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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

3/3/2026 Report - Heart Shaped Cobs: Best Research. Gold Shipments Stalled. Tips for Beach Selection. Some Erosion.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.


A Little of the 22Kt. Gold for Sale in the Gold Souk of Dubai.



Gold shipments through Dubai are set to stall for several days after airlines suspended flights amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s response, according to three industry sources and Reuters.

Because gold is typically transported by air for security and insurance reasons, the cancellations are expected to sharply limit physical flows.

Reuters writes that Dubai is a key supplier to Switzerland, Hong Kong and India. Sources said the broader impact on global supply will depend on how long the disruption lasts. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

Gold futures jumped 3% on Monday morning prior to the cash open in New York. The record high stands at $5,594.82, set on January 29.

Here is the link for more about that.


That is some real bling.

I've posted before a little about the cultural aspects of gold, which for the detectorist hunting gold jewelry, is very useful information.

Here is how I summarized that.

Fact 1. Some cultures and groups wear more gold than others. That is obvious, but take advantage of that knowledge and hunt beaches where the people who wear more gold gather.

Fact 2. Wealthier and flashier people tend to wear better jewelry than poorer and less ostentatious people. That is not always true because some wealthy people do not wear much good gold while there are some poorer groups that do wear good gold. If you watch a TV show about India for example, you will see some very poor people wearing a lot of high-karat gold.

Given the choice between hunting a beach with a lot of low-quality jewelry versus one with higher quality jewelry, I would often take the beach with the higher quality stuff even if the finds are less frequent. Some beaches have a lot of gold but some of those beaches will have predominantly lower-quality 10K or plated gold or silver rather than 14K or 18k gold, for example. And some cultures still use 20K gold.

Fact 3. Tourists tend to lose more gold than locals. First, tourists often do not want to leave their valuables in the car or hotel and so unlike locals are more likely to wear their good stuff to the beach. Second, tourists often are not aware of how easily gold can be lost in the sand or water.

Fact 4. Young active people usually lose more jewelry than more mature people. It is often the diving, hand-stands, cart-wheels and other youthful carelessness that leads to many of the loses.

Summary Conclusion. Not taking beach or water conditions or other factors into account, you will find more gold where young active wealthy careless people, tourists and people from gold wearing cultures gather, style and frolic. South Florida has beaches where all of those factors come together to create some great hunting.

And here is that link.


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Here is a brief excerpt.

... Many theories have been proposed to explain the origin of these coins. Most experts agree that these heart-shaped Bolivian cobs had a primarily religious purpose. Some specialists argue that the coins were given their curious design after the “Sacred Heart of Jesus,” a religious devotion that spread from France into Spain towards the end of the 17th century, and from there to the New World. The heart alluded to Jesus’ divine love for humanity...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.


That article provides numerous pictures of beautiful heart shaped cobs.


Ten years ago I posted in the TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com what I consider to be some of the best and most detailed research on the subject conducted by researcher and author, Laura Strolia.  Here is a little of what she said.

In regards to the later produced heart cobs (1690-1750), I believe there is an angle to this mystery that has been overlooked.
Timothy Terrance O’Donnell wrote in his book, Heart of the Redeemer, pp. 147-148, “Between 1690 and 1740 (the nadir of the “new” devotion) Rome showed her warm approval by granting briefs which established over 700 Sacred Heart confraternities. The Jesuits, inspired by Fr. Galliffet’s zeal and passionate love for the Heart of Jesus, took the lead in promoting these confraternities.”
The Jesuits happened to be all over the world and the Spanish King was a consistent supporter of religious confraternities.  It was customary for members to wear special accessories, such as a certain badge or belt. Wearing a heart cob would have been a way to show which confraternity one belonged to, and at the same time, he would have been promoting this symbol of devotion.
Here is the link for the rest of that post.


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You can find some erosion today, as shown in the clip below.

Tuesday Morning Clip from the Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Web Cam
(South Beach Zoom View).


The surf chart isn't exciting, but as shown above, there is some erosion out there.



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Coincidence or Plan?

Purim 2026 began at sundown on Monday, March 2, 2026 and concludes at nightfall on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.   

Time to read the book of Esther.  

The Book of Esther tells a story of the deliverance of the Jewish people. We are shown a Persian emperor, Ahasuerus (loosely based on Xerxes, 485–464 B.C.), who makes momentous decisions for trivial reasons, and his wicked minister, Haman, who takes advantage of the king’s compliance to pursue a personal vendetta against the Jews by having a royal decree issued ordering their destruction. The threat is averted by two Jews, Esther and Mordecai. Their influence and intervention allow the Jews to turn the tables on their enemies and rout their attackers. This deliverance is commemorated by the inauguration of the Jewish festival of Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (mid-February through mid-March).

