12/31/17 Report - Treasure Hunting, Digging Holes and a Metaphor of Life. Should Be Viral Photo. South Hutchinson Island Beaches. Bigger Surf Coming Soon.

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

Partially Buried Scoop In One Big Hole 

Photo by Eric H.

This is the perfect picture for New Years.  If the world was populated by detectorists like me, the photo would go viral.  As soon as I saw it I had to laugh and showed it to my wife, who also laughed when she saw it.

It isn't that the picture is so funny.  It is just so meaningful.  It is a metaphor for life.

I won't tell the story that goes with the picture yet.  As a detectorist you can probably identify with the big hole at the water's edge.  You get it.  You've been there.

You get a signal.  You check it out.  More beeps.  There is something definitely there.  You start digging.  It is still there.  Dig some more.  Still there.  Dig and dig and dig.  You are almost there and the tide tarts coming in and every time you remove some sand, water comes in and fills the hole again. The object is so close, yet remains just out of reach.

As one year comes to an end, it isn't really an end.  We aren't done yet.  There is more to do.  There are things that we haven't yet accomplished even though we put in a lot of work.  There will be obstacles to overcome but there will also be windows of opportunity. There are treasures that will continue to draw us on and some that will continue to remain just our of reach.

You don't know what lies in the bottom of the hole.  Imagination says it might be some exciting treasure, while discouragement says it might be nothing but junk.  The optimist keeps digging, but the pessimist gives up and says there is nothing good there.

There is a lot in life that we can't see and haven't yet reached, yet we know it is there waiting for us - urging us on.

I've been surprised how religious or spiritual so many detectorists are.  It is no wonder though.  They search for what they do not know and do not see, yet they believe that it is out there.  They can search and work for something and not know what it is.  They can do everything right and still not be successful - until the right time.

Yes, there is much left to do.  There is more to find.  There is more to learn.  The goal has not been reached.   2017 may have been the start of many projects and the finish of some, yet there is much more to do.

May 2018 NOT be a year of bottomless holes and junk targets.  May your efforts be rewarded, and may you find the real treasures of life.

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Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Yesterday Just Before Noon.

I took a look at the beach yesterday.  Here are some photos that I took at Fort Pierce South Jetty and John Brooks beaches.  There was no new erosion at those beaches.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach.

It was foggy still around 11 o'clock when I took the photos.  I had to enhance them a little because the fog made them look blurry.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Yesterday.

The wind was coming from the northwest.  The water had only been to the toe of the cliff.

I did pick up some fossil pieces.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday Just Before Noon.

John Brooks Yesterday.

There was no new erosion at either of these beaches.  I don't know if any of the beaches to the north improved.  Maybe some one can give me a report from up there.

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The surf predictions are encouraging.  As you can see, we are supposed to get a 5  - 8 foot surf next week.  Also some north winds.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Have a Happy New Year.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/18/17 - Hurricane Irma Uncovered Great Find. Parts of Unidentified Shipwreck Uncovered Too. Its Only Just Begun.

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

PHOTO: Randy Lathrop of Cocoa, Fla., discovered the historic dugout canoe, Sept. 11, 2017, after Irma struck the coast. (Randy Shots)

A Florida photographer on an early-morning bike ride the day after Hurricane Irma ravaged the coast stumbled upon an exciting find: a dugout canoe that may be hundreds of years old, according to officials.

The canoe washed up from the Indian River, north of Cocoa, Florida...

He immediately contacted the Florida Division of Historical Resources before someone could mistake it for debris and throw it away...

Thanks much to SuperRick who sent me the following link for this article.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/canoe-unearthed-hurricane-irma-could-hundreds-years-old-195804517--abc-news-topstories.html

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Post-Irma Finds From Unidentified Shipwreck Site.

Encrusted Clump Possibly Containing Coins From Same Shipwreck Site.

Above are some finds from an anonymous source that were made after hurricane Irma.

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I said maybe Irma wouldn't be the big deal for metal detecting.  I thought from what I was seeing on MagicSeaWeed that it might be Jose.  Well it wasn't Jose, but according to the latest predictions, it might be Maria.  Just look at the surf predictions below.

Source: MagicSeaWeed

I've commented many times on how often a big surf predicted a week or so in advance doesn't happen.  I go by the predictions because that is the best information I can get.  They could be wrong again, but if the current predictions are right, Maria could be the one that does it for us.

