8/15/12 Report - $200 Million Treasure, Big Fin & Good Book

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

Photo and Find by William M.

I was standing in a little less than waist deep in the water in the Indian River Lagoon Tuesday evening  as the sun was going down and spotted a fin at some distance.  I didn't know how much distance for a while.  I continued to watch, and the fin came closer, and closer, and got bigger and bigger -  bigger than I ever expected.

I was doing some cast netting and kept my eye on the fin as it came closer.   I wondered what type of fish it might be.  For while I entertained the idea of seeing if I could catch it to get a closer look.   It would have been an exciting adventure for sure, but also stupid.   It is probably a very good thing it never got close enough for that because there is some possibility that stupid might have won out over common sense.  I am now pretty sure that it was a shark - and a pretty healthy one at that.

There are sharks in the Lagoon.  In fact the Florida Museum of Natural History has been studying them and says that the Lagoon is a very important Bull Shark nursery.

Here is a link for more information about that.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/sciencestories/2009/bull_shark.htm


Above is a picture of the lead seal found by William M. after a good cleaning.  The cleaning didn't reveal any more detail. 

If anyone can identify this seal, please let me know.

A  famous British archaeologist is looking for more than $200 million in gold, silver and jewels on a deserted island in the Pacific.  The treasure is the famed Treasure of Lima, thought to be buried on the island in 1821 by Captain William Thompson.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/shaun-whitehead-treasure-hunter_n_1772807.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D192346



There is one book that I recently read that I'll mention.  Not because anyone contacted me or that I get anything at all from it, but because I think it would be very useful for any novice Floria fossil hunter.  The name of that book is Florida's Fossils: A Guide to Location, Identification and Enjoyment by Robin Brown.

There are a number of good books on Florida Fossils that I've read, and they all have their good points.  This one isn't real technical but gives you the information you need to get started collecting Florida fossils. One thing I really like about this book is the maps that show a number of good places where you can access good fossil sites.


The capsized Costa Concordia hasn't been moved yet and might not be moved until Spring.  Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2790:costa-concordia-removal-schedule-pushed-back&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=195


Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions.

The wind  is out of the southwest and the seas flat to knee high.  No change in the calm seas and sandy beaches is expected for at least a few days.

The low tide today will be about 1:00 PM.

There is a low pressure area in the Atlantic that has an 80% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours, however it looks like it will turn north and not affect us on the Treasure Coast.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

8/14/12 Report - Finding Your Own Good New Sites To Detect

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

Low tide Line On a Typical Treasure Coast Beach

Are you tired of hunting the same old worked-out sites?  Would you like to find a new site that few others know about?  It's possible.  It takes some work though, and a different approach.  If you do what I'm about to tell you, you might be the next person to make a great new discovery.

The biggest mistake most people make is that they go out looking for something specific, like a Spanish piece of eight, for example.   If you go out looking for one of those, you might find one eventually, in fact you probably will if you stick with it long enough, but if you want to find more than a few beach left-overs, what you really want to look for is a site that hasn't already been hunted ten thousand times.  And to do that you don't go out looking for a piece of eight, you look for other things first.

It is something like deer hunting.  A novice might go out tromping through the woods looking for a deer, and they might even see one, but a more experienced hunter would look for the signs of deer first.  They would look for the tracks, paths, and freshly eaten vegetation first.

Hunting pieces of eight is a lot different from hunting modern jewelry on a busy beach that is constantly replenished.  You can use the same techniques, and they'll work to a certain extent, but to discover new sites takes an entirely different approach.

For example, if you go out looking for an arrowhead, you'll have a hard time finding one.  The first thing you have to find is a site where arrowheads will likely be found.  To do that you have to know what signs to look for.  You have to learn to recognize debitage.  That is all of the stone discarded or left-over stone debris, or flakes and chips.  You'll most likely see that first, and that will indicate a good place to really begin your hunt.  Your chances of finding an arrowhead are very slim, if you haven't first found the debitage that indicates a good site to begin a more intensive search.

