8/31/19 Report - Dorian Expected to Make Turn and Head North Along the Treasure Coast. 11AM Update In.

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

MagicSeaWeed.com.

Above you can see the MagicSeaWeed surf predictions for the next few days.  As you can see, they are expecting some high surf for two to three days.

There is a northeast wind for a while on Sunday, becoming a north/northwest wind Monday and then a west wind Tuesday.

We are also in a King Tide cycle.  A spring tide—popularly known as a "King Tide"—refers to the 'springing forth' of the tide during new and full moon.

Overall, there is a good chance for significant erosion.

The current predicted path has the storm passing over Grand Bahamas and heading directly for Fort Pierce before it makes a turn north and up along the Florida Coast.

8/31 5AM Cone.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

I just looked at the 8 AM update, and the new cone is so similar that I didn't bother to replace the 5 AM map.

The GFS model now shows a track farther east than the EDMWF model.  What you see above is the National Hurricane Center's prediction, which takes the various models into account.

Now that they show the center remaining off-shore, don't get too complacent.  We still have about a 50 percent chance of receiving hurricane force winds. As you've seen the past few days, this is far from an exact science.  Things can, and probably will, change by the time this is all over.

Hopefully, you have made your preparations and have a plan for your family.

Do not be overly comfortable or confident.  Dorian is huge and could still come ashore anywhere.  Most of Florida remains in the cone.  The winds near the center are 145 mph as I write this.  Hopefully we won't get anything that strong.  That can blow roofs right off.

As the storm approaches the coast, we'll get some north winds, but after it turns north, we'll be on the south side of it and the winds will start to become west winds.   That is if the track remains as shown above.

I'd expect some big storm surges up in the north of Florida and Georgia.

There will be strong winds and a high surf.  Be careful.  I've described many of the dangers before.  You could encounter a lot of debris in the surf, including trees, logs and other things that could knock you off your feet.  I've seen people get knocked over, and I've seen people lose their metal detector to the surf.  DON'T get caught between a cliff and big wave smashing into it.

Get your preparations done.  Get your equipment charged and in good order.  You'll want to be prepared for rain and blowing surf as well as wind.

That is all for now.

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11 O'clock Update.

The eleven o'clock update is in and the NHC cone and track of Dorian remains almost the same as the previous one.

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Stay safe,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/6/19 Report - Dangers and Precautions for Metal Detecting in Flordia. Increasing Surf Today.

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

I woke up this morning thinking of the dangers that you might encounter while  metal detecting in Florida.  The list grew as I thought about it.  While some are truly life-threatening, others are only inconveniences or minor irritations. You can minimize these problems if you are aware of them and take some precautions.  Even though it is a long list, either by dumb luck or the protective hand of God, I've personally had very little serious trouble.  Still, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

One of the most dangerous things you'll encounter is rough water.  When the surf is big, like after a storm, there will be all kinds of debris floating around, including lumber and trees.  It can easily catch you off guard and knock you into the surf.  That can be real dangerous.  I knew of one lady that lost her metal detector to the rough surf.  It could be worse.

Probably one of the most dangerous things that I used to do is work the area in front of a big eroding cliff while a big surf was banging away at it.  The water will hit you when it is coming in, but worse yet, it will then bounce off the cliff and hit you from the other direction..  I used to detect in water like that up to my waist, which isn't easy.  That could have easily turned into a bad accident.  You have to resist the water one way, and the get yourself set to stand against it coming the other way.  Sometimes you get it from both directions.  There was also the falling sand to watch out for.  Not a good idea.

Everybody in Florida knows about lightning.  There are more lightning deaths in Florida than any other state.

I only knew one fellow who had been struck by lightning.  He got struck twice and while it didn't kill him, he suffered from it all his life.

He wasn't from Florida.  I met him when I was doing consulting for Federal Express in Memphis.  He worked at the airport and was struck on the tarmac.

Accidents are always a possibility.  I recommend some type of foot protection.  I used to always go barefoot and while working in shallow water once had my foot cut by glass and another time got a fishing lure stuck in my foot.  I was doing what I call foot fanning when I got the hook in my foot.  If you do any foot fanning, footwear is highly recommended.

Depending upon what you are doing, you might also want to wear protective gloves.  If you are recovering items that are covered with barnacles, wear gloves.  Picking up and throwing a barnacle-covered bottle WILL cut your hands.  That is just one example.

Another time I got a bad ankle sprain.  I was working in the shallow water where a lot of larger round coral rocks had accumulated.  I'm sure you imagine how walking on that could end up causing an ankle sprain.

If you are from Iowa or someplace you might not know about rip tides.  The first time I wandered into one, I didn't realize what was happening.  If you don't know about rip tides and aren't a good swimmer they can be dangerous.