Last afternoon the surf started coming more from the north.  That wasn't the case the past few days.  The wind should be from the north when the swell from Maria gets here.  If that happens and we actually get the predicted big surf, it should be very good.  Only time will tell.  I'll sure be watching that.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/9/17 Reportt - Saturday PM Update Added - Irma Trending Towards The West Coast of Florida. An App or Two That Will Help You Get To The Beach.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you might be able to tell from the NHC track above, as of yesterday afternoon, the track moved more to the west.  coming in closer to Naples than Miami, and expected to proceed up through the state closer to Tampa than Canaveral.  If that is what actually happens, the Treasure Coast won't get the kind of damage that it would if the track stayed more east.

Now they are concerned about the storm surge that might occur on the Florida west coast.

Our surf predictions have decreased too.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Yesterday they had something like a 22 foot preicted surf, now the biggest is 14 feet.  That is still to occur late Sunday.

Fourteen feet is still a lot more than the two or three feet that we have been getting most of the summer.

If the current MagicSeaWeed predictions are correct, we're not going to get the north winds either now.  Instead they will be east/northeast but mostly east.  That means that not only will the water not be as high into the dunes, but we'll probably get less erosion.  I'm not saying we won't get any.  We almost certainly will get some at various locations.  And it doesn't always take cuts to produce cobs.

After the storm and the east winds pass, we'll quickly be back to south winds - again if the predictions are correct.  That would mean that the beaches would start to refill again.

All of that, of course, is based upon what they think Irma is going to do, which might or might not be correct.  We'll see.

I've heard some say that we won't have much damage to buildings. I wouldn't mind that.  They are saying it will be more of a tree thing.  I won't mind less property damage.  Maybe - just maybe - the damage will be light enough that the beaches won't be closed.  Again, we'll see.

The predicted track could change again, but I don't think it will change much.  The models are agreeing more and the changes seem to be less frequent and drastic.

---

In following Irma I found some good web sites and mentioned them.  Some I posted.

One very interesting thing I found is a traffic app.  Go to googlemaps.com.  From the menu select the "traffic" option.  You will then see a map showing how heavy traffic is on the roads.  That is useful.
One day the Turnpike was jammed and traffic at a crawl or less at a lot of locations. You could take a look at the web site and choose another route if you found one that was moving better.

I saw there was a slow down at a corner near my house, so I went out and looked down the road to see it.  At the time I didn't know how it was done, but I did see the slow moving cars represented by a red line on the map.

You might wonder how google can show the traffic flow for roads all over the state and country.  The answer is they can track people with Android phones and how fast or slow they are moving, and of course they can tell where they are.  That is pretty amazing, but you might not want to think you are being tracked like that.  You don't have to because you can turn off the location data from your phone.

Check it out.  I found it to be a very useful web site.

Before you can do any metal detecting, you have to get there.  You might also like Gas Buddy, which will tell you where they have gas and the price.

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I received some nice emails from some of the fine and thoughtful people that read this blog.

Thanks to all.

Janine K. sent the following message.

Thinking of all you Floridians and sending thoughts for a safe outcome for all. 

Thanks Janine!

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Saturday 5 PM Update.

Beach erosion has begun on Fort Pierce beach but the bridges are closed - residents and business owners are among those permitted on the island.

The wind and surf is increasing - mostly from an easterly direction.



Be safe,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/10/2017 Report - Beach Conditions. 16th Century Shipwreck Study. Another Surf Increase Predicted

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

Jupiter Inlet Beach
Photo by Joe D.

I didn't get any reports from the Vero or Sebastian areas yet, but did get this report from Jupiter.

Joe D. sent the photo and the following.

Joe  said, Erosion is minimal for now, wind needs to change direction to have an impact! Wave height good though!

Thanks much Joe!

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The readers of this blog are amazing.  They are extremely accomplished and knowledgeable.  I post many of their contributions, but not all of them.  Sometimes they tell me that they don't want their emails posted or that I should keep some comments private.  Even when I can't post something, I'm still glad to get the information and it adds to my knowledge base.   I'm proud to have such knowledgeable readers.  Whether I post their names or comments directly or not, you still benefit from their contributions.

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Not long ago I talked about spikes and in another I talked about wood.  Here is an exceptionally good study of a 16th century Biscayan ship.

There are a variety of reasons or any serious detectorist to become familiar with old ship construction materials and techniques.

Here is a brief excerpt from the 16th century Biscayan ship study.

