Treasure Hunting: Metal Detecting In Shallow Water
November 10th 2006 14:58
Shallow Water Metal Detecting
Shallow water metal detecting is usually some of the most productive metal detecting that can be had, at least in this day and age. Shallow water for wading with a metal detector means less than 4 feet deep, and shallow water for diving with a metal detector would be 20 feet deep or less. Whereas most land sites have been hit hard over and over, for decades, many water sites are still untouched territory, and it is a lot harder for a hunter, or group of hunters, to totally clean out a spot in the water. If you are near water sites where the tide has an effect, then this goes double, because tides are always changing the situation at a water site. Remember too that in the water, the targets will always sink much faster than on land, meaning they will tend to find the rock bottom, or layer of rock, which generally underlies most mud or sand beaches. Any heavy erosion usually creates a bonanza for the savvy metal detectorist at a decent water or tidal water site. The best book in the world on shallow water metal detecting is by Wallace Chandler, and it is called Advanced Shallow Water Treasure Hunting (With the Fisher 1280-X Aquanaut Metal Detector).
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The Importance of Using A Discriminator While Metal Detecting In The Water
I have met many people in my nearly lifelong career of metal detecting, who, because they had some money stashed away, thought they could gain an edge on other treasure hunters by buying the most powerful metal detector that money could buy. Sometimes that mindset works, but not usually, because there is also a God-awful bunch of trash in the earth, alongwith any treasures. There are literally years and years worth of bottle caps, nuts and bolts, fencewire, etc., and a more powerful metal detector also senses this trash a lot better.
And to top it off, the most powerful detectors are not discriminators, they are whats called -- ALL METAL -- detectors, which of course means they cannot tell the difference between iron and not, between ferrous, and non-ferrous. Because most of the trash in the earth happens to be iron (ferrous) by virtue of its availablity, then you can see that in many places, to a very powerful non-discriminating metal detector, there is a literal iron shield or blanket which covers everything below it, thereby nulling and voiding any advantage one might hope to achieve by buying a super powerful detector. In fact, simple proximity of a good target to a piece of iron will many times MASK that good target, even to a discriminating metal detector, which of course is exacerbated if the detector is super powerful, and can not discriminate iron.
Usually these type of deepseeker detectors are used in specialized situations. Like when hunting for a stash/cache, like a buried mason jar at a post hole bank, or in a cave. Many times stashes such as these can be found with just a regular metal detector though, and it is only when one is looking for real deep targets, say over 48", where a truly deep seeking metal detector is even necessary.
When treasure hunting in the water this is all multiplied. In the water there is a lot of trash, and a lot of iron, and it is especially necessary for the novice or the experienced metal detectorist to obtain the very best and simplest DISCRIMINATING metal detector available. I have met many people who spent 3500 dollars on underwater pulse units, and wish they had not. My 500 dollar submersible discriminator has found over 300 gold rings! Some of the guys I know who bought the pulse machines for power have still not found 30 gold rings!
In the water it is a necessity to have a good discriminator, and a detector with a field whose size is usable, versus one that can pick up too much trash.
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Silicone Grease and Underwater Metal Detectors
Please understand this tip may void some warranties, and should only be practiced by the professional who is in total understanding of their equipment and its environment.
In spite of its foul odor, Silicone Grease is the best waterproofing aid for underwater metal detectors that there is. I had leakage problems with my first underwater machines, down in Florida, just wading, even though I changed my o-ring regularly, about every third battery change. Kevin OReilly at OReillys Treasured Gold in Pompano told me about this, and it has been a staple in my toolbox ever since.
Silicone grease is tenacious. It stays where its put, and does not melt too easily, if at all. I learned to totally clean the O-Ring seat on both sides of the detector, then spread Silicon Grease on those surfaces liberally, then ALSO lather it on the new O-Ring itself, so that when the two halves of the detector case go back together, silicone grease squishes out everywhere. Yuck.
What a mess.
Then the excess is wiped off and believe me, you have a much better waterproofing this way, than in any other way for the money. I have gone to 30 feet like this no problem, and regularly. Make sure all sand is removed during cleanup prior to any new O-ring, and repeat this silicone grease treatment at every battery change.
This makes cleanup especially onerous when changing batteries, and is also kind of a pita as far as handling out of the water (Don't get it on ya'), but makes up for it in water tightness.
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