.

I'd still keep an eye on that one. It has plenty of time yet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Thursday, April 11, 2019

4/11/19 Report - 1715 Fleet Gold Nuggets. Anthropology Blog Comments on Treasure TV Show. Nokta/Macro PulseDive.

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

The above gold nugget was found in 2014 on a cut John Brooks beach. I found it with two other smaller nuggets in the same general area on a day when no other targets were found.

Gold Nugget From 1715 Fleet Beach.

Quartz matrix is still attached. You can see that in the photo.

I originally posted that photo in 2014.

Here is the link.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/03/31714-report-shipwreck-gold-nuggets.html

The May 2019 Sedwick Coins auction offers a lot of seven small nuggets (See below.) that were found at Rio Mar. The lot description says that nuggets from the 1715 Fleet are rare and were probably being carried by passengers.

1715 Fleet Gold Nuggets From Rio Mar.

Source: SedwickCoins Auction Catalog.

Here is the Sedwick lot description.

Lot of seven small gold nuggets, 1.12 grams total, ex-1715 Fleet. Each up to 1/4". Very few natural gold nuggets were found on the 1715 Fleet, so it seems odd that the Fisher marketers did not separate this lot into seven individual artifacts, but fortunately these pieces have retained their original plastic artifact tag and certificate. A few of the nuggets (mostly flat) are tiny, but some are substantial, and most likely they were being carried as "tax free" wealth by a passenger. From the 1715 Fleet ("Rio Mar" site), with original Cobb Coin Co. (Mel Fisher) plastic tag and photo-certificate #CC86-025.

If salvaged 1715 Fleet nuggets are rare, my guess would be that 1715 Fleet beach nuggets are even more rare.

There was fine gold salvaged at Rio Mar too. A portable gold dredge was used with modest success.

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Sebastian Steve was a beta tester for the newly available Nokta/Macro PulseDive. It is said to have more sensitivity/depth.

Steve calls it a game-changer.

You might want to look it up.

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Recently I started trying to show how a more scientific approach can be applied to treasure hunting. I'm tired of talking about the Oak Island TV show, but it provides so many great examples, and it makes it easy for me because I know that many of you have seen the show and the things I am talking about. That saves me a ton of time trying to describe something when you've seen it for yourself.

If you think I'm hard on the Oak Island TV show, others who come from a scientific background are even more hard on them. There is no personal animus or anything, but if you have a history as a research scientist, especially in the social sciences, their approach will smack you in the face like a rock.

I stumbled on the following post in an anthropology blog, and I hope you will read it. Not only does it expand on much of what I have said, but it also adds to what I have said, and I don't have to take the time to do it myself. The post helps show the mindset I am coming from as a scientist bringing a scientific perspective to metal detecting.

https://www.andywhiteanthropology.com/blog/romans-on-oak-island-no-just-another-steaming-pilum-of-baloney-evidence-by-peter-geuzen

Here are a few excerpts from the blog to get you started.

As the show keeps trying to be about something, it keeps delivering essentially nothing. Scraps of minor finds are inevitable with the amount of digging and metal detecting going on. Give any historic location in Nova Scotia the same level of effort and you wouldn’t find much of anything different. It’s all stuff from the last couple centuries, but on Oak Island there is also stuff from all the past dead end searches...

The first line of the next excerpt sarcastically makes sums up something I've said. Taking the excerpt out of context, I thought I should point out the sarcasm.

... when swinging a metal detector turns up a pointed piece of iron, it’s best to start with a conclusion and worry about details later. Fist pumping yelps of TEMPLAR are now mandatory. The obligatory cell phone speaker call to bring over the always conveniently close by fellowship members has to happen next. The bros then high five all around and Prometheus immediately cuts to a leap of faith confirmation fantasy historical re-enactment scene, with universally condemned narration from the “Could it be?” guy. In other words they found this iron spike thing and immediately gave it a bromance declaration as a Templar crossbow bolt.

The excerpt then talks about a fake Roman pilum find. The same type of analysis would apply equally to other finds such as the few I've mentioned in the past.

I hope you take time to read it. You'll better understand much of what I've been talking about lately, and where I am coming from when I comment on the show.

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This would seem to be a good morning to do some low-tide hunting. The surf is small, but will be increasing going into the weekend when the surf will be about three or four feet again.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net