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Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

Monday, March 2, 2026

3/2/26 Report - Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight. Strikethrough Error Coins: How To Find Them in Your Coin Finds.

 

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.


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I recommend checking you coin finds, even the modern clad.  They can be worth a lot if there are good mint errors.   

One type of error to look for are strikethroughs.  I've found a few of those in my own coins.  They are the best or the most valuable, but I find them interesting.

Here is an excerpt from a great web site on strike-though errors.  The site explains strike-through errors.  And it also tells very clearly what you need to know in order to evaluate any errors you find and if they are significant enough to have graded.  Overall, its a great web site about strikethrough error coins.

Here is a brief excerpt.


Strike through errors occur when foreign material gets caught between the coin die and planchet during striking, creating unique and often valuable mint errors. However, not every strike through error justifies the $30-150+ cost of professional grading. Understanding which strike through errors command collector premiums and which ones are too minor to grade profitably separates smart error coin collectors from those wasting grading fees on common manufacturing defects.

Before submitting any error coin for professional certification, using AI pre-assessment helps verify the coin's base grade and condition, ensuring the strike through error is dramatic enough to justify grading costs and deliver positive return on investment.

What Are Strike Through Errors?

Strike through errors happen when the coin die strikes through an object positioned between the die and planchet. This foreign material prevents the die's design from fully transferring to the coin, leaving distinctive marks, depressions, or missing design elements....

And here is the link if you want to learn more.

Strike Through Errors on Coins: Should You Submit for Grading? 2025 Guide | CoinGrader AI


Here is probably the best strike-through error I've found.


This is not post-mint damage.  With careful examination under magnification you can tell the difference.

Here is another that will help me explain.

This one is not so obvious, and to the naked eye it looks like a scratch on the coin.


It is not a die crack either.  

If it was a post mint scratch, you would see metal flow and a rim along the edge of the indentation.  The indentation was pressed into the coin because something, maybe a wire, was on the planchet when the die hit it.

I enjoy looking for error coins although it is tedious and it might take a good while to finally find one.  If you read the coin community forum, you'll see that people often think they have a mint error when they actually have a coin with post-mint damage. I'm not very good at it, but you can submit your pictures to the coin community forum and get the verdict from the experts.  That is how I've learned what I know about it.

Collecting for error and variety coins will open up a whole new dimension to your metal detecting and coin shooting.  It takes time to learn to identify true error coins.  It isn't easy and takes a while.  Give it a try.

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Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

Nothing exciting in the chart.

We are getting some nice negative low tides in the afternoon.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

Sunday, March 1, 2026

3/1/26 Report - Emergency Sand Washing Out and Reader Comments. Target ID. Discrimination and Signal Finds.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.


Fort Pierce South Jetty Emergency Renourishment Project Sand
Photos by Joe D.


Joe D. sent me these photos and the following email.

Here's a couple pics i got a few days ago of the recent sand dump! Pretty much disappearing as fast as they drop it in there!

   I think it pretty telling that this inlet (design?) or it's general orientation looses so much more sand on it's south side than almost every other inlet on Florida's East coast! Maybe they should solve that problem first!
    Also went by Walton Rocks for a quick detect, and found it had filled in quite a bit from last week! I didn't stay long, but went to a few other spots for a few bucks of clad and a stainless steel?? ring that rang up a solid 9 on the Manticore!
Joe D.🍀👍👍


Thanks for the pictures and report Joe.

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I recently showed a steel cent that I cleaned.  I was wondering how it would show on the Manticore ID map.  You'd expect it to show up as iron, and, of course, it did, but while I was doing the test I decided to test a few more targets.  Here are the targets I tested this morning.


Top Row Left to Right: Memorial cent, steel cent, mounted wheat cent.
Second Row: 1/20 12KT Cross and Small Cluster of Keys.

I've always recommended digging everything.  There are however, as I've said in the past, times when discrimination is justified.  Some people discriminate more than others.  There are many factors to be considered, but some of it is a matter of individual differences.  Some people hate digging junk and others hate missing any good target.  There are trade-offs.  There are two kinds of risk.  One is digging junk and the other is not digging good targets.  Again, there are tradeoffs and a variety of factors to consider.

The Manticore ID map is a definite advance in target ID.  Target ID is still a difficult matter.  A number of factors can affect the readouts and displays, and a variety of targets can look very much the same on the screens.  Target ID is still not the same as putting your hands and eyes on a dug target, which, by the way, can still at times leave you with uncertainty about what the target is.  

