Beach detecting is the one branch of the hobby where losses keep arriving. Every summer rings slip off cold fingers and chains break in the surf, and the sand keeps moving them about. Unlike a field, a beach refreshes itself after every tide.
The metal detectors for the beach that we stock fall into three brackets. Beach metal detectors do not have to be expensive, but they do have to cope with salt.
Detecting inland as well? Our ground detectors and gold detectors cover field and river work.
On most public beaches, yes, but it depends who owns the foreshore. Much of it belongs to the Crown Estate, which permits recreational detecting on its beaches. Local councils, the National Trust and private owners set their own rules, so check before you go.
You need to know whose land it is. Crown Estate foreshore is generally open to recreational detecting. Council owned beaches often require permission or ban it in summer. Always check locally, and never assume.
Mostly modern coins, ring pulls and bottle tops. The prizes are gold and silver jewellery, which is lost on beaches far more than anywhere else. Occasionally older material appears after storms scour the sand.
One that handles salt properly and has a waterproof coil. A pulse induction machine like the C.Scope CS4Pi is the straightforward answer for wet sand. For dry sand and the towel line, almost any decent detector will do. If you want the single best beach metal detector we stock for wet salt sand, it is the CS4Pi.
A spring low tide, and the day after a storm. Low tide exposes ground that is normally underwater, and storms strip sand away to reveal older layers. Early morning after a busy weekend is also productive.
A waterproof coil is essential, since it will get wet whether you plan to or not. A fully submersible machine is only necessary if you intend to detect in the water itself.
Salt is corrosive and will eventually attack connectors and shafts. Rinse the coil and lower shaft in fresh water after every session and dry the machine properly. That one habit doubles the life of beach equipment.
Gold and silver items over 300 years old, and groups of coins, count as treasure and must be reported to the coroner. Modern jewellery does not, though making a reasonable effort to find the owner of a recent loss is the decent thing to do.
Work in straight, overlapping lines rather than wandering, and keep the coil flat and low to the sand. Drop the sensitivity a little on wet salt sand until the machine runs quietly, because a chattering detector hides real signals. Start at the towel line if the tide is in, and move down to the wet sand as it goes out.