Metal Detecting

I’ve ‘hammered,’ a small beach over the past year, and it’s proven to be very productive. However, each time I go back there is less and less. Today I found very little, and reckon I should not return in the near future, as I strongly suspect if I went back next week that situation would be no different.

Once the winter storms hit, do beaches tend to be revitalised with regards to finds?

Possibly the same as a field that has been hammered, may produce after the plough, just the luck of the draw

I'm not a beach detectorist but pretty sure it depends on conditions, ie wind direction and its strength, here in Scarborough if we get a sustained Easterly wind It tends to strip the sand off. Very rarely it can reveal the hard pack clay, it did in certain areas around 3 years ago and you could pick the coins out. I don't think a beach is ever worked out, the forces of nature will always combine to reveal new treasures.

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I'm hoping for good conditions on the East coast too. I'm mainly an inland detectorist, but do have the right machines for beach work. It would be great to see some hardpack revealed. Providing you're wrapped up well and got the right tools, it's quite a good day out!

I am on the West coast. Don’t think I’ve ever seen the sand stripped back to hard pack clay, but I’ve only been detecting for 3 years.

I do however see lot’s of beaches ‘re-arranging themselves’ due to weather conditions, with various ‘troughs’ opening up, then disappearing.

The beach that I have ‘hammered’ however, does not appear to re-arrange itself much. It’s mainly wet sand that seems quite resistant to high winds.

Stubble trouble wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 8:55 pm I'm not a beach detectorist but pretty sure it depends on conditions, ie wind direction and its strength, here in Scarborough if we get a sustained Easterly wind It tends to strip the sand off. Very rarely it can reveal the hard pack clay, it did in certain areas around 3 years ago and you could pick the coins out. I don't think a beach is ever worked out, the forces of nature will always combine to reveal new treasures.

E

We were in Scarborough about 15 years ago when they had the machinery on the beach. The sand had got level with the prom so must have decided to shove it all back into the sea. They scraped it down to clay in places and we had quite a productive day with plenty of Vickies coming off including some nice silver. The copper pennies were destroyed though, just pitted to hell.

It really does depend. If there is lots of depth of sand or shingle the a good stirup is likely to reveal more goodies. Likewise cuts opening up in places where they haven't opened up before. Beaches with solid rock or clay a few inches down are more problematic as large areas can become virtually devoid of finds and storms may not do much good.

@Fred. The beach in question does not have solid rock or clay a few inches down, so I will just give it a break for now, and look for somewhere else.

What you need in your hands now is the new Pulse Fisher that might find a few deep goodies just now. Many beaches seem low on finds just now ,a really good stir up is needed.

beachboy70 wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:37 pm What you need in your hands now is the new Pulse Fisher that might find a few deep goodies just now. Many beaches seem low on finds just now ,a really good stir up is needed.

I've had one of my best ever years on beaches despite the abnormal amounts of other detectorists hitting them. I certainly know why but thread isn't the place to discuss that.

depending on what your hunting, small objects will move with the tide on the wet sand and there is always next year when beach goers will sow new targets for you to find, that's my experience.
last year I detected Scheveningen and the same moment there where approx. 12-15 guys working the beach and dug a ammo box and some empty rifle cartridges up that was probably lost during 200 years kingdom celebrations with marines doing landings as part of it in 2015

I've just put a post in the 'Finds Stories' section regarding my experience with beaches and in the sea.

I'm limited by law to just detecting on the beaches, so I envy you guys that have access to land!

Yes,yes and yes again.......you have to go back to that beach after a good storm.A really good storm can strip a lot of sand depth from a beach which will give you access to many old deep finds.The wave action of a really good storm also churns up good finds from the deep sand......searching beaches after a storm is a no brainer.I speak from sweet experience.