The Florida sun is a real danger too, especially for those with light skin.  I know some detectorists who have had very serious problems with skin cancer.  So protect your skin as well as your feet.

Florida, like every other place that has people, has crime. In the Miami area my car was broken into a few times.  I have not had that problem in at least twenty years on the Treasure Coast.  It does happen though.  Cars at the beach accesses and other locations are occasionally broken into. I've seen the broken glass and talked to police about such events.  Worse yet, I once read of an armed robbery taking place at Pepper Park.  You should be vigilant and take precautions.  Working with a buddy is never a bad idea.

Florida also has its share of animals that can be a danger.  Perhaps the most obvious is sharks, which inhabit the ocean and lagoon.

I once nearly stepped on an alligator.  It was buried in muck, and I was just walking along.  That was a surprise.

Years ago I used to detect alone in the ocean at night.  I would not not do that today.  It just seems like a very stupid idea to me now.

In my younger years I was detecting in the ocean at night when I was bumped by something large.  That was exciting!

Barracuda  have sharp teeth and can be attracted by shiny objects.  One large barracuda was always hanging out at one of my favorite water detecting spots.  It seemed like he would watch me for hours.  He never attacked, but after a while he would get on my nerves.  

Sting rays can also put a barb in your foot.   I've walked around a lot of those and stepped on some in my bare feet yet managed to escape unharmed.  I guess I've exceeded what anyone has any right to expect from dumb luck.   See http://www.beachhunter.net/thingstoknow/stingrays/index.htm. 

Jelly fish can also be a problem.  Snow birds often do not realize that those blue Portuguese Man-O-War that you see washed up on the beaches can sting. One time I got the tentacles of a large one wrapped around my bare leg while I was water detecting.  It was pretty painful.

You have to be careful on land too.  When I was new to Florida and before I knew anything about fire ants, I dug into a mound while trying to retrieve a target.  I quickly learned about fire ants.  It seems I've had so many fire ant bites that I've developed some degree of immunity to fire ant venom.

Of course there are the more dangerous venomous animals in Florida than that.  We have rattle snakes and coral snakes.  In some parts of Florida you also have cotton mouths and others.

An aggressive cotton mouth once chased me out of a swimming hole in North Florida.

Not too long ago I wrote about one detectorist who survived a life-threatening rattle snake bite.

There are plenty of animals in Florida that can do harm.  We also have some dangerous spiders, such as the Brown  Recuse and Black Widow.  Watch for them especially in sheds with old storage boxes and places like that.  Gloves and boots are advisable.

I've seen a few scorpions in the Fort pierce area.  Florida Scorpions aren't life threatening, but they can sting.  They also like cardboard, paper and rotting logs.  I've also seen what I think is called a bullwhip scorpion.  In fact I've seen those about four times.  They aren't dangerous but will spray you with an unpleasant acid.

I wouldn't call it a danger because it is so rare, but I once saw a large Florida Panther crossing A1A the road between Wabasso and Ambersands near dawn one morning about twenty years ago.  That was an amazingly beautiful animal that was moving at a high rate of speed without seemingly any effort.  I also saw a small panther near the Savannahs once.

This isn't the type of thing I most enjoy writing about, but that is what I thought about this morning, and it might actually do somebody some good.  Some of these things can be life-threatening while others are just annoyances.  In either case, you might be able to avoid them by simply being aware and taking precautions.

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The wind is coming from the northeast today.  The tides are getting a little bigger and the surf is supposed to increase up to about three feet.

I'd like to get a chance to check out the beach today, but might not be able to.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/22/18 Report - Little Known Danger and Secret Technique for Working Crowded Swimming Areas. Mystery Solved.

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

Identified!

Ding! Ding! Ding!  Yesterday's mystery item was identified by Mitch King.  He said,

Its Plate money from Sweden. Fredrick the 1st 1720 to 1751.

You can see other similar examples by using the following link.

http://www.swedishcoppers.com/PlateMoney.html

Thanks Mitch!

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I'm going to add to what I said the other day by giving some other examples of items found and returned and also a technique that I developed and refined over the years for working in crowded swimming areas. 

In my previous post on that subject, I mentioned things like keys and eye-glasses.  Today I'll give some jewelry examples.

It is always easier when you see someone looking for something just after they lost it.  They probably have a good idea of where the item was lost.

Class rings are common jewelry finds.  On one occasion I was hunting in the shallow water at a South Florida swimming beach and two young girls approached me.  One said she lost her sister's class ring, and she wasn't supposed to have it.  It didn't take me too long to find it.  The younger sister sure was happy.

