If you are just getting into the hobby of metal detecting and you are thinking about hitting the beach. I can tell you from personal experience there is no better place to hunt for Buried Treasures!

Just like everything else metal detecting has it’s own lingo. If you are going to socialize with other metal detectorists you might want to know what some of it means.  Here is a small list of beach metal detecting terms and their meanings.

The Dry : The dry is anywhere on the beach that the water has not hit in either a long time or ever. Hunting the dry can be fun and you can find some great treasure here. I also find more trash here than anywhere else.

The Wet : Ahh, the opposite of the dry. The wet is the area of sand that is exposed during low tide. The sand itself is wet and during high tide it is under water.  At certain times of the year, this area of beach can be the most productive for gold. Do not miss it. Certain metal detectors do not function well here. The salt just makes them wild.

The Water Line : This is one is self explanatory. This is the area of beach where the water meets the sand. The water line is always productive at low tide and if it is not then you can always take a few steps towards the wet.

The Towel Line : This is an area of beach where everyone puts down their towels and lays out in the sun. This area can be part of the wet or the dry and should never be overlooked especially if the dry or the water line is not producing any treasures.

Coin Line : A coin line is a great thing to find and a wonder of physics. A coin line is a line of coins that runs straight and parallel to the beach. It is usually found in the wet. If you find a coin line work it hard because where there are lots of coins you just might find jewelry.

Sticky Spot : This is my personal favorite. This is a spot on the beach that defies all logic. In a sticky spot you will find lots of goodies in a random pattern. They will not be evenly distributed in a line. It’s  more like some giant hand from the sky reached down and threw them onto the beach. These sticky spots can be as small as a beach chair or as large as a house. Sticky spots are where I find the coolest things.

Now that you know some of the lingo, if you see a fellow detectorist and you strike up a conversation then you won’t be left out in the dry!

Happy Hunting

One cool thing about metal detecting at the beach is you never know what you are going to find. I have found quite a few interesting things and some that I would have never expected to find. I am convinced that metal detecting at the beach is as good as it gets.  The view is always nice. Ocean, bikinis, clear sky, bikinis. You get the idea.

One thing that you will learn about metal detecting at the beach is things move and they move a lot. If you do not go to the same beach on a regular basis then you do not notice the subtle changes in the sand or dunes.  For example I was at Ponce Inlet the other day close to the jetty. They have wooden poles in the sand that prevent you from driving into the jetty. This summer those poles were about six feet tall. The other day they were only about a foot tall. What does that tell you? There is an awful lot of sand piled up there.

Now that isn’t always a bad thing. There could be goodies in that sand but most likely all of the goodies have been covered up.

You have to learn how to read the beach and every beach is different.  If I can’t see any differences in the sand such as cuts, sloughs or troughs then I like to work a loose pattern going from the dunes to the water and back as I move up and down the beach. By doing this I might be able to find what I call a sticky spot.

A sticky spot is where things have collected. Coins and hopefully gold. These spots can be up towards to dry sand, in the wet sand and even in the water. One good indicator of a sticky spot is green coins. 

These are modern coins that are corroded. They are not worth anything other than face value but they do tell you that they have been there for a while.  If you dig a green coin, slow down and scan the whole area.  If they start showing up quite frequently, It’s time to slow down and work a tight grid. Look back where you have been and see if you see a pattern and work these spots hard because there is usually jewelry around and if your like me you might be looking for some gold.

I found a spot just like that the other day. I worked it hard and came up with a handful of green coins and  some silver jewelry.  If you have  a beach metal detecting story and would like to share then use the comment link at the top of the post.

I started this blog to help others with metal detecting at the beach. There are quite a few things to think about when your cruising the beach looking for gold, coins and other cool stuff but the most important thing to remember is have fun!

If you keep at it, you will find goodies. I know I have and I hope you will too! So stay tuned for daily updates on the local beach condition and some of my finds as well as other related subjects.

Have fun!