Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.\
I recently referred to a Frank Hudson book and some of the areas where he said it would be good to look for variuos treasures along the Florida East Coast. I decided to do something similar for a five mile stretch of beach that has ten good spots for detecting. I detected that five-mile strectch a lot in the past because of the various types of good spots to detect. The area I am talking about is the five-mile east coast of Key Biscayne. I'll start at the south end and go north to the causeway.
Frank Hudson's book refers to a chest found at the southern tip of the island, but that area has eroded away and a concrete wall now stands there. That area is mostly used by fishermen now and I did not detect there, but just a short distance to the north, and just north of the jetty by the lighthouse was a very good shallow water area for finding modern jewelry. Good numbers of beach goers played in the shallow water close to the shore. The rest of the area was covered with seaweed, which, I believe, helped concentrate the people in that narrow strip. The quality of finds was above average. You could almost always pick up a piece of gold there and it didn't take all day to cover the most productive area. I don't know if you can still metal detect there though, since it is in Bill Baggs State Park. Another larger shallow water swimming area was around the bend and to the north of that. The amount of jewelry there was not as plentiful, and for some reason, on average not as good. Of course, things could have changed in the years since I was down there. Those two areas are shown on the map below by the colored lines I added.
 |
| Cape Florida State Park. |
At one time that end of the key was a pineapple plantation, and you could find relics in among the trees. And of course, there was the battle at the lighthouse, so musket balls and things like that could occasionally be found.
Leaving the state park and walking north, the area in front of the first two buildings produced little, but then there was an open lot that was fenced off and where the beach frequently washed out. When conditions were right, older coins could be found on the beach there and in front of the adjoining beach club. In those days, they tried to keep you off the beach in front of the beach club unless you were a club member. It was not one of the most productive beaches and shallow water areas anyhow.
A short distance north of that was a sand spit that extended out into the water a good ways and people used to moor their boats there. It was not a great spot, but could be worth checking, and where the bar connected to the beach, when it eroded, you could find some shipwreck relics.
Then on to the north of the sand spit was the Sonesta Beach Hotel. People would swim in a narrow strip in front of the hotel, and that was a good spot to detect for jewelry. The quantity of finds there was not high, but the quality of jewelry was very good, and you could almost always find something good. Again spot was even better because seaweed surrounded all but a small strip and people would pretty much stay in the unweeded area. The beach there was ok too, but since the shallow water was so good, I seldom bothered with the beach.
Continuing north, there was a shallow water area in front of one of the condos that was ok, but not as good as in front of the Sonesta. This was not one of the better spots, but could be worth checking when passing through.
Then to the north of that was Crandon Park, which at various times did not allow and then did allow metal detecting. The first time I went there, the lifeguard told me that I couldn't metal detect there, but they changed that not long after. It became a very popular metal detecting spot for a lot of South Florida detectorists. The quality wasn't the highest, but it could be worthwhile and was easy to access. Cape Florida and Bill Baggs were detected a lot, but some of the spots in between, not so much, since you had to walk a good distance away from public parking.
Down south I often liked detecting in front of parking lots that charged a lot. See if you can figure out why. There is more than one reason.
The most detected area of Crandon Park back then was a sand spit that extended out into the water where a lot of swimmers congregated on both sides, but the entire water area in front of the parking lots at Crandon was pretty good. That included far out into the water and away from sand bar where most beach-goers and detectorists congregated.
Moving north to just behond the last lifeguard stand in the park and where the unmowed area began was one of my favorite areas when it eroded. A lot of older U.S. coins and finds were made there. It looked to me like there was once an old road or parking lot that was washing away. It was a diffeent kind of packed material, and there were a couple posts from a gate or something nearby. I doubt are still there. Farther out in the water there also produced some good finds.
Continuing north, you would walk along a less populated area where there was natural vegetation. That was a nudist area. Finds there were still common but spread farther apart. For the most part, finds were fewer there than back by the main parking area and lifeguard stands.
After a good long walk, at the bend near the north end of the island, there was a coral rock outcropping that would occasionally be uncovered after storms. That area produced a lot of older silver when conditions were right. From the map, it appears that they made a path and walkway to near that location.
Then at the north end of the island close to the causeway next to Bear Cut, thee would often be erosion where you could find older U.S. coins. The coins found there were often very corroded. It seemed the sand was acid from deteriorating mangrove detritus. I was told that a fence was built so you can no longer get there without making a pretty long walk from the Crandon Park parking area.
Frank Hudson, by the way, also marks the northeast of the island as an area where silver coins would wash up after storms.
---
Another day of small surf on the Treasure Coast, and there is still not tropical activity on the NHC map.
Have a treasured day,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net