CORANADO PANAMA

[metaldectordave]

Hello. I am new to detecting. I will be in Coranado Panama next week. Does anyone know if I need permits to detect along the beach. Thank you in advance

Dave

 

[Mach]

I don't have any info about that. But I have been to Panama 5 times. I just saw this thread is from Dec so hopefully you are back by now. Hopefully you didn't get jammed up by breaking any of the weird laws that can land you in jail, like not looking a cop in the eyes when he talks to you and stupid stuff like that. You do not want to get arrested. You have no rights in jail, they give you a bucket since there are no bathrooms and they don't give you eater or food. Friends or family are expected to bring you water and food while you are in jail, at least in Panama City.

Hope you made it back in one piece.

 

[metaldectordave]

I don't have any info about that. But I have been to Panama 5 times. I just saw this thread is from Dec so hopefully you are back by now. Hopefully you didn't get jammed up by breaking any of the weird laws that can land you in jail, like not looking a cop in the eyes when he talks to you and stupid stuff like that. You do not want to get arrested. You have no rights in jail, they give you a bucket since there are no bathrooms and they don't give you eater or food. Friends or family are expected to bring you water and food while you are in jail, at least in Panama City.

Hope you made it back in one piece.

Hey There, yes I made it back just fine.. lol.. I found out soon enough that the black sand is not ideal for metal detecting. According to my detector, and an cheap one at that., the entire beach was buried with gold and silver.. Someone earlier on had mentioned that it would be a problem and it was. No one stopped me while I was trying but I did give up pretty quickly after I realized the black sand is no friend to metal detectors.

 

[AlbyM]

I don't have any info about that. But I have been to Panama 5 times. I just saw this thread is from Dec so hopefully you are back by now. Hopefully you didn't get jammed up by breaking any of the weird laws that can land you in jail, like not looking a cop in the eyes when he talks to you and stupid stuff like that. You do not want to get arrested. You have no rights in jail, they give you a bucket since there are no bathrooms and they don't give you eater or food. Friends or family are expected to bring you water and food while you are in jail, at least in Panama City.

Hope you made it back in one piece.

I'd like to know what "weird law" you are referring to in regards to "not looking at a cop in the eyes when he talks to you" in Panama. I lived in Panama City, Panama for 4 years and never heard of such nonsense so I am very skeptical of your claim.

And for those of you wondering if you need a permit to metal detect on the beaches in Panama, you do not.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'd like to know what "weird law" you are referring to in regards to "not looking at a cop in the eyes when he talks to you" in Panama. I lived in Panama City, Panama for 4 years and never heard of such nonsense so I am very skeptical of your claim.

And for those of you wondering if you need a permit to metal detect on the beaches in Panama, you do not.

Yeah, it seems that there's these fears of "nights in a jail cell with bubba" everywhere. And that supposedly "everywhere else in the world they hate md'rs and will rush to arrest you".


It's probably starts like this : If you were to ask a purist archie , in the USA : " Can I metal detect ?", then go figure that OF COURSE they're going to screech and bristle & spin a dire story of "NNnnneeeooo". And start blabbing about ARPA and indian bones and jail and so forth. RIGHT ? Yet we all know that, as long as you're not tromping on obvious historic sensitive monuments here, that : None of that applies. And that ; No one (except purist archies) cared. Right ?


So too is it with the dire sounding "No's" that we see repeated about oddball Caribbean, south American, and European countries : Someone, no doubt, way-back-when, went asking "Can I ?" questions . To border bureaucrats or lawyers there. Who, in turn, pass that "pressing question" up the chain to some bored archie. Who, in turn, has images of geeks raiding the pyramids, or shipwreck salvor stuff, or exporting gold bars back out of the country, or harming sea turtles, etc....


Thus the easy answer of "no" is passed back down the chain. Which, in turn, makes it's way onto compendium listings, and forum posts like the input from Mach. And then: Links lead to links. And before long .... YOU CAN NEVER PUT IT TO REST ! When the truth be told, the entire time, detectors there were a common site on the beaches. And the local md'rs are left scratching their heads saying "since when ?" and "says who ?" A giant case of "no one cared UNTIL you asked" is going on, in 99% of these answers we get about other countries.


But the minute some skittish person mentions "jails", no one else will dare question it. Or they'll simply (yup, you guessed it) start asking "can I " questions of bored archies, in order to "clarify it" and "get to the bottom of it". Can anyone see the self-fulfilling vicious loop going on ? Sssheesshh, we md'rs can be our own worst enemy

 

[Mach]

I'd like to know what "weird law" you are referring to in regards to "not looking at a cop in the eyes when he talks to you" in Panama. I lived in Panama City, Panama for 4 years and never heard of such nonsense so I am very skeptical of your claim.

And for those of you wondering if you need a permit to metal detect on the beaches in Panama, you do not.

Sometimes I forget it was a long time ago and a lot probably / certainly changed by now. I had assumed that law was part of the standing culture but now that I think about it it could have just been a long temporary law due to the chaos after the war. It was like that for at least 5 years though.