The second characteristic of 16th-century Biscayan shipwrecks is the use of a combination of oaken treenails and iron nails to fasten the hull planks and frames. The treenails are about 25 mm in diameter and the iron nails are about 10-12 mm square in section. At each joint of a frame timber and a plank, two iron nails and two treenails are typically found. The use of both iron and wooden nails distinguishes Biscayan shipwrecks from more northerly wrecks, such as the Mary Rose, which have only treenails and from more southerly wrecks, especially from the Mediterranean, which have only iron nails. João Baptista Lavanha, a Portuguese naval administrator who died in 1620, left a manuscript on shipbuilding which states that in countries whose ships sailed in cold waters, wooden nails were used, while in countries whose ships sailed in warm seas, iron nails were used. He explained that in warm waters, wooden nails were destroyed by taredo worms and each treenail became a leak5. In Biscay, both oak and iron were plentiful and readily used as nails by shipbuilders. Analysis of the Red Bay ship has shown that the iron nails were used...

And here is the link for the rest of the study.

http://um.gipuzkoakultura.net/pdf/loewe.pdf

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I was listening to the radio and heard what is a very common statement concerning how Southerners respond to cold weather.  They say that your blood thins.  That is not exactly what happens.

Back in the 70s I was conducting research in biofeedback and discovered that the normal response to cold is for the blood to redistribute from the extremities (fingers and toes, for example) to the body core to preserve heat.  I found out that people who lived in South Florida seven or more years, lost that cold adaptation response to a large degree.  So it isn't that the blood "thins." People eventually lose the cold adaptation response.  My fingers really felt the pain of that Monday.

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Here are the surf predictions for the Fort Pierce area.  We'll get a decrease and then an increase around Friday if the predictions are correct.  Something good might happen.  We'll have to wait and see.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/4/17 Report - Miscellaneous Eye-balled Finds From Today. FUN Conference. Escudo Gift. Bigger Surf Coming?

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

Piece of Cup Found This Morning.

Before breakfast this morning, I did a little eye-balling.  I saw a few interesting things.  One was the piece of ceramics shown above.

When I first saw it, my mind jumped to Kang'hsi.  But as quickly as that hope came to mind, it disappeared.  It didn't take long to see that it was not Kang'hsi.  For one thing, the paste was too coarse.

Bottom of Same Piece Showing Markings.

There is enough here that I should be able to identify the age and source of this piece when I get around to doing the research.

Another thing I found this morning was a blown, applied-top, olive green bottle shown below.

Bottle Found This Morning.

Notice the bubble in the glass near the base of the shoulder.  It has other bubbles as well.

Also found was the bottom piece of a torpedo bottle.  Too bad it was broken.

Bottom of Torpedo Bottle.

The glass is thick and not of consistent thickness.  That is why I was drawn to it when I saw it sticking out of the sand.

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The Florida United Numismatists Show will be at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center from January 5 -7  .  Sedwick Coins will be there if you want to see what treasure coins they have to offer.  They will also be accepting items for their upcoming May online auction.

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Nick gave Rachel the "first impression" rose.   Now that we have that important item out of the way...

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A Spanish one-escudo was given to a Salvation Army bell ringer in Indian River County this Christmas.  It was encased in plastic.

That was a nice act.

Here is the link to that story.

http://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-county/2016/12/24/christmas-treasure-finds-its-way-salvation-army-indian-river-county/95824712/

Thanks to Dean R. for that link.

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The video camera I usually use is not working right yet.  I was hoping I could fix it.  Not yet.

I haven't been out to the beach to detect yet this year.  Too many other responsibilities and things to attend to.

The surf prediction chart looks interesting.  If that holds, I'll be getting out to the beach for sure.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/3/16 Report - 11 AM Hurricane Matthew Update.

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

Monday 11 AM Update.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

I wanted to do a quick update on Matthew.  The current track takes Matthew a little closer to the Treasure Coast.  There is always a little wobble.  Maybe that is all we are seeing, but it the last few updates does show it coming a little closer to us.  As you can see, although it is getting closer and the cone is narrowing, the western edge of the cone is till touching Florida.

Another thing you might notice is the predictions say that it will take an entire day for Matthew to go from Miami to Melbourne.  That gives it some time to send us some waves.  You can see below that the period of high surf is also spreading out over a longer period of time.  With the slower movement of Matthew, the peak surf is now predicted to be early Friday.

As always, the impact will be in part determined by the wind direction and the tides.

If you missed Part II of my Saturday post about Jupiter, you might want to take a look at that.

I might be back later with some other topics or more updates, but that is all for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/7/15 Report - More On The Wreck Of The San Jose. Detecting Etiquette. Beach Conditions Rating Upgrade.

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

Neat Tiny Shell That Would Fit On A Dime.

