As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer I get posted around the world and occasionally at some really nice areas for metal detecting. I had been living in Singapore for almost 18 months before I even thought of metal detecting there. There are no metal detectors sold in Singapore, and you never see anyone with them. Punishment breaking any laws in Singapore can be severe, and since there is no public property suitable for detecting I figured it was not wise to test it.
That is.. until I thought of the beaches. I had never searched beaches before, and so it never crossed my mind. But in January 2011, I decided to ask if I could use a metal detector in Singapore. All of my local Singaporean colleagues told me no. They all said it must be illegal. But nobody was 100% sure - so I asked the police. They didn't know either! They told me to check with Customs. Customs told me they had no problem, but to check with Licensing. Licensing told me there is no such thing as a license or permit for metal detectors, and to check with the Police! Finally, after nagging, I got a local Police commander to go on the record and state that there are no laws against it, however to be aware of the laws against vandalism and disturbing the peace.
So I took my White’s V3i to the beach and within 5 minutes found my first silver ring! Over the course of my last 6 months in Singapore I was able to get to the beach an average of twice a week, for 4 hours at a shot.
I quickly learned that it is better to do this at sunset, or just at sunrise, as during the day it was just too hot and humid. But at night, with the beaches completely deserted, I had a field day!
One thing to note: Due to cultural attitudes, no one in Singapore uses a detector, or would search the beach for treasure. To them, this is as embarrassing to their family as many people may find dumpster diving. But Singaporeans are not poor, and the large numbers of wealthy Asian tourists who visit Singapore wear a lot of fine 22kt gold jewelry! This place is a gold mine, and virtually no one digging it!
Here is what an average 4-hour search at Sentosa Beach, in Singapore looks like:
A closeup of that evening's best finds:
There are more coins in the wet sand in Singapore than trash. I found 1 pull-tab or bottle-cap to every 20-30 coins. It's just crazy!
By the time I was about to depart Singapore I had found $1,200 (US) in Singaporean coins. And over $12,000 in jewelry.
If you ever get a chance to visit Singapore, be sure you bring your detector and a sand scoop (there are none in Singapore). The best place to search is the Sentoa Resort's Siloso Beach. I walked the same line on the wet sand, and never once ventured into the dry sand. There must be a ton of gold there!
That is.. until I thought of the beaches. I had never searched beaches before, and so it never crossed my mind. But in January 2011, I decided to ask if I could use a metal detector in Singapore. All of my local Singaporean colleagues told me no. They all said it must be illegal. But nobody was 100% sure - so I asked the police. They didn't know either! They told me to check with Customs. Customs told me they had no problem, but to check with Licensing. Licensing told me there is no such thing as a license or permit for metal detectors, and to check with the Police! Finally, after nagging, I got a local Police commander to go on the record and state that there are no laws against it, however to be aware of the laws against vandalism and disturbing the peace.
So I took my White’s V3i to the beach and within 5 minutes found my first silver ring! Over the course of my last 6 months in Singapore I was able to get to the beach an average of twice a week, for 4 hours at a shot.
I quickly learned that it is better to do this at sunset, or just at sunrise, as during the day it was just too hot and humid. But at night, with the beaches completely deserted, I had a field day!
One thing to note: Due to cultural attitudes, no one in Singapore uses a detector, or would search the beach for treasure. To them, this is as embarrassing to their family as many people may find dumpster diving. But Singaporeans are not poor, and the large numbers of wealthy Asian tourists who visit Singapore wear a lot of fine 22kt gold jewelry! This place is a gold mine, and virtually no one digging it!
Here is what an average 4-hour search at Sentosa Beach, in Singapore looks like:
A closeup of that evening's best finds:
There are more coins in the wet sand in Singapore than trash. I found 1 pull-tab or bottle-cap to every 20-30 coins. It's just crazy!
By the time I was about to depart Singapore I had found $1,200 (US) in Singaporean coins. And over $12,000 in jewelry.
If you ever get a chance to visit Singapore, be sure you bring your detector and a sand scoop (there are none in Singapore). The best place to search is the Sentoa Resort's Siloso Beach. I walked the same line on the wet sand, and never once ventured into the dry sand. There must be a ton of gold there!