Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Fort Pierce South Jetty Thursday. |
The past few days I showed some of the wreck beaches and mentioned the lack of cuts, but I also mentioned several times that there would be erosion around rocks, jetties, and other obstacles that interrupt the flow of sand. Those types of places will erode even while most beaches are building.
Thursday after visiting a couple of well-known wreck beaches where there were almost no targets, I decided to go someplace where I could find a lot of targets to dig. I just felt like digging some targets with the time I had available outdoors, so I went where I figured it would be eroding even though the chances of finding something old or valuable would be low. I did find some coins and a couple pieces of jewelry, but as expected, nothing great. Nonetheless I enjoyed myself. It was easy and convenient. That wouldn't be so good if I was trying to make a living by detecting, but since I do detect for the fun of it, it was fine. Easy and convenient isn't the best way to make the best finds, but if you have other things going on in your life, sometimes you just go out to enjoy yourself.
As you can see above Fort Pierce South Jetty beach did erode. There was a good five or six foot cut, and it did produce a lot of coins and a couple other things. As I always say, "There is always some place to hunt and something to find." When conditions are poor for finding some things, they will be good for finding other types of things.
Sometimes your first choice or choices doesn't work out and you have to adapt to the current conditions. You should be familiar with a variety of beaches and other treasure hunting sites and be able to adapt on the fly. Again, you can always find something. It might be treasure coins, modern coins and jewelry, bottles or fossils, but there is always something that you can find.
I like to have a lot of options and keep a mental catalog of a large variety of possible hunting sites. A few days ago I mentioned a number of inland swimming holes that I hunted. I could hunt those when the water was too rough to hunt in the ocean. They provided another alternative. And some of them were very good.
I rank sites according to the type, quantity and quality of targets as well as a number of other factors. Of course conditions are always changing and a site that produces a lot for a while may stop while another site that has never produced much in the past might start producing. Even when most beaches are building, if you have high water, some other places will erode.
The beach renourishment projects have ruined some of the beaches. John Brooks hasn't been producing much in recent years - not nearly like it did a few decades ago. It was my first choice for a lot of years, now it isn't. It has slipped down my list a few places.
They've dumped so much sand on South Hutchinson Island that those beaches are way out into the ocean beyond what they were a few decades ago. A lot of that sand has been dumped at South Jetty, but it works its way south with the long shore currents.
I think they'll be doing South Jetty again soon. The sand doesn't stay there long.
Like the dunes up in the Vero area, even when Fort Pierce South Jetty eroded, there was still a lot of renourishment sand remaining. That is why the finds were recent losses. I did find some older layers under the renourishment sand, but that is not where the coins and jewelry came from.
Speaking of other sites, there are some places along the Indian River that recently eroded, and I can't wait to search there when we get some good low tides again.
If you keep a good long list of possible hunting sites, you will always be able to find something. You want to have a lot of good options like that. Besides considering the type, quality and quantity of of those sites, consider things like travel time and other expenses.
Some beaches need to be searched as soon as they erode. Others can wait. Some will erode first, and then fill up quickly, but others will tend to open up as the others fill in again.
If you like a variety of types of treasures and develop a good list of sites, you'll always be able to find some decent hunting. I doesn't have to be your first choice, or even your second, third or fourth. Still, you'll be able to find something and you might just get a big surprise. It is always good to expand your horizons.
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Joe D. ranged farther than I did this week and sent the following report.
I have been to many of the beaches from Lake Worth to Wabasso in the last three days! All of them looked almost identical! And finds were sparse to nonexistent, at them all! But i will say that a good amount of the renourishment beaches with the sand cliffs have been knocked down and and drawn out to sea! I know that some will make it's way back to the beaches, but at least a lot has been moved away in a short period! Now we just need some sorting and settling, and some fall and winter storms to keep it off the beaches! May turn out to be a good winter season! One can only hope!👍👍Joe D.
Thanks Joe.
You probably know this, but the videos I post can be made to display full screen by just clicking on the little white box on right bottom of the video.
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A construction crew doing a home improvement project found something recently that has piqued the interest of archeologists in Burlington.
They're human remains, bones that researchers say that have been around for a while. In fact, they say they're the remains of a soldier from the War of 1812 and there could be others buried nearby. The project is ongoing and is being overseen by the University of Vermont's Consulting Anthropology Program, with support from the State Division for Historic Preservation...
https://www.vpr.org/post/what-archaeologists-know-about-human-remains-discovered-burlington#stream/0
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When considering various sites, here is post giving a list of things to consider.
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/01/11119-report-few-important-facts-about.htm
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There is now no tropical activity right now.
The surf predictions for the Treasure Coast are showing one to two foot surf for the next week or longer. That will give you a chance to get out a little farther than you could most of this week.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net