The same thing works with shipwreck treasures.  How many times are piles of coins found first?  Almost never!   First, iron, ballast, and various scattered debris is found, then the search narrows for those elusive coins.

The same thing applies on land.  Looking for that new detecting site means scanning new ground for any indications of a good new site.   The first signs are typically things like pieces of pottery, glass, iron, and wood, which will stay near the surface and be scattered around an area.  That is the type of thing to look for if you are tired of hunting those same over-hunted.

Some people stumble onto those good spots through circumstances and luck, but if you do some learning and put in the time, you can separate yourself from the pack.



Yesterday I mentioned how bad of an idea it is to store sensitive or easily lost items in a shirt pocket.  There are solutions to that problem.  I personally use a waterproof case most of the time when I expect to be in the water or when there is a good possibility of rain.  I didn't do that the other day for a couple of reasons, one being that I didn't expect to be in the water.  

James H. told me what he uses.  It really looks like an excellent solution.

Waterproof Pouches.

Here is what James said.   This is what I keep the car key and sometimes cell phone in when in the water. It's in my front pocket and secured with a carabiner to my belt. I also have my phone number inside it. I have used the $14.99 model for over a year up to chest high with no leakage or float offs. Anything bigger than this one is too big. The plastic top seal is just a tad wider than the top of a shorts pocket. The plastic top seal has a good rubber gasket in it. Just put the bag in sideways in the front pocket and rotate its top horizontally in the pocket so it doesn't wiggle out either. I use this in water all the way up to chest deep. I guess if a person is really worried, the contents could be put in a quality baggie and then put that inside the pouch, but I never found that necessary.

This looks like a great accessory for any detectorist.

Here is a link for more information.

.http://m.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product2_11151_10001_102071_-1____ProductDisplayErrorView

Thanks for sharing James.


There are two low pressure areas in the Atlantic.  One is way south of us and won't affect us, and the other is in the mid-Atlantic.   It has a 30% chance of forming into a cyclone.  My guess is that it won't affect us either.

The wind is still from the west, and the seas calm.  Low tide on the Treasure Coast will be around noon.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/13/12 Report - 1715 Fleet Salvage Vessels at Work & More

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

Salvage Vessel At Nieves Site Sunday

The salvage vessels were busy at work on the Nieves site yesterday.   Here is a photo showing the largest of the vessels at work near low tide.  This vessel was near the main ballast pile about a hundred yards off shore right in front of the entrance road at the park.

There appeared to be at least two other dive boats at work, one a good distance to the south and one to the north.  It looked pretty busy out there.

Below is another photo near the same spot.  Notice how much sand there is in the shallow water.  Any storm will have to move a lot of sand before the beaches become productive of old shipwreck coins again.  Not only is there a lot of sand on the beach, there is a lot in front of the beaches, as you can see here.



Beach Sunday near Low Tide



There was a lot of sand and shells piled up on the front beach, which is probably pretty typical of what you will see around the Treasure Coast.  I did however get a report from Bernie C. of one beach with a six foot cut running for a long distance.  Coin lines were found too.


William M. cleaned the lead seal, but not much more detail appeared.

Here is a good site that tells how to clean lead and lead alloyed metals.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/CRL/conservationmanual/File14.htm



If you are hunting in water a shirt pocket is not a very good place to keep much of anything even in the shallowest water, especially not electronics or anything small that you don't want to lose.  Pants pockets might be safer even if they are closer to the water.  At least that is what my personal experience suggests to me.
Just the other day, I was in only a foot or so of water, had my camera and phone in a camera case in a shirt pocket.   I thought they were safe. 

