maxxkatt
Forum Supporter
Yes, if you can do what professional beach hunters do. There is no other form of metal detecting where the supply of good targets is getting replenished daily. The only other areas that I may include is serious civil war relic hunting. But those finds are getting fewer and fewer as time passes and not being replenished.
I have written two small booklets on hunting Florida beach hunting. One was on the 1715 Spanish fleet Treasure coast beach and the other was a more general book on where to hunt on the Florida beaches. Hunting the treasure coast beaches is a long, long shot. When writing the book I interviewed via email about a dozen professional beach hunters who earn between $10,000 to $20,000 per month metal detecting beaches.
Here are the characteristics of those beach hunters.
1. they have several very good PI machines. (always have a backup)
2. they know how to read beaches.
3. they hunt mostly in wet sand & surf unless they find a good cut.
4. they hunt on the average 6 hours a day.
5. they hunt in front of the most expensive hotels and condo.
6. they follow the beach seasons (eg the most visitors).
7. they never video tape themselves.
9. they travel to the Caribbean Islands in the height of wealthy tourist season.
10. not a single one is on the forums sharing pictures or advice.
11. they sell their expensive sunglasses finds to beach stores who sell them as new items often making $300 to $500 a week.
12. most of the money comes from rings with diamonds.
13. they don't offer free recovery services or any recovery services. a waste of time, and time is $$$ for them.
14. they know other pro's by first name.
15. they don't hunt shipwreck beaches for the Spanish treasures.
16. then know exactly where in the dry sand to hunt when they hunt dry sand which is not often.
17. they are not hobbyist, this is their full time job.
18. they always wear earphones
19. they don't talk to other beach goers - it wastes their hunting time.
20. they only talked to me on the condition, no photos, videos and I agreed not to identify them in any manner.
21. they hunt on a lot of private expensive beach property in other countries through an arrangement with the hotel/condo owners eg a % of their finds.
22. They determine quickly if a beach is producing or not, and if it is not producing, eg being sanded in, they go to another of their beaches.
23. they have a list of productive beach areas they hit on a regular basis.
24. their age range was between 30 - 50. no real young or real old guys, no women (based on the dozen or so I spoke to.
25. they are nomadic and don't say in expensive hotel, but the budget motels not on the beach front.
26. they know their diamonds worth and how to negotiate with their buyers.
27. less expensive rings are sold on ebay, those say above $6,000 are sold to other sources (which they would not even reveal to me).
My conclusion is that the average vacationing metal detectorists may get lucky, but never produce at this level for the obvious reasons. But you can make a good living at metal detecting but only being willing to do what the pros do as described above.
Do not give up your day job. If you are inclined to try this, save up your vacation time, do your beach research on finding the most expensive hotels and condos in FL or CA (all year beaches) and try to match those characteristics. Learn to read beaches. Do not take your family or girlfriend or dog. You would not take them to work, so don't take them on this 2-3 week trial.
When you get back if your finds amount to 1.5 times your salary then you may consider doing this full time. Remember the money is basically tax free.
John
I have written two small booklets on hunting Florida beach hunting. One was on the 1715 Spanish fleet Treasure coast beach and the other was a more general book on where to hunt on the Florida beaches. Hunting the treasure coast beaches is a long, long shot. When writing the book I interviewed via email about a dozen professional beach hunters who earn between $10,000 to $20,000 per month metal detecting beaches.
Here are the characteristics of those beach hunters.
1. they have several very good PI machines. (always have a backup)
2. they know how to read beaches.
3. they hunt mostly in wet sand & surf unless they find a good cut.
4. they hunt on the average 6 hours a day.
5. they hunt in front of the most expensive hotels and condo.
6. they follow the beach seasons (eg the most visitors).
7. they never video tape themselves.
9. they travel to the Caribbean Islands in the height of wealthy tourist season.
10. not a single one is on the forums sharing pictures or advice.
11. they sell their expensive sunglasses finds to beach stores who sell them as new items often making $300 to $500 a week.
12. most of the money comes from rings with diamonds.
13. they don't offer free recovery services or any recovery services. a waste of time, and time is $$$ for them.
14. they know other pro's by first name.
15. they don't hunt shipwreck beaches for the Spanish treasures.
16. then know exactly where in the dry sand to hunt when they hunt dry sand which is not often.
17. they are not hobbyist, this is their full time job.
18. they always wear earphones
19. they don't talk to other beach goers - it wastes their hunting time.
20. they only talked to me on the condition, no photos, videos and I agreed not to identify them in any manner.
21. they hunt on a lot of private expensive beach property in other countries through an arrangement with the hotel/condo owners eg a % of their finds.
22. They determine quickly if a beach is producing or not, and if it is not producing, eg being sanded in, they go to another of their beaches.
23. they have a list of productive beach areas they hit on a regular basis.
24. their age range was between 30 - 50. no real young or real old guys, no women (based on the dozen or so I spoke to.
25. they are nomadic and don't say in expensive hotel, but the budget motels not on the beach front.
26. they know their diamonds worth and how to negotiate with their buyers.
27. less expensive rings are sold on ebay, those say above $6,000 are sold to other sources (which they would not even reveal to me).
My conclusion is that the average vacationing metal detectorists may get lucky, but never produce at this level for the obvious reasons. But you can make a good living at metal detecting but only being willing to do what the pros do as described above.
Do not give up your day job. If you are inclined to try this, save up your vacation time, do your beach research on finding the most expensive hotels and condos in FL or CA (all year beaches) and try to match those characteristics. Learn to read beaches. Do not take your family or girlfriend or dog. You would not take them to work, so don't take them on this 2-3 week trial.
When you get back if your finds amount to 1.5 times your salary then you may consider doing this full time. Remember the money is basically tax free.
John
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At 2& a crack,I’d be a straight clad hunter! Best thing we can expect to find in the states on a regular basis is a quarter,so we dig 8 of those to your 1 coin for an even match. Kinda lopsided if you ask me! 
(see link below)
