Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Wabasso Beach Friday Morning. Typical Late Summer Beach Conditions. |
You've heard the great stories about how a detectorist finds an old ring and spends hours or weeks or years in research, eventually being able to return the ring to the over-joyed owner or in some cases the family of the deceased owner. I posted two of those stories in a post just a few days ago.
The stories of detectorists volunteering their time to search for a ring having great sentimental value are common. You see pictures of grateful owners who thought they'd never see their precious ring again getting it back. You've seen those too.
But detectorists can also tell you stories about times when things didn't go so well. I don't think you'll be surprised to learn that there are some people who don't always act like perfect saints on the beach. You seldom hear about when detectorists are made painfully aware of that reality.
Starting with something simple and all too common, we all realize that all of those aluminum beer cans, and other junk didn't spontaneously materialize on the beach. And you have probably seen examples of rowdy, rude, mean or simply inconsiderate behavior on the beach. If you step on a piece of broken glass in the water and cut yourself, as I've done, or get a fishing lure stuck in your foot, there is someone to thank. Detectorists don't always remove all the litter they dig, which is something I recommend, but neither did they put it there to begin with.
And all those holes on the beach weren't dug by detectorists. Some of the bigger ones were dug by kids.
Then there are the old ladies that scream at you to get off their beach. Or security guards that claim the resort or hotel owns the beach that sits on renourishment sand paid for by the taxpayers.
It has been decades since I detected crowded beaches. Now I usually go out of my way to avoid the crowds. I often detect early in the morning when few others are out other than maybe some fishermen, or on rainy stormy days or on beaches that are far away from the crowds. Avoiding the crowds has minimizes the problems you'll run into. When I do go to the beach, I go to metal detect and focus on that. I'm jealous of the little time I have on the beach these days and prefer to not have many distractions.
One morning when I went out very early morning, a young lady came up to me and wanted to talk. She followed me around and was very upset that I wasn't interested in carrying on a conversation. She didn't like it and let me know that. One reason I went so early was to avoid exactly that. I try to be nice to people when there are others there, I answer questions and search for lost items, and there are some people that I do enjoy, but some act like you are a public servant and owe them your time and attention, never thinking that you might have something you want to do. I would never presume that someone else should quit what they are doing to do what I want them to. But that kind of thing is the least of it.
When I was detecting the busy beaches of South Florida, I ran into a lot of different kinds of people. You never knew what you were going to get. There was everything from simple rude pushy behavior to craziness and outright threatening criminality. The Treasure Coast is much more peaceful and saner than that, although there are occasional conflicts on the Treasure Coast too.
I've been surprised how often I've searched, found and returned lost items without hearing as much as a simple thank-you. That seems odd to me. I just assume that after you go out of your way to help someone, they would show some sign of appreciation or some gratitude of getting their item back, but that isn't always the case.
I can understand why one detectorist at Jupiter years ago told me if someone wouldn't pay $20 for him to search for their item, he wouldn't do it. I know that most detectorists will happily search for lost items without any expectation of payment or reward, but I can understand where he was coming from. If it isn't worth anything to you, why should he spend his time hunting it. I really think that is reasonable, although not what I do or any other detectorists that I know these days. Detectorists just want to help and generally have no expectation of reward or payment, but to me it is still surprising that some people do not show any sign of appreciation for your efforts.
But it is sometimes worse than that. There are people who will claim they lost some valuable item just to watch a detectorist waste their time looking for it while hoping something good would be found so that they could claim it. That is why I've explained that it is necessary to get a good, detailed description of any lost item before searching. I know of at least two cases when a person tried to claim an item I found when it was not the one they lost. Believe it or not, not all people are honest. Some will try to con you. There are thieves and con men out there looking for any chance to grab a piece of gold. I've seen a necklace ripped off one young lady at the beach by a run a thief that just ran by and broke it off her neck.
In Dade County I knew of one detectorist who had his car broke into at least five times while he was metal detecting. When he had nothing inside to be stolen, the car was still damaged. In one case, when there was nothing else in the car, the spare tire was stolen from the trunk. I've seen cars broken into on the Treasure Coast too, but not nearly as often as down south.
One day when I went past one of the worst parking lots, car alarms were blaring all over the lot. I think it was 46th St., if I correctly recall. You could almost count on your car being broken into in that parking lot. As a result, I parked at another lot a good distance away by a manned fire station and walked a good distance to the beach where I wanted to detect. But many other parking lots were almost as dangerous. Maybe it is better these days. I hope so.
Back a few decades ago, I'd detect on crowded beaches or shallow waters. Kids would stick their face and hands in your scoop or just get in the way so you couldn't safely swing your coil. Older people would crowd you and rowdy people could be a problem too. I learned how to deal with all that. You had to be alert to avoid problems.
I've told before about how one detectorist had a jar full of cobs stolen from the trunk of his care while metal detecting at Jupiter. It can happen anywhere. As the signs say, don't leave valuables in car.
One time at a Dade County parking lot, I parked and headed to the beach with my equipment and noticed a suspicious looking young couple. As I passed them on my way to the beach, I noticed the girl keeping a very close eye on me while the fellow went back to the parking lot. It seemed like she was being a lookout, so I went directly back to the car and prevented a break in. My scoop could make meat balls out of people. But it is good to be aware of what is going on in your surroundings. It isn't easy with earphones on and focusing on your metal detecting. It is easier, though, on a beach with no one else around.
If I pull into a parking lot and there is anybody or anything suspicious, I'll either wait until the situation seems clear or go somewhere else for a while. From my experiences in South Florida, I learned to be very cautious.
Back to the Treasure Coast, I remember after one of our good treasure storms when a fellow detectorist found a gold eight escudo on the beach. There were two fellows on the beach without metal detectors, but one had a machete. My friend said he thought he heard one of two say, it (referring to the gold coin) makes you want to stick him, doesn't it, or something to that effect. My friend hightailed it off the beach in a hurry.
Don't get me wrong. I didn't write about all the negative experiences I've had or seen over several decades of metal detecting, but the vast majority of my interactions on the beach have been friendly and enjoyable. I enjoy showing nice well-behaved kids about metal detecting and what I'm finding, but others kids are uncontrolled and have no boundaries. Most people are nice and I enjoy talking to them, but what I've described above is the other side.
The other side is real but not widely published. I'd rather write about the positive stories, but I tell you in order to make you aware so you can avoid bad experiences. If you are aware and take precautions, you'll be able to avoid most of the negative or dangerous situations.
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There is a rip current advisory in effect on the Treasure Coast today.
It is raining on Fort Pierce beach this morning. We've been having a lot of thunderstorms in the ocean and on the east coast beaches lately.
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| Surf chart from SurfGuru.com |
Nothing interesting there, and nothing on the NHC maps.
Good hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net