Although I usually use a water proof container for those types of things, I didn't bother because I wasn't expecting to be in water of any depth.  Well, I bent over to pick up an item, and even though the pocket has Velcro to keep it closed, the weight of everything I had stuffed  in that one pocket pulled the loose shirt a foot or so towards the water and just enough that a small wave could come up and hit the pocket enough to get it wet.  The camera case wasn't completely closed and the velvet-like bag containing the camera soaked up every ounce of water like a super sponge, so that the camera got thoroughly wet and stopped working.  I did get it working again after it got dried out, but it was enough to warn me once again about the dangers of shirt pockets.  

Shirt pockets can also lose small items when you bend over unless they are firmly closed by a button or Velcro.  Just a little caution. 

Also, I'll state the obvious.   Make sure you don't have a hole in your pocket.  Small items, and not so small items, like a gold chain will find it's way out of a very small hole.  After walking about a half mile back to the car, I once discovered that a nice Italian gold chain had snaked its way out of a very small hole in my shirt pocket.  I did find it again after walking back the half mile again.  But the warning is the same.

A good secure waterproof container can be a very useful accessory when detecting even if you are not detecting in the water.  It can prevent things from getting wet if you are caught in a sudden rain storm.


Ohhhhhh, and make sure there is not a hole in your goody bag.  One detectorist I knew was finding a lot of coins in one area and thought he had a real hot spot until he discovered that he was finding the same coins over and over as they dribbled out of his goody bag.

Heavy and sharp objects can cut through bags too.  I've had that happen to me.  A good extra heavy-duty goody bag is a good thing to have.


Notice Concerning Ruck's Pit:  A fossil expert and a fellow that has always been a big help to me when I needed help in identifying fossils emailed me to say,  I just spoke to Eddie's wife, Debbie, and they (Ruck's Pit) are open and will be open for the forseeable future and beyond. 

Sorry for any error or confusion I may have caused.


The wind is from the west/southwest and the seas still down around one or two feet.  That will be the case for the next few days.  Low tide Monday will be close to noon.   It seems like we've been having a lot of low water.

Nothing much to pay attention to in the Atlantic right now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/12/12 Report - Crusty Coins and Black Sand

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

Surface Find Indicating Possible Presence of Other Targets

I often remind detectorists to keep their eyes open.  A surface coin might be the first indication you get of the possible presence of a nearby coin line or coin hole.  As I've mentioned before, I've known people who do not own a detector but have collected a lot of coins by walking the water line in the morning.

Coin lines and coin holes, being concentrations of coins recently deposited on or uncovered on the beach, often will leave a few coins on the surface.  Since you can scan a lot more area visually than with a detector coil of any size, visually scanning can often reveal signs that will tell you where to spend your time detecting.  If you suspect the possible presence of a coin line or coin hole, you might just quickly walk the beach to see if there is anything to tell you if there are any good spots to check with your detector.

I've talked about coin lines and coin holes in the past.  If you haven't been reading this blog and missed that, use the search box and enter the search terms coin line or coin hole.

The above photo shows one of two surface coins that I saw the other day, and they did point me to a hot spot.  What you are looking for are not coins that are on the surface because they were just dropped there, but coins that have been on the beach for a while, but recently deposited or uncovered at one location.

The coin shown in the photo was not a recent drop.  I could tell that from its condition.  It was partly encrusted with a green crust.

Here (photo below) are some of the coins in the coin hole that were not on the surface, but dug in the same area.

Notice the black sand in the above photo also.  You will generally want to check areas showing black sand.

Encrusted Coins

A lot of detectorists have trouble detecting in black sand.   I've not found it difficult at all.   Switch to all metals or pinpoint mode.  You will hear the black sand, but that is no problem.  You can learn to distinguish the difference between the sound of black sand and a target,.  The most difficult part is when the black sand is disrupted by a dug hole, foot print or something else that causes a sharp break in the layer of black sand.

You will find that if you dig a hole through a layer of black sand, you will get a target-like signal at  the edge of the hole.

There are times when discrimination mode will work better when detecting over a thin layer of black sand, but I usually prefer to stay in pinpoint or all-metals mode.

