CarsonChris
Elite Member
I’ve heard detecting beaches near the bay is off limits. Which California beaches are off limit and what are some good ones? I want to try an ocean hunt.
I’ve heard detecting beaches near the bay is off limits. Which California beaches are off limit and what are some good ones? I want to try an ocean hunt.
Santa Cruz, Carmel and Monterey beaches are quite popular with hunters.
Santa Cruz main is "bath tub " conditions. That's what makes it so popular.
The only beaches, in all of CA , that are "supposedly " off limits, is any federally administered ones. And fortunately that's very little of our Coastline. Even only a few sections of the Bay Area are federal . Specifically: the GGNRA ones.
And all the rest, you can hunt to your heart's content.
If you detect national park beaches you will be told to leave by a ranger.
Easy there Tiger ! Seal Beach ,Ca has strict laws regarding hunting on their beaches. You can punch it up on the web. It's ok. There's probably more that we both don't know about.
Here in Massachusetts, the Rangers on the "National Sea Shore" beaches will confiscate your metal detector for just having it with you...
Curious if you know of any incidents, where this has actually happened ? Ie.: someone not using a detector, but... for example .... merely had it in his car or something . Do you know of any such confiscations, when not-being-used ?
Or for that matter: How about a confiscation for someone when-actually-using one ?
Here in Massachusetts, the Rangers on the "National Sea Shore" beaches will confiscate your metal detector for just having it with you. Mear possession is against the rules.
I was warned by the local hobby shop, so its hear say when it comes to that. ...
Yes Tom I am. It's still on the books. City of Seal Beal,Ca.gov.I tried "punching it up on the web" . I don't find anything.
Are you referring to this ? : http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...-beach-ca-banned-beachcombing-city-beach.html
If so, then it seems this notion was put-to-rest long ago.
What entity administers Seal Beach ? Ie.: Is if state beach ? City beach ? County beach ? Or federal beach ? If you have any laws or rules that say "no md'ing", then I would love to see the link.
.... 9.05.015 Beachcombing Ord.1515 ....
Ok, now I found it :
"No person shall dig into or under the surface of the city beach, or shall sift, screen or riddle the sand upon the city beach for the purpose of retrieving articles. .... (Ord. 1515) ..."
Ok. The issue I recalled, was some tragic accident where kid making "sand tunnels" got trapped, suffocated, and died. Or an issue of college kids making giant sand pits, etc... Such that the prohibition was merely for "digging". Which some md'rs had thought meant "oh no, can't metal detect now". If that were the case, then yes, I would boldly say that a rule for that was NEVER meant to apply to the "digging" that md'rs do .
The quote from the place you're speaking of, is something different. And no I don't deny that it pretty well describes md'ing (although not mentioning md'ing by-name). But ... let me ask you this: Is this something that anyone currently on the payroll there is even aware of ? Ie.: has anyone known this to be enforced, such that they 'scram' md'rs ?
Because when this issue came up years ago, I recall some So. CA hunters scratching their heads and saying "gee, we hunt there all the time, and no one's ever said anything to us" (ie.: it was "news" to them). Thus concluding it was akin to spitting on sidewalks type thing. Unless I'm mistaken, and there's actually lifeguards or city persons who actually enforce this on md'rs ?
..... Never had an issue ,.....
Ok, so this is a city administered beach (as opposed to state or county of federal or private) I got a question , since you're from that area: Do you have any idea why this city instituted such a thing ? Why the heck would they care if someone "retrieves articles" or "sifts the sand" ? Ie.: what put it, on someone's city-hall plate there years ago, that they would ever have dreamed this up, in the first place ?
And ... if this language is to be taken literally, you'll notice it doesn't seem to "exclude all digging". In context, it's only digging "for the purpose of retrieving articles". Therefore I guess digging sandcastles is ok. Just not digging for md'ing.
I could certainly understand if they had a cultural heritage concern going on (heaven forbid you or I found an old coin, eh ? ). Then they could *at least* have an excuse why they care. But in this case, it's just makes no sense. What is the justification ? What was the thing that caused someone in city hall to dream this up ?
And I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you could detect there, till you're blue in the face (yes, gasp, retrieving articles), and you'd probably find no one to be aware of such minutia, or care less.
.... Lifeguard or cop pulls up and cites them all for sifting the sand trying to retrieve the ring. Just ludicrous !
How much you wanna bet ? Lol. I can assure you there is someone there that knows the codes inside and out. I've learned alot from from being on here.No. I can not imagine that . There's not a lifeguard in the world, (not even a mean lifeguard having a bad hair day) who would even notice, or even forbid such a thing. Despite this crystal clear wording. And I bet ... You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in city hall there (or any lifeguards, etc..) who are even aware of the wording, or care less.