Beach Detecting Tips

[allmetalmode]

Beach detecting (My way) by JoeL
I am not going to insult your intelligence by telling you how to detect I am going to give you my hints and tips on my successes beach detecting.
Assuming that you have a detector that is capable of detecting on wet sand I am confident that your finds rate will soar using these beach detecting tips
One would be very lucky to find anything other than a little modern loose change by arriving at the beach and walking up and down swinging your pride and joy (metal detector).
Knowing your beach would be a great advantage but of course we all have to start somewhere. As a rule of thumb for an above average day out detecting on the beach one should search the water’s edge at low tide and by any obstacle laying around on the beach at the time were heavier items like coins and jewellery will have lodged for you to find and it is also worthy to detect the fingers of water left behind of the tide after its withdrawing motion, again these are natural divots and indentations on the beach for heavy items to settle to be found by you.
Now then, in more depth to searching by natural or man-made obstacles and structures Heavy items in time will always lodge around boulders, rocks, sea walls and defences one must always search these productive finds areas if possible by moving the obstacle and searching under it as well as around it. Always look for nooks and crannies in see walls and such as items will have lodged here for you to find.
Groynes, these are man-made wooden or at times concrete structures that stretch out towards the sea put there to stop or slow down the longshore drift of sand, without these the sand from our shores would end up in a pile somewhere and resembling the dunes of the desert. Gradual clockwise movement of sand and shingle around the coastline has resulted in hundreds of these Groyens put around certain locations of our beaches and they are a very productive area for finds old and new. Make no mistake it is not unusual to find pre-Victorian gold coinage in these areas of the beach as for many years’ people have used these structures to lean up against to rest and sunbathe as they make a great wind break for us to shelter behind on those breezy days. It is not unusual for good finds to be at some depth on beaches, remember when you dropped that £1 coin in the sand, you miss picking up first time and it goes deeper as you go to pick it up again, so be prepared to dig and you will be rewarded for your efforts.
I mentioned earlier that knowing your beach will be an advantage so if you live near to the coast or are able to visit on a regular basis you must observe and make notes of changes on the beach like shifting sand and ground caused by wave action and storms these exposed areas are a must to detect for those older items that were lost hundreds of years ago. Even strong currents will expose dark sand or clay deposits holes and divots, search these areas and not the mounds of light shifted sand.
The time of year to detect your beaches is autumn to spring as this is when your beach is more active as regards massive changes after storms, high tides and wave action. Beach detecting in the height of summer will result in gross disappointment and the finding of small modern loose change that may just buy your fish and chip dinner.
Moving on to a very productive area for those older finds that we all love. Find a location on the beach away from the tourist spots, look for the natural coast line were the wave action of the autumn storms and high spring tides have washed away the loose soil of this natural coast line adjacent and directly by fields, go to these areas as often as possible note the changes and look for new erosion by observing the area for pottery fragments and occupational bits and pieces exposed, searching at this time will reap rewards.
Please return to this site for my next piece on… How to further improve your chances of finding old gold lost on the beaches.
Good luck and safe searching
JoeL

[oliver]

Thank's some very good info for the beach i have been searching beaches for years and made some nice finds as you say learn your beach and it will give up it's secrets and goodies in time.

[Tomo]

good write up. Alot of good info there for people trying a spot of beach hunting

[smooow]

thanks for this heading to skeggy for a week with the family and was wondering were to start on the beach

[allmetalmode]

Thanks guys.
Just posted another for you beach bumms B-) Be safe though. Those tides can turn and be awair of the times of high and low tide so not to be trapped by water anywhere. google tide time tables for the beach your tecting.

[Passman]

Thanks for sharing these tips. As a new recruit to the black art of beach detecting I'm grateful for any help. I will certainly look at beaches in a very different way as I'm guilty of swinging the metal detector just as you describe!