Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Beach Hunting Frustration....Help a Newbie Out!

CoryTDF

CoryTDF

Junior Member
Joined
May 26, 2020
Messages
80
Location
Walla Walla Wa
Ok, so, I have now hunted beaches in Oregon, California and Maui. I found a cool silver necklace and some coins here and there.

Oddly enough I had my best luck on the Oregon coast on the cold beaches. My San Diego hunt was a bust and I had similar luck in Maui. I came out with just a few coins and not much else. Heck, I hardly found any bottle caps.

Here is the method I have been using:

WATER
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
DRY SAND

So, here I am asking for help. What is the trick to beach hunting? What am I doing wrong. I even planed about 25 pennies on the private beach at our condo and after 3 days went out to look for them. I only came up with 1. There was a huge sand shift (like 4 ft of sand) which I'm sure was the reason for that though.

Beaches I hit include

CALI:
Mission Beach
La Jolla Shores

MAUI:
DT Flemming
Black Rock
Private beach at condo
 
General Beach rules:

1. Start Hunt 3 hrs before low tide, then into that time.
2. Hunt after wave events
3. Hunt as close to the water and into it if possible.
4. I don't think a pattern of walking is important, look for depressions as well as sand build-up close to water. [areas to look]
5. Gold is where you find it! At least where I hunt there is not a 100yd strip that coughs up more than the rest. But that may differ on people concentration on certain beaches.

I have worked the same beach for 25 years. Water hydraulics is a funny thing. I can tell 80% of the time what I might expect. Then there are the days for no rhyme or reason there are targets that have been moved.

Good Luck, make notes on conditions to review later...........
 
Last edited:
The warmer the conditions, the more competition. I find far more targets in the states with snow than I do here in sunny Florida.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Also, warm places and tourist destinations have folks that hunt 24/7. Night hunters can often slip in, get the goods, and get out before anyone knows they were there.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
CALI:
Mission Beach gets pounded every day many monkeys there= 5%maybe a good find there...........
La Jolla Shores dry sand hit every day by monkeys....wet sand you can do good
but you have to know how to hunt the wet there lots of nails and trash
from the fire pits....
 
vegasplayer said:
CALI:
Mission Beach gets pounded every day many monkeys there= 5%maybe a good find there...........
La Jolla Shores dry sand hit every day by monkeys....wet sand you can do good
but you have to know how to hunt the wet there lots of nails and trash
from the fire pits....
Click to expand...

The question is not "where where where", it's "when when when". All those beaches can be red-hot (not-stop heavy targets, with zero aluminum, as fast as you care to dig) *IF* you get there after mother nature erodes in storms.

Or conversely, they can be lame with zero targets, IN THE EXACT SAME ZONES if sand has been coming "in".
 
Don't v it's a waste of time. Go straight to areas people congregate and look for errosion. Unless you live on the beach you'll never out hunt those retired guys who hit it every day in the dry sand
 
Beachhunt1 said:
General Beach rules:

1. Start Hunt 3 hrs before low tide, then into that time.
2. Hunt after wave events
3. Hunt as close to the water and into it if possible.
4. I don't think a pattern of walking is important, look for depressions as well as sand build-up close to water. [areas to look]
5. Gold is where you find it! At least where I hunt there is not a 100yd strip that coughs up more than the rest. But that may differ on people concentration on certain beaches.

I have worked the same beach for 25 years. Water hydraulics is a funny thing. I can tell 80% of the time what I might expect. Then there are the days for no rhyme or reason there are targets that have been moved.

Good Luck, make notes on conditions to review later...........
Click to expand...
X2
Once you "learn a beach" look for differences each time you go out.
 
Don't use a W pattern over low spots. Lay down what we call a "grid" and hammer it. A high spot if you hit something passing through, hammer it as well. Walkway paths from entrance to beaches and hotels going to the water, grid those out as well. Depending where you are a beach tells you something about itself. Right now if you drop a quarter where i am, it is 14" deep or more next day. We have clean sand from replenishment. No shell, clay or rock. So the drops keep sinking. If you stand there with water going over your feet, you sink too!
 