All the complications aside, I decided to test the above targets today.  Below is what I found.

First the memorial cent that I included primarily as a comparison for the steel cent.  


 Manticore Readout for Memorial Cent.

Nothing surprising very surprising about that.  Disc shape object on the center line fairly high on the conductivity scale.

Now the 1943 steel cent.

Manticore Readout for Steel Cent.

Besides the low conductivity number, notice the image on the top line produced by the steel cent.   It is very different from the copper cent, as you would expect. 

Would you pass it up as a piece of junk?  Would you want to pass it up if you knew what it is?  There are iron targets that I'd like to dig.  An iron spike, for example, might be nice to have, but it can also tell you something important, like possibly the presence of other shipwreck items.  

I've talked about what I call "signal finds" in the past.  Those are finds that can provide important information.  Here is a link for more about signal finds.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 5/24/11 Report - Atlantic Storm, OMEX, Modern Jewelry & Signal Finds


I also had a wheat cent that was in a thin mount to be used as a pendant.  I wondered if or how the additional mounting might affect the display.  

Here is how it showed.

Manticore Readout for Mounted Wheat Cent.

The mounted cent produced a higher conductivity number than the memorial cent.  I assume that was due to the additional metal surrounding the coin.  

I was also interested if the little extension for the hole would show up on the display. I would say no to that. I wouldn't read that as anything other than a round object even though the image is a little oblong.

I also tested the cross and cluster of keys.  Here is display produced by the gold-filled cross.

Manticore Display for Gold Filled Cross.


The image is on the center line but is more spread out than a typical coin would show.

Below is the display produced by the cluster of keys.  


Manticore Display for Key Cluster.


I always recommend doing a lot of testing and experimentation with your metal detector.  You will learn a lot that way but be aware of the limitations.  There will be a fair amount of variance in the readouts.  You can't expect a precise number every time for any particular object.  There are a lot of things that can affect the readout. I could go on forever from here but need to bring this discussion to a close or now.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Not much there, but there will be at least one day of bigger surf.

Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

Saturday, February 28, 2026

2/28/26 Report - Surf to Increase in Near Future. Wreck of San Jose and Laws of Ownership. Remote Viewing, Consciouness and Creative Problem Solving.

 

Saturday Morning Fort Pierce Jetty South Beach Zoom View

It is a still hazy Saturday morning.  The weather is warm.  The wind out of the west and the surf is smooth.

You can see the beach above. No signs of any cuts remain visible.


Fort Pierce Jetty Area Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

So it looks like the surf will be building over the next few days up to four or five feet, which is still not a lot.

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I found an article in the Drexel Law Review on the extremely rich wreck of the San Jose. The article discusses a set of factors for determining the owner or international shipwrecks.  Below is one brief excerpt from the article.

The sea is one of the greatest museums known to humankind. Access to that museum, however, is limited. Modern technology is changing that, making thousands of wrecks and their cargo more accessible than ever. This in turn has led to the proliferation of disputes concerning the ownership of the wrecks and their cargo. In an attempt to resolve these disputes, the United Nations enacted UNCLOS. But after continued legal battles and international discord, UNCLOS has proven unsuccessful. The best way to preserve sunken wrecks, protect states’ rights, and incentivize research and marine salvage is for the United Nations to amend UNCLOS to include a committee specially designated to solve any wreck ownership disputes. The committee should balance each claim based on a six-factor balancing test...

And here is the link for more about that.

Lang 383420.ashx

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I also found a collection of 62 publications, spanning nearly three decades of groundbreaking research on subjects including remote viewing, precognitive perception and consciousness. My posts on remote viewing have been popular beyond my expectations.  I presume these articles will be of similar interest. 

i hope that those of you who are interested in remote viewing are at least experimenting with putting it to practical use.  Give it a try.  Study the methods and precedures, and let me know how it works out for you.  

Below are some of the references and links.


General Overviews
  1. The Persistent Paradox of Psychic Phenomena: An Engineering Perspective (1982). Proceedings IEEE, 70, No.2, pp.136-170.
  2. Engineering Anomalies Research (1987). J. Scientific Exploration, 1, No.1, pp.21- 50.
  3. The Complementarity of Consciousness (1991). Tech. Report 91006, December 1991 (13 pages). [Published in modified form in K.R. Rao, ed., Cultivating Consciousness for Enhancing Human Potential, Wellness, and Healing. (Westport, CT and London: Praeger, 1993) pp. 111-121.]
  4. Consciousness and Anomalous Physical Phenomena (1995). PEAR Technical Note 95004, May 1995 (32 pages).
  5. The PEAR Proposition (2005). J. Scientific Exploration, 19, No.2, pp.195-246.
  6. Endophysical Models Based on Empirical Data (2005). R. Buccheri, A. Elitzur, M. Saniga, eds., Endophysics, Time, Quantum and the Subjective: Proceedings of the ZiF Interdisciplinary Research Workshop, Bielefeld, Germany, 17-22 January 2005. (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2005) pp.81-102.
  7. Consciousness, Information, and Living Systems (2005). Cellular & Molecular Biology, 51, pp.703-714.

