Inquring Minds want to Know!
Now...other than crowds, the biggest challenge are the talkers and inquirers....Don't get me wrong, we love to be social, we don't mind for the most part - but at times it can get excessive when approached by dozens of people asking the same questions....and some just want to chat on and on. We only have so much time to hunt, and it takes time to get down to the beach - and chit chat burns up a lot of time. We don't intend to be rude, but at the same time, we have to value our time.
Common questions:
"What's your best find?"
"Anything good today?"
"Do you ever find anything?"
"What are you looking for?" <-- This one bugs me.
"Is that a metal detector?"
"How much does that cost?"
"How long have you been doing this?"
As someone already mentioned.... #1 thing is avoid eye contact. Look busy and focused.
#2 If they establish contact, never answer their questions with anything remotely intriguing. Don't tell them you scored a ring last week...just opens a can of worms. Best to answer that you've found nothing. I sometimes say, just bottle caps and junk (which isn't a lie sometimes lol).
#3, Body language. If they establish contact...answer quick, be short and keep hunting while talking. This gives the non-verbal signal that you're not chatting. If you stop, or take off your headphones or whatever...you're doomed to get multiple questions!
#4, There's always the option to ignore. Whether that is blatant ignoring, or pretending to not hear them (headphones help with this) ...avoidance is sometimes the best option.