I served in Panama for several weeks at a time each year 5 years in a row starting immediately after the invasion of Panama from 1991 through 1996. We were briefed that it was an arrest-able offense to not look a police officer in the eyes when he was talking to you if you were stopped and questioned by a police officer. We were also briefed they didn't feed you or give you water in jail in Panama City. Friends / family were expected to do that. It was a time that the country was in chaos. The consequences of battle were still fresh and very evident. Garbage was piled along all the streets on the sidewalks and sides of the street as there was no garbage collection. The PDF had used garbage trucks as personnel carriers and the garbage trucks were all destroyed. There was a high end casino called the El Panama which was pristine and opulent. Directly across the street were bombed out buildings and people lived in abject poverty, living in bombed out building with kids walking around with no clothes. I hope I never see people in that type of poverty and situation again.

My apologies. It was dumb of me to assume it was still like that. My daughter is in Guatemala for a month right now to learn Spanish and I even told her about that law as an example of knowing the culture and laws of places you go to to stay out of trouble. I guess telling her that was dumb too.

 

[AlbyM]

I'd like to know what "weird law" you are referring to in regards to "not looking at a cop in the eyes when he talks to you" in Panama.

I lived in Panama City, Panama for 4 years and never heard of such nonsense.

Sometimes I forget it was a long time ago and a lot probably / certainly changed by now. I had assumed that law was part of the standing culture but now that I think about it it could have just been a long temporary law due to the chaos after the war. It was like that for at least 5 years though.

I served in Panama for several weeks at a time each year 5 years in a row starting immediately after the invasion of Panama from 1991 through 1996. We were briefed that it was an arrest-able offense to not look a police officer in the eyes when he was talking to you if you were stopped and questioned by a police officer. We were also briefed they didn't feed you or give you water in jail in Panama City. Friends / family were expected to do that. It was a time that the country was in chaos. The consequences of battle were still fresh and very evident. Garbage was piled along all the streets on the sidewalks and sides of the street as there was no garbage collection. The PDF had used garbage trucks as personnel carriers and the garbage trucks were all destroyed. There was a high end casino called the El Panama which was pristine and opulent. Directly across the street were bombed out buildings and people lived in abject poverty, living in bombed out building with kids walking around with no clothes. I hope I never see people in that type of poverty and situation again.

My apologies. It was dumb of me to assume it was still like that. My daughter is in Guatemala for a month right now to learn Spanish and I even told her about that law as an example of knowing the culture and laws of places you go to to stay out of trouble. I guess telling her that was dumb too.

Thank you for the clarification and I want to thank you sincerely for your service! I lived in Panama from 2008 to 2012 and things had (thankfully for the Panamanian people) changed a lot. Panama City now has skyscrapers that rival Miami and from the sky many say it resembles Miami. I loved hearing your memories of Panama after the invasion and have come across many veterans who served in Panama and had the opportunity to metal detect when the American Canal Zone was still a thing. I still get there about once a year to go hit my favorite spots. You should go back for a visit- you would be amazed at the changes.

 

[Mach]

Thank you for the clarification and I want to thank you sincerely for your service! I lived in Panama from 2008 to 2012 and things had (thankfully for the Panamanian people) changed a lot. Panama City now has skyscrapers that rival Miami and from the sky many say it resembles Miami. I loved hearing your memories of Panama after the invasion and have come across many veterans who served in Panama and had the opportunity to metal detect when the American Canal Zone was still a thing. I still get there about once a year to go hit my favorite spots. You should go back for a visit- you would be amazed at the changes.

I just looked at google maps street view. Wow!
it certainly has modernized. It would be fun to go back.

The Balboa golf course is still there along with the old Navy Officers club and pool. Some things never change.

Looks like a whole lot of potential metal detecting on what used to be Howard AFB, Balboa Naval, and Amador / Fort Clayton Army base. Lots of fields where housing barracks and stores used to be.

Sadly the bar on the Amador side under the Bridge of Americas I used to drink at is long gone.

 

[AlbyM]

Yes, the old military bases would be ripe for detection, however, the really good stuff (Spanish colonial and gold rush '49er gold, silver, and relics) are more inland. If you ever plan a trip to Panama, let me know and maybe I can meet you there and take you around to a few spots.

 

[Mach]

Yes, the old military bases would be ripe for detection, however, the really good stuff (Spanish colonial and gold rush '49er gold, silver, and relics) are more inland. If you ever plan a trip to Panama, let me know and maybe I can meet you there and take you around to a few spots.

That would be awesome. I will keep that in mind, but these days I hate to travel. I used to travel for work, but a metal detecting vacation... I had not thought of that ...hummmm.

 

[Beachhunt1]

Someone earlier on had mentioned that it would be a problem, and it was.

That would have been me.

 

[Jet Peddler]

I'd like to know what "weird law" you are referring to in regards to "not looking at a cop in the eyes when he talks to you" in Panama. I lived in Panama City, Panama for 4 years and never heard of such nonsense so I am very skeptical of your claim.

And for those of you wondering if you need a permit to metal detect on the beaches in Panama, you do not.

I lived in Panama seven years and agree, it’s nonsense.