Remote Perception

  1. Precognitive Remote Viewing in the Chicago Area: A Replication of the Stanford Experiment (1979). J. Parapsychology, 43, pp.17-30.
  2. Precognitive Remote Perception (1983). Tech. Report 83003, August 1983 (81 pages).
  3. Precognitive Remote Perception, III: Complete Binary Database with Analytical Refinements (1989). Tech. Report 89002, August 1989 (102 pages).
  4. Response to Hansen, Utts, and Markwick: Statistical and Methodological Problems of the PEAR Remote Viewing (sic) Experiments (1992). J. Parapsychology, 56, No.2, pp.115-146.
  5. Precognitive Remote Perception: Replication of Remote Viewing (1996). J. Scientific Exploration, 10, No.1, pp.109-110.
  6. Information and Uncertainty in Remote Perception Research (2003). Journal of Scientific Exploration, 17, No.2, pp.207-241.*
Philosophical Perspectives and Cross-Disciplinary Considerations

  1. Anomalies: Analysis and Aesthetics (1989). J. Scientific Exploration, 3, No.1, pp.15-26, 1989.
  2. Acoustical Resonances of Assorted Ancient Structures (1995). PEAR Tech Report #95002, ICRL Tech Report #95.1, March 1995.  (Also published as "Acoustical Resonances of Assorted Ancient Structures."  J. Acoustical Society of America, 99, No. 2, pp. 649-658, 1996, and as "Preliminary Investigations and Cognitive Considerations of the Acoustical Resonances of Selected Archaeological Sites," Antiquity, 70, No. 268, pp. 665-666, 1996.)
  3. Information, Consciousness, and Health (1996). Alternative Therapies, 2, No. 3, pp. 32-38.
  4. Toward a Philosophy of Science in Women's Health Research (1996). J. Scientific Exploration, 10, No. 4, pp. 535-545.
  5. The Subterranean Chamber of the Pyramid of Khufu: A Ritual Map of Ancient Egypt? (1997. Tech. Note 98001, February 1997 (20 pages).
  6. Wishing for Good Weather: A Natural Experiment in Group Consciousness (1997). J. Scientific Exploration, 11, No. 1, pp. 47-58.*
  7. Subjectivity and Intuition in the Scientific Method (1997). (Reprint from Intuition: The Inside Story, R. Davis-Floyd and P. Sven Arvidson, eds., New York and London: Routledge, 1997, pp. 121-128).
  8. Science of the Subjective (1997). J. Scientific Exploration, 11, No. 2, pp. 201-224.*
  9. The Physical Basis of Intentional Healing Systems (1999). Tech. Note 99001, January 1999 (28 pages).
  10. Deviations from Physical Randomness Due to Human Agent Intention? (1999). Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 10, No. 6, pp. 935-952.
  11. The Case for Inertia as a Vacuum Effect: A Reply to Woodward and Mahood (2000). Foundations of Physics, 30, No. 1,pp. 59-80.
  12. Inertial Mass and the Quantum Vacuum Fields (2001). Ann. Physics, 10, 5, pp.393-414.
  13. 20th and 21st Century Science: Reflections and Projections (2001). J. Scientific Exploration, 15, No. 1, pp. 21-31.
  14. The Challenge of Consciousness (2001). J. Scientific Exploration, 15, No. 4, pp. 443-457.

Here i the link for the entire collection.

Publications | PEARS Lab

Some of my favorite topics include epistemology and consciousness.  I assume they are not the primary interest for most of my blog readers, so I don't spend much time on those subjects in my posts, but I also know that some people are interested and have said so.  

It is interesting to look at metal detecting as being an extension of the regular senses.  We use a metal detector to add to or extend our five or so senses, so we receive information about subsurface anomalies or variations in the magnetic fields.  The detector senses those variations and translates those having certain characteristics into the signals and displays we use to make dig decisions.

Just for the fun of it, imagine that detectors, or arrays of sensors of various kinds were sent out on remote vehicles (perhaps as robots) that are able to send the input back to us so that we can experience those remote locations as if we were there.  I know this is getting science fictionish, but I like to break out of the proverbial box every once in a while.  It facilitates creative problem solving. 