When detecting in black sand, sweep with the layer of black sand.   Generally that is more north to south.   If you sweep across strips of black sand, you will get more noise.

I generally DO NOT try to discriminate out the black sand, DO NOT reduce my sensitivity setting, or ground balance my detector to black sand.  I like to hear what is going on under the coil.  I don't mind hearing noise from black sand or other similar sources, but learn to mentally tell the difference between the different sources and sounds.   You can learn to pick out target sounds in a background of noise. 

Notice the heavy crusts on the coins.   Notice the black crust and shells on the top one.  That can provide important information about how long the coins were on the beach and where they came from.  That can tell you where to go next and where to look in the future.  Match the crust with the types of sand and materials that you find around the beach.   You might have to dig some holes to find the source material.

The black coin in the photo had a slightly different history than the others and came from a nearby but different area of the beach.


There aren't any real threats in the Atlantic right now.  Just two areas that have less than a 10% chance of forming into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.  One of those is over by Africa.

The wind is from the southwest and the seas running around one or two feet.   That means no improvement in detecting conditions.

Low tide this evening will be around 11:45.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/10/12 Report - Another Lead Seal Found & More Weather to Watch.

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

Find and Photo by William M.

Here is what appears to be another lead seal found by William M.  Another very nice find.  If anyone recognizes the mark, let me know. 

We might be able to see more of the mark if William does a little more cleaning.

Where is the last place you would find a 1909 Lincoln penny.  If you said Mars, that might be a good guess, but it would be wrong.

Curiosity, the rover that was landed on Mars, had a 1909 penny attached for calibrating the camera.

Below is the picture of the penny that went to  Mars.

Thanks to James F. for that link.

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=3803


A propeller from a WW II US plane was found in a glacier in Switzerland.  \

Here is the link to that article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/us-warplane-propeller-switzerland-1946_n_1759968.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D190280

Photo From NASA

We have tropical depression number 7 now. Ernesto has gone its way, and at present it looks like this new one will follow the same path followed by Ernesto.


There is also another one coming off of Africa that already has a 30% chance of forming into a cyclone. Of course, it is too far away to tell any more about it.

The wind is from the southeast and the seas are calm.   We'll have to watch those storms.

Low tide Saturday morning will be around 8:45.


I was finding a lot of encrusted coins this morning.  Maybe more on that tomorrow or some other time.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/9/12 Report - Older Modern Gold

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

Older Shallow Water Gold Find

Here is a photo of  a recent ring find.  It is 10K, but what I want to show is the break and the condition of the find. It looks like it was lost a while before being recovered.  You'll find a good number of broken rings, especially if you are finding items that have been lost for a while.

Many people think of modern jewelry finds as being recent drops, and many are, but not all of them.  Some were lost years ago, or even decades ago.  I'd rather find the ones that have been lost for a while.

You can do well looking for recent drops if you are in an area where there is a lot of activity, however, if you want to find the best concentrations of jewelry, you'll be looking for areas where jewelry has accumulated over  a period of time - possibly decades. 

Hunting items that have been lost a while is a bit different from hunting recent drops.  Recent drops will generally be found pretty much where they were lost, but items that have been lost a while, will sink or be moved in various ways.  The longer an item has been lost, the more forces will act on it and move it.  Items in areas that are exposed to a lot of water energy will be sifted and tend to accumulate in catch areas where they will settle.

When you are finding older modern jewelry, like the one shown above, that means you are in an area where there could be an accumulation.  If you actually find an area like that, there is a chance you will find a number of items in a very small area.  It is not uncommon to find multiple similar items in an area of only a few square yards.

If you do find an older piece of gold like this, be sure to check the area very slowly and thoroughly.  It will often be an area where there is a clay, rock or some kind of dense bottom.  That is where things have accumulated over time.  You were fortunate enough to be there when the sand cover was removed.

I especially look for those catch areas.  Finding items one at a time is OK, but it is even better to find a concentration of older items. 