On another occasion when I was shallow water hunting, I came to an area where kids were obviously trying to find something.  One of them said somebody lost their class ring and offered them $20 if they found it.  It didn't take me long to find that one either.  No mention was made of the reward.  None was offered.

The same thing happened at another location in more shallow water.  Kids were diving and making a lot of commotion looking for something.  In this case it was a gold emerald ring that  a young lady lost.  There are times when you have to get people to clear out so you can detect an area properly.  I got the kids to move back and out of the way so I could use my detector without them getting in the way.  Again I found the ring pretty quickly.  This was one time when I received a reward.  That was very unusual in my experience.  There were plenty of times when I didn't even receive a thank you, which amazed me.  But on this occasion, after I presented the ring to the young lady, she ran up to where her blanket was, and then back down, she stuck a twenty into my shirt pocket.  She just as quickly ran off again, so that was one reward I kept.

It is always a good idea to clear people out of the search area and explain that you need room to conduct a proper search.  You want to be able to swing your coil without anyone in the way, but there is another good reason to make everybody get back. Mark out boundaries and ask people to stay outside those boundaries while you hunt.

You also want to recover the item and inspect it before anyone else sees it.  I have on multiple occasions had people attempt to claim a ring that did not belong to them, and it is not uncommon to find something other than the specific item you are looking for.   That is why you must have a good description of the item before you hunt, and why you should inspect the item for identifying information before you return it.

When I was in the water and dug an item while people were close by, I had a method of keeping the find hidden until I had a chance to take a look at it.  Immediately after getting the scoop up out of the sand but while the scoop was still under water, I vigorously shook the scoop.  That created a cloud of sand that made it impossible to see the object in the scoop.  I would then quickly stick my hand in the scoop and by feel remove it.  Of course you can quickly tell by feel if it is a ring or coin.  With the item still in your closed hand, quickly slip the item in your pocket, turn your back and distance yourself from onlookers.  When you get a chance, take a look at it, but not before you are sure no one else sees it.  It is important to get the item returned to the just owner instead of some crook.

One time when I was not yet so experienced, I was hunting in shallow water and was being followed by some kids who saw me dig what turned out to be a couple of big tokens.  They yelled at the top of their lungs so everyone on the beach heard, "He found some kind of big coins."

I actually liked nice kids being interested and would show them what I was doing and would even let them participate to some extent, but there are also obnoxious unrestrained kids that can be a problem.  You have to judge the situation.

Those are just a few examples.  I could give many more, such as the young man who did a handstand in shallow water and lost his gold chain, which was quickly detected and returned, but I wanted to give some tips.

Always be aware of your surroundings and who is around you.  The only thing I don't like about using a snorkel when hunting in shallow water is not being as aware of what is going on around me.

I've heard of some detectorists being harrassed onlookers, but that wasn't been much of a problem for me.  I avoided people to a large extent, often hunting when there weren't many people around.  I also had a stainless steel scoop that looked like it was capable of making melon balls of human flesh.

Of course there were also times when I failed to find items that were reported lost.  A New York fireman told me where he lost his NYFD ring.   He was going back to New York and gave me his address.  I looked for it several times, but never found it.

I should also mention that there are finds that the owner might not want to acknowledge for one reason or another.  One New York Yankees World Series ring was found on the Treasure Coast.  The name was in the ring.  When the player's phone number was called, the wife answered and asked where the ring was found.  When told, she said she thought to fellow lied to her and went to St. Lucie to see his girlfriend.  There are times when the owner doesn't want to acknowledge or claim an item.

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The weather is beautiful and there are lots of snow birds on the Treasure Coast beaches.

The surf continues to run in the two to four foot range.  The tides are moderate and the wind is east/southeast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/7/17 Report - Hurricane Irma Predictions. Dangers and Difficulties of Detecting a Beach After a Hurricane.

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

Track of Irma So Far
Source: Wunderground.com

Above you can see the curvy track of Irma.

Below is the cone from NHC after the 5 AM advisory.  That track takes the eye right over Fort Pierce and the Treasure Coast.  It will still be a very strong hurricane.

NHC Cone After 5 AM Advisory.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Of course, there isn't 100% certainty of the future track.  

Probability of Tropical Storm Force Winds.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Above you can see the probability of tropical-storm-force winds hitting the Treasure Coast.  It shows that at the time of the prediction, there was a 80 - 90 percent chance that the Treasure Coast would receive tropical-storm-force winds.  The probability of hurricane-force winds, as estimated at about the same time, was less than 50 percent.

The point of that is that there is still uncertainty about the track of Irma.  Although both the Euro and FGS models are very similar now and have the eye-wall passing over or very close to Fort Pierce, it could vary.  As you can see above, the cone still extended well out into the Gulf and into the Atlantic, so it still could end up going right over us or into the Gulf or out in the Atlantic.  I really don't want the eye-wall over us or real close to us.

