Beach Search Patterns "How do you search yours?" Part 1#

Searching beaches can present a number of problems for the novice detectorist. The beach you're planning to search could be huge! Or maybe it’s covered in signs that you read about, scallops, tide marks, cuts and so on. Then again you may be on the clock. The great thing about learning about the beaches your search is that no matter what machine you use this information will stand to you for years to come.

The Quick Search.

If you are just scouting a new location or stopping by at a beach you always liked the look of. it can be more beneficial to target the more productive areas first. Areas such as the low tide mark, towel line, paths and handy seating locations. Remember even if you're only pulling up newer coins, pull tabs and other common junk targets. These finds can be very handy when you profile your new location.

Tip: always keep a small note pad and pen handy. Sketch your new beach and mark your finds and other characteristics roughly. You can review your notes later and build a new plan of action for next time.

If the location has common markers such as scallops, cuts, gravel bars and sand riffles hit these first and see what you come up with. Take note of the feel of the sand under your feet squashy soft sand normally means you're far from the hard pack and heavy gravel under the surface of the beach.

Items will sink down to the denser hard pack and rest there and your detector may not reach the entire way pass the sand overburden. This is why beach detectorist get weak in the knees after a storm has stripped the light sand from the beach exposing the hard pack and gravel.

If you’re new beach is smooth and relatively gravel free a new search pattern is required. A repeating "W" search pattern works out best.

This works well because you can cover larger portions of the beach looking for lines of targets. If you find a target halt the "W" pattern and search in a straight line for a bit. You may have found a streak of targets or a small pocket of targets. Some detectorist will search in a spiral pattern starting from the location of the first find.

Even if you are short on time during your session take five minutes to look over the beach from a vantage point. Just like your targets you should make a quick note of anything that stands out. When you head home fire up google maps and see if what you have experienced on the ground translates to patterns found on the map view.

Normal Search Patterns

On a normal day detecting on the beach I like to search left to right from the high tide mark following the tide as it heads out from the shore. Of course if you arrive on the beach and it has some nicely defined markers or it has been stripped I like to concentrate on those markers. I still follow the left to right pattern but only over these hot areas.

If you are digging targets look for changes in the sand, gravel or clay you are digging. I always find the good targets reside in the layer of dark, almost black layer of clay. This layer is below the gravel and crushed shell layer. Normally it stinks too! So you will know it forever more after that first time. This layer is so tightly packed that metals that the sea would normally devour can survive much longer.

Periodic Table By Electrical Conductivity

Here is a very useful graph showing how conductive or restive known elements are. When metal detecting the conductivity of you target plays a huge part in deciding what to dig.

Below is the same data in a list format. I've highlighted the good stuff.

Cscope CS4PI Pulse Induction Metal Detector Review

Given the amount of beaches we have in Ireland (East Cork in particular) a pulse induction machine seemed to be the way to go.

The machine itself is pretty simple with an automatic ground balance system all the user needs to worry about is switching on and hitting the beach. There isn't a pin pointing mode but finding your target is pretty easy because of the concentric coil search head. Using the side step method you can get a pretty good fix on your target.

Best thing about this machine is that when it beeps there is something down there under the coil simple as that. It does suffer from the same drawbacks of other pulse induction machines there is no discrimination of any kind so just dig every target.

I've had a chance to take this detector to a location that has some very mineralized sections and as such sections are no go for other types of detectors I've used. I've taken this machine into the worst sections of the beach and found plenty of the normal junk that I'd expect to find all over the the rest of the beach. As above if it beeps there is a target that needs digging.

Other things to note.

The control unit is not water proof so just be aware of this. You can belt mount the control unit making the detector very light indeed. If the machine gets a bump it will give a prolonged beep that lasts for a few seconds (1-2) as it re balances this seems to be normal so don't worry too much when this happens.

The overall build quality is good with the upper stem being metal and the lower a tough plastic. The control box is made out of a really good quality heavy duty plastic. It can also be belt mounted (The machine is supplied with a little belt attachment). The search coil is submersible and comes with a scratch cover as standard.

Video Review:

Here is a review that I found helpful when I was making decision to purchase.