Beachhunt1 said:
Then there are the days for no rhyme or reason there are targets that have been moved.
Click to expand...
I was hunting once during winter time and the gold targets were on the high spots. It was like someone raked the low spot stuff up onto the high ground.
 
FelixtheCat said:
X2
Once you "learn a beach" look for differences each time you go out.
Click to expand...

I agree 100% with learning a beach. There's things I look for on any beach, but on the beaches I know really well I can really focus my searching down and make the most of my time
 
Regardless of all the great advice, here, it does take YEARS to understand the "beach" and all of it's peculiarities from tides and waves and shifting sand to cuts, troughs and direction of the wind. Differences between Winter and Summer conditions even in sunny Florida. The very first thing I do BEFORE even hitting the beach and surf is I look at videos of the beach, if available, weather report inc wind direction, tide state, surf forecast, temp, high vs low pressure systems, the list goes on. [I like hitting dry sand when it rains, cold or real windy - less people.]
It takes a lot of homework to be successful metal detecting the beach and surf. And even sometimes it is better to hunt the water when there are 2 footers then glassy conditions. I won't even mention proper equipment, like dive boots and always carry a knife (in case you get tangled in fishing line or net). But the most important part is to enjoy the moment. Happy Hunting

2022
Gold/Platinum - 17
Silver - 27
Coins - ≥1,300
 
LawrencetheMDer said:
Regardless of all the great advice, here, it does take YEARS to understand the "beach" and all of it's peculiarities from tides and waves and shifting sand to cuts, troughs and direction of the wind. Differences between Winter and Summer conditions even in sunny Florida. The very first thing I do BEFORE even hitting the beach and surf is I look at videos of the beach, if available, weather report inc wind direction, tide state, surf forecast, temp, high vs low pressure systems, the list goes on. [I like hitting dry sand when it rains, cold or real windy - less people.]
It takes a lot of homework to be successful metal detecting the beach and surf. And even sometimes it is better to hunt the water when there are 2 footers then glassy conditions. I won't even mention proper equipment, like dive boots and always carry a knife (in case you get tangled in fishing line or net). But the most important part is to enjoy the moment. Happy Hunting

2022
Gold/Platinum - 17
Silver - 27
Coins - ≥1,300
Click to expand...
Great write up. I will also add that beach "live" cams here can be deceptive. Most are high up , far away. Not parallel with the beach as say at the base of a pier , but not all. There have been times that appeared to be cuts at 3-5' but when I rushed down there it was not. And vice a versa. There are a few beaches that I have been waiting 10+ years to truly open up as when I've had insane hunts. Still waiting....
 
We all have our ways…. Some are just blind squirrels 😂. I run in AM and dug several holes doing a good zig zag pattern of an area that may produce. After a bit I look back and get an idea as to the target line…. I already know at that point if those were light or heavy targets. Knowing your beach and conditions is a huge part of it.
 
I've had my "best results", silver rings, hunting the seaweed line.

Probably not gold, as it's heavier. Wish I new the trick for that!
 
Go the next day after Easter’s Sun Rise church service. I’m not kidding :laughing:
 
CoryTDF said:
Ok, so, I have now hunted beaches in Oregon, California and Maui. I found a cool silver necklace and some coins here and there.

Oddly enough I had my best luck on the Oregon coast on the cold beaches. My San Diego hunt was a bust and I had similar luck in Maui. I came out with just a few coins and not much else. Heck, I hardly found any bottle caps.

Here is the method I have been using:

WATER
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
DRY SAND

So, here I am asking for help. What is the trick to beach hunting? What am I doing wrong. I even planed about 25 pennies on the private beach at our condo and after 3 days went out to look for them. I only came up with 1. There was a huge sand shift (like 4 ft of sand) which I'm sure was the reason for that though.

Beaches I hit include

CALI:
Mission Beach
La Jolla Shores

MAUI:
DT Flemming
Black Rock
Private beach at condo
Click to expand...

Someone probably dug up all of your planted pennies.
 
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