This shell is very tiny and I don't think I've ever noticed one just like it.

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The most read post of November was the 11/30/15 Report - Saturday and Sunday Metal Detecting Finds.  Old Buttons Found.  Big Surf Predicted Next Weekend.

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Here is another article on the discovery of the San Jose shipwreck near Cartagena.  As usual there is a dispute over ownership.  A U. S. court ruled in favor of Columbia over a salvage company (Sea Search Armada) that did some work to locate the San Jose.

Here is the link for more about that discovery.  Photos are included.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/holy-grail-of-shipwrecks-has-been-found-off-colombias-coast-2015-12-05?link=MW_popular

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I received a question about beach etiquette.  In my 4/13/15 post I presented what a number of readers had to say on the subject.  You might want to check it out.

Just the other day I was detecting a beach with no one else in sight.  Eventually another detectorist showed up and even though there were a hundreds of yards of beach, the recently arrived detectorist walked towards me and got so close that my detector started to chatter.   I could reset my detector to stop the chatter, but that isn't the point.  There were hundreds of yards to search, why would anyone feel the need to start detecting right on top of the only other person on the beach?

This has been discussed, and it is impossible to come up with a specific distance that suits all situations.  There is a lot of beach out there.  It is only common courtesy to give other detectorists a wide birth.  Definitely don't jump in and detect the same dip or hole unless you are invited.  Also, the beach is big enough that you definitely don't need to pass so close to other detectorists that you cause detector interference.

Most detectorists are considerate.  Most of the detectorists that I've seen lately have been very considerate.  There are always a few who just don't get it though.

You might want to go back and read the 4/13/15 post in this blog for more on this subject.

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The surf will be decreasing for a few days.  However, the wind today changed, and for the good.  Today it was from the north, and the swell is from the northeast.

I'm upgrading my beach detecting conditions to a 2.  This one will probably be short-lived.

The predictions show another increase in surf coming in about a week though.  I hope that one pans out.  If looks like it might be a decent winter for beach metal detecting.

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Only a few hours to respond to the blog poll.  Thanks for your responses.  We'll be able to compare the better days of October with those of November

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/23/15 Report - Surf Predicted To Increase Up To Ten Feet This Week. Neat Little Shell, Watch For Improved Detecting Conditions.

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

Found On Beach This Morning.

The beach is covered with all kinds of gems.  This little shell fits on my finger nail.  What a little beauty. There are millions of them out there if you take the time to look.

Just to show the size of that small shell, below is another picture of the same shell, this time on a penny.

If you know the name of this type of shell, I'd like to hear it.  Thanks in advance.

I went out this morning just to see what was going on.  I often go out to monitor conditions. Yesterday I mentioned how the wind changed. Even though the surf wasn't high I was still expecting to see some changes to the beach.

We got some cooler air.  I thought that was pleasant, especially for Thanksgiving.

There wasn't much erosion last night.  There was a little erosiion at a few spots.

The beach at John Brooks was very mushy.  You can see that beach below.  No erosion there.

One beach thas was nicely cut a couple of weeks ago had completed filled in.  That was a remarkable contrast.

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

The water had been up over the berm.  It was generally a bit higher last night.

One Small Cut On Another Treasure Coast Beach.

This cut was pretty high on the beach.  The cut itself was only about a foot high.

One thing to note here is that the cut was just south of a bend in the beach.  From what I've seen, that is where the cuts have mostly been occurring lately.

The north wind that I saw yesterday evening continued through today.

Here is the most interesting thing for me.

Surf Predictions For The Fort Pierce Area From the MagicSeaWeed Web Site.

You'll find the links to the MagicSeaWeed web site on the front page of my blog.

The prediction for a high surf this week is holding up extremely well.  It looks like it might actually happen this time.

Note that the peak surf is now predicted for Saturday.  If the predictions are correct, it will be building a little every day up until then.

If that kind of surf actually happens, we'll most likely see an improvement in beach detecting conditions at some point.  If the water gets high enough, some cobs might appear without any cutting, but I'm hoping for some good cutting too.

Since we have had some beach improvement not too long ago, that makes it slightly more likely that something good will happen this week.

That is it for today.  Keep watching the beaches.  As I said, the surf is supposed to increase up until Saturday.  I will be surprised if we do not get improved beach detecting conditions sometime this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/1/14 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Conditions Downgrade. Reduced Surf Predictions. Fossil Shell.

Written by the treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.

New Surf Predictions Posted For The Fort Pierce Area On Magic Seaweed Web Site Today.