I'm more interested in finding hot spots, rather than individual items, and don't mind missing an item or two as long as I don't miss the hot spots.  Hot spots, by their nature, cover a little more area than an individual item.   You can miss an individual item by a matter of inches easily enough, and you can't help but miss some items because there is simply too much beach and water to cover it all thoroughly.  I easily accept the fact that I'll miss some things, but I would hate to miss a hot spot.

Learn to recognize the signs of  hot spot.  One of the first clues, is older items.  When you find a modern items that looks like it has been lost for more than a year or a few years, make sure to check for other signs of a hot spot. 

If you find a wheat penny, although that may not be exciting by itself, it can be the first indicator of a hot spot, especially if you are working an area that has been used a lot in the recent past and has been hunted a lot in the recent past.  Look for indicators that the penny has just been uncovered rather than just dropped.

If it has just been uncovered rather than just dropped, there is a good chance there will be other older items that have been recently exposed.

The main point is one that I've made before.  Try to determine what your finds are telling you, and look for any other clues that might indicate what the sand in the area has been doing.  As detectorists we don't have blowers, so we have to look for areas where Mother Nature is moving the sand for us.




Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions

Ernesto is coming on land down in the south of Mexico, there is nothing much left of Florence, but there is one disturbance in the Mid-Atlantic about half way between Africa and the Windward Islands that has a 70% chance of forming.  It is the one that might affect us someday, but not for several days yet it at all.  Keep track of that one.

The wind is from the south, and the seas are running one to two feet.   That won't change much for the next few days.  Only calm seas in the forecast for now.

Watch for bars moving towards land.  Check the backside of sand bars in the water.  By the backside, I mean the side the bar is moving from.  If a sand bar is moving towards land, check the side away from land.  If you are in an area where the bar has been used a lot by waders or swimmers, the backside will generally provide the most targets.  Of course, check any nice dips holding rocks, but I don't think you'll find many of those in the shallow water at this time.

8/8/12 Report - Alvaro Mexia, Club News & Resources

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

22K Ring Beach Find.

I've been talking about determining the melt value of finds.  I mentioned that you will find some 22K items, often from India or Oriental countries.   Here is one such example.  It is not marked but tests at 22K and looks Oriental.



Alvaro Mexia is probably the first European to map the Indian River Lagoon.  He did that in 1605 when he was sent on a mission to improve relations with the Native Americans.

You can learn more about that at the following web site.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvaro_Mexia



The Indian River Journal is one excellent resource that you might not know about.   As an example, here is one issue.  It talks about a variety of historic topics from German WWII prison camps in Florida to Alvaro Mexia and historic old houses etc.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=alvaro+mexia+map&s_it=tb50-ie-aolmail-ab-en-us



News from the St. Lucie Metal Detecting Club.

Meet Bernie this Saturday at Bathtub Beach 2 hours before low tide if you want to join him for a hunt.

The monthly club hunt will be Saturday August 25th will be at Stuart Beach south to St Lucia Beach.

The next club meeting is scheduled for September 15th @ 6:00 pm at the house of Bernie Cafaro.


Take your beverage. Food will be ordered from Roma Pizza. Don't forget to take your finds for show and tell.

Bernie is also planning a Fall to the Peace River.  Water levels on the Peace River typically fall around October.

Thanks for the update Bernie.


Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is from the South this morning.  The seas are about one foot and not predicted to be much more than that for the rest of the week. 

Conditions remain poor.  I'll remind you though, that there is always some place to hunt and something to be found.  When sand is building in one location, it is leaving another.  Remember that, and go where the sand has moved from.

Also watch around obstructions to the natural flow of sand, such as rocks.   Those areas can erode when nothing else does. 

Ernesto is now over the Yucatan.  The remains of Florence are still well east of the windward isles and not expected to form any more real soon.   There is, however, one area farther to the East that might form into a cyclone in the near future.  It bears watching.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net