Machine for Beach Hunting

sp00lie

New Member
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
11
Hello.

I am in the market for a machine that I could use to walk up the beach and find targets in the wet sand. I will be hunting NJ beaches primarily.

My thought is that the ocean is always picking up and putting down jewelry and coins. The beaches near me will never be hunted out, and after storms/hurricanes/dredging there will be new stuff to pick out of the sand.

I've done a bit of research, and I believe my options for a beginner pulse induction machine are getting either a Tesoro Sandshark or a Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2. The Sandshark has a lifetime warranty, and is a bit cheaper. The Sea Hunter seems to be a bit more powerful, and more capable of discrimination. I've also looked into the Fisher CZ-21 which seems like a really nice machine, but it's a bit too pricey.

I don't know much about pulse induction machines, but I feel that I am limited with my AT Pro in mineralized conditions. What do you all think?
 
I'll try to explain what I am fewling now. I'm new to metal detecting so take it as it is. I just got me a garrett sea hunter mark II. I bought it because the price was right. I was not aware of the sand shark at the time. The sh is a but noisy in my gulf water, I have heard mixed reviews with some saying that this is an issue with all pi machines but some have ways to deal like ground balancing and pulse width. I am under the impression that the disc on the shmk2 is just adjusting the pulse width. The machine will ramp up the threshold when a wave passes over the coil, the only way I have found to combat this is to raise the disc up to two or so which negetively effects the depth. Also you will be digging everything, on the bright side you wont be missing anything but may be wasting valuable time. If I had known what I know now, I would have gotten the excal. I dont have experience with it but I know it has discrimination in a real sense (sea hunter discrim reduces depth and works poorly) and a lot of people are very happy with it. As a matter of factbit seems all my competition in the water has an excal, I have only seen a cz other than the excal in the wet. The dry sand guys do ok with other machines like the atpro. Hope that this was helpful, the sh will find stuff and can be tamed in the waves but given a choice if you can stretch it or save.I say excal.

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Minelab Equinox 800 is another possibility...

This seems like a great all around machine. I've seen some videos of successful digs in salt water/wet sand. Apparently it's great for coin shooting as well.

Can anyone verify this?
 
Minelab CTX 3030

Great saltwater Detector
so smooth, water proof up to 10 feet as well
It is the best

Happy Treasure Hunting
 
Hello.

I am in the market for a machine that I could use to walk up the beach and find targets in the wet sand. I will be hunting NJ beaches primarily.

My thought is that the ocean is always picking up and putting down jewelry and coins. The beaches near me will never be hunted out, and after storms/hurricanes/dredging there will be new stuff to pick out of the sand.

I've done a bit of research, and I believe my options for a beginner pulse induction machine are getting either a Tesoro Sandshark or a Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2. The Sandshark has a lifetime warranty, and is a bit cheaper. The Sea Hunter seems to be a bit more powerful, and more capable of discrimination. I've also looked into the Fisher CZ-21 which seems like a really nice machine, but it's a bit too pricey.

I don't know much about pulse induction machines, but I feel that I am limited with my AT Pro in mineralized conditions. What do you all think?

This thread identifies every major brand of detector that is competent for salt water beaches. G/L!
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=248905
 
I had a sea hunter 2. Get an Equinox 600 you won't regret it.
Pi detectors you must dig everything. Its frustrating!
 
Do NOT get a PI machine for NJ beaches. You will go insane digging up bbs, bobby pins, pieces of fish hooks, etc. A PI is not going to be any deeper on those beaches than a multifrequency machine like the equinox, ctx, excal, or cz21 (unless you are talking about the TDI but not those ones you mentioned). A PI is a great machine in NJ if you are heading into the water...like chest deep+.
 
Minelab Equinox 800 is another possibility...

This seems like a great all around machine. I've seen some videos of successful digs in salt water/wet sand. Apparently it's great for coin shooting as well.

Can anyone verify this?

This is the #1 reason why I bought my 800. its a machine that can do everything good - but maybe not the best at anything (thats been my experience).