Well it happened again.  Yesterday I said something like there would be only a 10% chance that we would actually get the 6 to 10 foot surf that was predicted for next week.  The Magic Seaweed surf prediction has already been reduced down to 4 to 6 feet for the same day.  I'm not always happy to be right.  I'd rather see a ten foot surf next week.

I also said I'd reassess my Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions rating today.  I'm no happy about that one either.  I took a look at three different beaches this morning.  All showed deterioration.  As a result, I'm back to a "1" (poor) beach detecting conditions rating.

John Brooks Beach Near Low Tide This Morning.

Here is one of the beaches that had a five foot cut a couple of days ago.  The cut is now about two feet.  Sand has filled in front of the cut.  The slope was mushy.  You can see some sea weed.

There was some firmness down by the water, which near low tide was about thirty yards from the cut.

A few miles away another beach showed similar conditions.

And here is a picture of Jensen Beach this morning.

Jensen Beach This Morning Near Low Tide.

Notice all the sea weed.  For those of you who like hunting shells  and things, there were some shell piles at Jensen Beach and Walton Rocks this morning.

Shell Fossil Found On The Treasure Coast This Morning.

I like this shell fossil.  There are two of them that you can see here.

There were also some pieces of conglomerate with crystalized shell in them, and some other small fossils too.

There was some rain at the beach this morning.  Maybe that is why the beach was so deserted, or was everyone shopping or something.  It was really quiet on the beaches that I saw this morning.

The thing I really didn't like to see is that the waves were hitting the beach almost directly from the East.  As a result I'm not expecting any real improvement any time soon even though the surf is still supposed to increase a little.


Sorry I don't have better news today.  I know we're all eager to see some improvement in the beaches.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/30/14 Report - Up To Ten Foot Surf Predicted For Treasure Coast. Beach Coin Accumulations. GoPro Drones.

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

Here is the tide prediction chart for the Fort Pierce area from Magic Seaweed.  They are predicting 6 - 10 feet a week from Monday.  Now that should do the job if the wind direction is at all favorable.

See the main page in this blog for the Magic Seaweed link to the surf prediction charts.

Trouble is, the seven to ten-day projections are not very accurate.  From what I've seen of their predictions, there is only about a 10 percent chance that the large surf predicted for Dec. 8 will actually be that large.  But if it is, combined with what has been happening and assuming nothing real negative happening before then, it could get good.

For now I'm sticking with my level 2 beach conditions rating.  I'm now calling level 2 "transitional."  It isn't poor, like summer conditions, yet it isn't good enough to call good. 

I'll be reassessing my beach detecting conditions rating tomorrow.  And I'll also be watching to see if the surf predictions from Magic Seaweed changes.

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Southern Digger has been metal detecting for a long time.  I've posted some of his emails before.  Here are some tips he recently sent me.

I have experienced these repetitive coin wash-ups on wet sand/dry sand beaches and have done well in the coin take. I have learned to read the beach vs wind direction and wind strength to locate these places. First, if the wind is blowing about 20 mph out of the NNE to NE or from the SSE to SE; and if the tide is incoming; I look for where the waves hit the cut. If the wind was NNE to NE, I follow the bluff southerly until it gradually discontinues into a sloping beach. Most coins that ht the base of the cut are quickly pulled back into the roiling surf and pushed in a southerly direction. Once the cut ceases into a sloping beach, the coins are free to be pushed up the slope and quickly covered by sand. The same holds true on a SSE or SE strong wind and the coins are deposited on the north end of a discontinued cut. My last experience occurred at Ft. Lauderdale Beach. I found coins on the washed beach slope some 50-75 feet south of the cut. Soon as I clean out the coins; I wait 5-10 minutes and all is replenished. I worked this continually-producing bank deposit for some 45 minutes until the rising tide and diminishing winds altered the physical conditions that initially provided the deposit. I don't recall how many coins I recovered that day but it was a net bag load.

Thanks for sharing S. D.

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This from the Fisher organization in Key West -  Although inclement weather has kept the boats in port through the last couple of weeks, the crews have been staying busy with preventative maintenance and up keep.

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GoPro Drone
Source: wsj.com link found in this post.

C Man sent me this link about GoPro developing a line of consumer drones.  I've talked about GoPro before.  They are used on some of the metal detector TV programs.  They can be mounted on headgear or on a detector rod.

These drones could be used to check out a long stretch of beach or other things.  Could be very useful.


http://online.wsj.com/articles/gopro-developing-line-of-consumer-drones-1417020883?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp

Thanks C Man.

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net