Beach metal detecting can by far be the most profitable and most fun for the detectorist. Not to mention the easiest to dig! ha ha Gold rings add up quick with todays gold prices! Most often a couple found rings can pay for you detector or come real close to it. If your like me the exercise is an added bonus! The beach view is not bad either!

Serious beach detectors come in two main groups but really any machine will work but just not as good as the first two. Especially in dry sand.

Group 1 is not my favorite do to the excessive digging for bobby pins at 12" that sound like good targets. PI machine or Pulse Induction like the Garrett Sea Hunter, Garrett Infinium and Whites Dual Field Surf Master are very deep and sensitive machine but all lack good discrimination. That is just par for the course on PI machines. As I said you wate a good amount of time digging bad targets when you could be on to your next good target if the machine could tell the difference. PI machines are not BAD per say because you do get more depth and sensitivity but pay for it in lack of discrimination. Still many people prefer to the dig them all mentality and love the PI machines. Not me...

Group 2 are the multifrequency VLF machines like the Minelab Excalibur II, Fisher CZ-21 and Minelab CTX 3030. The discrimination is MUCH improved on these metal detectors but you do lose a bit of depth and sensitivity. You get payed back by being able to skip over obviously bad targets so you can move on to the next gold ring hopefully! They do a MUCH better job hearing iron targets and properly identifying them. Although no machine is perfect on this they are much better than most. the multifrequency helps penetrate the high mineral content in the salt water and properly ID your next gold pendant! haha

Other good single frequency machines like the Garrett AT Pro and Whites MX Sport are waterproof to 10 feet and do a great job in the dry sand and sometimes even the damp sand can be used as well. When you get in the surf they often become very erratic and you have to turn sensitivity way down to compensate. Nulling out any chance at deeper targets. Both companies claim these machines to work in the salt and they do but just not very well. Dry sand they are great! Wet sand not so well. In the actual surf?... ehhhh Now fresh water they are AMAZING! Go jump in any pond or creek and go to town!

(UPDATED 2-14-2019) Now with all the info above that is still great food for thought the metal detecting world has changed dramatically since the introduction of a couple new machines by Minelab Metal Detectors!

The Minelab Equinox 800 and Minelab Equinox 600 were introduced and set everything on ear. They are multi frequency machines that can handle the salt minerals and handle any park or old home site as well with fast recovery in trash. Metal detecting have for SURE changed with the introduction of these to machines!

As always if you have any questions or looking for a better deal call or email us. We would be glad to work with you and get you set up correctly to find the next lost pirates chest full of gold coins!

Bart at BigBoysHobbies.net