However, i took it to the beach this weekend to fool around. It was great in the water and on the wet sand. I found some targets (good and bad) but no jewelry. I only swung for about an hour and hit a bunch of different areas to try it out (rocks, mud, sand).

For the price, and how versatile it is, I would buy it again.

I guess if you were going to be spending a lot of time at th ebeach, you might want to look at something else.

Meggie on the beach forum is killing it in Australia with the 800, if you want to read those posts.
 
This is the #1 reason why I bought my 800. its a machine that can do everything good - but maybe not the best at anything (thats been my experience).

However, i took it to the beach this weekend to fool around. It was great in the water and on the wet sand. I found some targets (good and bad) but no jewelry. I only swung for about an hour and hit a bunch of different areas to try it out (rocks, mud, sand).

For the price, and how versatile it is, I would buy it again.

I guess if you were going to be spending a lot of time at th ebeach, you might want to look at something else.

Meggie on the beach forum is killing it in Australia with the 800, if you want to read those posts.

If you are only doing beach hunting, get the 600. The beach modes are the same on the 600/800. Its not worth $250 more unless you plan to do prospecting.
 
Thank you all very much, I think I will go with the 600.

I'll be posting some old and hopefully new beach finds on here soon.

Thank you all again.
 
If you are only doing beach hunting, get the 600. The beach modes are the same on the 600/800. Its not worth $250 more unless you plan to do prospecting.

The 800 allowed you to do more with personal settings etc. To be honest, I'll probably never use them but....
 
Thank you all very much, I think I will go with the 600.

I'll be posting some old and hopefully new beach finds on here soon.

Thank you all again.

BTW, if you or a family member are a veteran, Minelab offers a 15% DISCOUNT! Might want to look into that.
 
GT

Sovereign GT is your ticket , PM me i have one i will part with, you don't need a waterproof machine with hardwired head phones to hunt the wet sand, A GT with a environmental cover , and SEF 10x12 is all you will need, Earl
 
Hello.

I am in the market for a machine that I could use to walk up the beach and find targets in the wet sand. I will be hunting NJ beaches primarily.

Don't get a PI as your primary unit for hunting the wet sand in NJ. You will hit a lot of beaches were you will spend most of your time digging nails, dune fencing, etc.

NOX800 or NOX600 or the Makro Multi Kruzer are good bets as the newer units for wet sand hunting that are light and waterproof.

Can save getting the NOX600 since the wet sand options on both are the same. There are other options on the 800 that could be used for dry sand hunting if you wanted to go to a high single frequency scenario...but you will be digging lots of small bits of aluminum, .22 casings, bits of pull tabs, etc.

Been hunting NJ beaches for close to 30 years. A PI unit got me my best find in the wet sand...but that beach was clean in terms of trash at the time.

Not sure where you will be hunting but places like A.C., Seaside can have days and weeks where there will be a lot of targets mixed in with tons of nails...nails right on top of the wet sand. A PI unit will drive you nuts in that scenario.
 
Thank you for the advice guys.

Still looking into everything before I make a purchase. I appreciate the all the info.

:cool:
 
I was in your exact shoes making almost your exact post just a few short months ago...

the more you research and read advice from members here the more you'll likely steer away from a PI unit. From what I gathered they have their uses but not for the type of detecting I (and sound like you) do.

The AT Pro was just awful at the beach for me, i hated it. wet sand? forget it...dry sand was fun but at the wrong beach produces little especially if there is any dry sand competition from other detectorists.

I made the move to the CTX because i had the money to do it and also do a lot of dirt hunting so the bells and whistles the CTX has really was worth it to me. I also like the ability of a Multi Freq machine to discriminate targets. a PI won't to that.

Just a few days ago I returned from my first beach vacation with the CTX. I couldn't believe the fun I had day after day. I was digging dimes and quarters out of almost a foot of wet sand sometimes. It was so much different and more fun than dry sand hunting and a lot less competition. I even got into some shallow water that stretched off the shore a ways and found more coins and a few rings...although nothing gold or silver.

anyways...spring for a solid multi-freq if you plan to beach hunt a lot. It will be a lot less stressful and a lot more fun. In my opinion research the Equniox 600/800, excalibur and the CTX!
 
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