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I've heard from detectorists from out of state that want to run down to the Treasure Coast on Sunday and do a little detecting.  That could be a very serious mistake.  HURRICANES ARE VERY DANGEROUS.   Hurricanes kill people and cause serious damage and real human suffering. 

I can tell you right now that I will not be out there Sunday. I will be taking care of people who need assistance.  I probably wouldn't be out there Sunday even if I didn't have those other responsibilities. There will likely be many people who really need some assistance.

When the storm passes, unless it passes way off the present predicted course, things will be a mess. There is likely to be downed trees and power  lines across the road.  People will be coming out and looking at the damage and wondering how they are going to go on.  Beach accesses will be closed. Roads and bridges will be closed.  Roads might be flooded or washed away.  You might not be able to get where you want to go.

There could be massive power outages.  Gas stations could be closed.  And authorities won't want you out on the road to get in the way of emergency efforts.

It is easy to get excited hearing about gold coins on the beach, but hurricanes are dangerous and not totally predictable.  There might be good detecting or there might not.    Last year,  Matthew didn't hit where they thought it would.   

This will be especially tricky because there are three hurricanes out there.  Hurricane Jose is following closely after Irma, so after Irma passes and everything looks bright and sunny, you might just encounter Jose.

If the beaches are badly damaged, it probably won't be easy to get there, and when you do, you'll encounter other dangers. The high surf could be very dangerous.  After a hurricane, the surf contains a lot of debris.  Anybody who has been on the beach immediately after a hurricane, probably has a story about nearly getting taken out by a tree trunk thrashing around at the edge of the water.  The backwash coming off the dunes can be powerful and dangerous.  It doesn't take a hurricane to cause that.  It can easily catch you off guard and knock you off your feet and sweep you out.  I know of more than one person who has lost a metal detector or other equipment to a rough surf.  

I'm especially concerned about people who have never been through a hurricane and unknowingly putting themselves at risk.  There are many dangers, and you might not know about the dangers or what you are getting yourself into.

In short, I want you to realize that hurricanes are dangerous and that you should not think of trying to face the storm winds or the dangerous surf after a hurricane for a few coins.  I don't want anyone to run out to the beach not knowing what they are getting into and getting hurt or worse.  I'd rather you volunteer to help with the recovery efforts.  I know I'm being a downer right now, but I want you to realize the very real danger.   If you want golden memory for the rest of your life, volunteer and help people who need it.

Another thing people don't realize is that hurricane ravaged beaches can produce for days or even weeks after the hurricane passes.  Some of the most amazing finds have been made when the detectorist thought it was too late to find much of anything.  Be sure that conditions are safe and you are prepared before you even think about running out to the beach to find some coins.

Be safe,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/22/16 Report - Two Million Dollar Dime. Tiffany Gate Link Ring Cleaned. Safety For Using Muriatic Acid.

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





This 1894 S Barber dime was sold at a Heritage Auction on January 7, 2016 for nearly $2,000,000.  Only ten of these are known to exist.

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.coinweek.com/auctions-news/1894-s-barber-dime/







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Yesterday I talked about cleaning encrusted coins.  Things besides coins need cleaning.  Rings and other things can be encrusted too.

Silver Tiffany Gate Link Ring.
Find and photo by Robert H.

Notice the Tiffany and Co. mark and the silver mark.

Gate Link Ring After Cleaning.
Photo by Robert H.

That is a unique ring.  Very nicely cleaned.  A used ring like this would probably sell for nearly $400.

Tiffany Ring on Sizing Mandrel.
Photo by Robert H.

Bill Popp, who originally explained the Muriatic Acid cleaning method for this blog, sent an email and said, " ... muriatic acid at room temp does not attack copper, silver or gold... Any other metal coin may be junk anyway (aluminum?)..."


I didn't mention gold because it rarely needs cleaning, although old pieces will occasionally collect a little coral or something.  If the crust is only light, I'd probably let it stay. It depends.

Thanks for sharing Robert and Bill.



I should remind you that Muriatic Acid is a strong acid and requires safety precautions.  Wear protective gloves, goggles and do not breathe the fumes.  Do not use it in the house or around furniture or other items that can be damaged.  Do not get it on your skin.  Store it safely.

Here is a web site explaining the safety precautions.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/10-muriatic-acid-safety-tips#b


Muriatic Acid is used to maintain swimming pools and can be purchased at pool supply stores.

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The weather is changing.  This morning the wind was more from the south, but now it is more from the west.

The surf will be small this weekend, but increase Tuesday.  The tides are decent, with negative lows.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net