Remote viewing suggests a different world view, epistemology and an alternate mode or media of experience.

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Keep thinking,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Friday, February 27, 2026

2/27/26 Report - Erosion Control Structures Can Produce Hot Metal Detecting Spots. Semiquincentennial Coins Found in Circulation.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.


Groin Illustration from Living-Shoreline.pdf (above). 
Groin Advantages and Disadvantages from same web site (below).

A few days ago I talked, about erosion control structures known as groins.  I mentioned how they can produce some very productive metal detecting spots.  I've made a lot of finds by hunting near groins.  Many of my finds came from spots near groins. 

The above graphic of a groin and the descriptive text is from living-shoreline.pdf.  Living-Shoreline.pdf presents the same kind of summary information for seven different types of erosion control methods.  They include vegetation, edging, sills, beach renourishment, beach renourishment with vegetation, breakwaters and groins.  Like the above summary for groins, the advantage and disadvantages for each type of method is listed.  Those summaries provide some pretty good tips for metal detecting.  For example, under the benefits for groins, you'll see that one of the disadvantages is the erosion of adjacent areas.  

So. groins, like most erosion control structures, actually shifts the sand.  Find the low spot and detect there. Some of my best hunting days have been around an old groin.

One particular dip between groins produced five pieces of gold in a very small dip.  I showed that particular spot in an old post.  Here is the link.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 8/23/13 Old Silver Coin Spots From the Past, Hurricane Season Said To Be Far From Over, and Big Tidal Wave  Like with groins, any erosion control structure will produce some areas to check with your metal detector.  The sand will be shifted to one area and away from another.

There was a saying I gave some years ago.  It is, "Follow the sand but don't catch it."  Whenever the sand is building somewhere, it is coming from another place.  You'll want find and hunt the areas where the sand left.

That applies to drifting sand bars too.

After the hurricanes of 2004 that did so much damage to the west side of Indian River Drive, they put huge concrete block revetments along the west bank of the Indian River.  If you saw those very heavy linked block walls, you might have thought they were impossible to move, but the walls have already fallen in many places and blocks have broken free in many places. 

Bruce Lee said, "Be water, my friend."  Water is persistent. It flows - over, under or around.  It finds the weak spots.   

And the sand in front of the revetments has eroded.  The water lowered the sand level in front of the revetments and then attacked the weak spot under the revetments, washing it out and causing the block walls to fall and break under their own rigid weight.

The water is now deeper in front of the revetments.  When water is presented with a solid surface it bounces off and the force goes elsewhere, but the initial contact area also becomes worn even if very slowly.  The block walls of the revetments reflected the wave energy back into the shallows in front of the walls and washed the sand away.  You can't stop the water: it will just go somewhere else.  

Take a look at each type of erosion control measure described and think about what will happen to it over time.  Think about where the erosion will occur (there will be erosion) and where the good metal detecting spots will be.  

Here is the link again.

living-shoreline.pdf

I previously posted about groins.  Here is one good post showing how groins, as one example, shifts the sand.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 2/24/14 Report - Iron Flakes or Silver, Driftwood, & Groins and Beach Dynamics

In that post I gave the following diagram along with some pointers for finding the hot spot when groins are involved.


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U.S. Coin Production Hits Eight-Month High in January As 2026 Semiquincentennial Coins Debut

See U.S. Coin Production Jumps in January as 2026 Coins Debut

Reports of the new 2026 Semiquincentennial coins have been reported found in circulation.  Keep your eyes open.  I haven't noticed any yet.

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A couple days ago I mentioned a stunning gold find. Concerning that Steve from Iowa said...

> Thanks for publishing that story about the beautiful finds in Panama. I 

> will be visiting that site on Monday while driving to Pedasi in Panama 

> for a surfing/metal detecting trip. I visited it last year and it is 

> fascinating. Big mounds and excavations. It is a mortuary city site 

> where many remarkable finds have been made. Thanks again!

 

Traveling with a metal detector is always fun, but often you won't be allowed to metal detect where you'd love too.  Despite not being able to detect in places like that, I can't help looking around and thinking about where things should be found.  You can still do some eye-balling, even when you can't remove items.  You might be surprised by what you'll see.  You might notice shards, shell or stone tools or even an occasional metal item.  

As I've said before wind or rain erosion can expose things too.

If you are an avid detectorist, it is difficult to turn it off. I used to do it in stores too. 

For example, in department stores, glance under the edges of the display cabinets where earrings studs, loose stones and little things can easily get lost.   

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The surf charts are unexciting now.  The winds are from the south.  

We are still having afternoon negative low tides.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcasst.net