beach3

Beach Metal Detecting continued ***

Many ways have been devised to detect for these deep finds . Near the sea wall, both sides of the groyne's, and around the bottom of the pier support pillars, ether sieve the sand as you dig, or throw it well away from the digging area, and then run your detector over it later. On an open beach, dig a wide trench, detect the sand you dug out, and along the bottom of the trench you have Silver chain link braclet just dug. Then, dig another trench by the side of the first trench, filling the first trench as you dig. Detect the sand you put in the first trench, and the bottom of the new trench, and then keep repeating the operation. The best areas to dig trenches are where the black sand is already visible, or is known to exist. The trench method has been used to good effect on the Thames foreshore. Each of the methods is hard work, but they will all produce results.

Back to page 1

Other good places to detect on open beaches are along the high tide line (letting your sweep reach the centre of the tide line from each direction) and along the low tide line, especially opposite bathing huts. On a strange beach, make for any gullies or areas where the sand looks darker. Take a dig and, if the sand is black, it is a good area to detect. The best and most consistent finds are made by detectorists who know their beaches, so get to know yours.

Look for gullies where the sand has been washed away, then detect the bank of the gullynearest to the promenade first - this is where the sea will have pushed the finds into the loose wet sand as the tide came in. Always detect the bottom of a gully and its bank nearest the sea as well, you never know. A 20 meter area around a pier is a good place to detect as many losses are made from the pier. People throw coins off the pier and perhaps the odd ring. If you intend beach detecting on a specific beach, either for a one off trip or on a regular basis, it is a good idea to pop into the local library.