A Beachcombing Treasure Hunter

Does anyone else remember this scene from Spaceballs? It still makes me chuckle. But what exactly do you need to comb a beach and search for hidden treasures? Ever since I was a small kid, I’ve wanted to own a metal detector so that I could hunt for treasure on beaches. There’s just something so romantic about it; there’s definitely an allure to treasure hunting. I know so little about metal detectors and beachcombing that I decided to learn about it and share it with our Uptake readers. I get half of everything you find!

First, you have to decide on your needs and how much you can afford, because apparently, you can spend anywhere from about $100 to over $1000 for a metal detector. (Yikes.) If you’re really dedicated to finding some treasure on a beach, perhaps you should go for one of the more high-end ones, but I suspect the cheaper models are just fine for beginners. This article goes into all the nitty gritty details of the different types of metal detectors available and the theory behind selecting one for your beach combing experience. Of course, if the treasures aren’t made of metal then you will likely not find them – but there’s a lot of very cool old stuff that contains metal jewelry, coins and the like), so detectors are a good place to start.

Outer Banks, North Carolina - Fertile Treasure Hunting Grounds

So, now you have a metal detector, and a burning passion to find something in the sand. Where to go? Apparently, the Outer Banks beaches in North Carolina often reward beachcombers with fine finds. Indeed, this area of the country has one of the highest concentrations of shipwrecks in the world, so the possibility of finding old coins and other old metal objects is higher than it might be elsewhere. And, as this article suggests, the best time to go beach combing is between November and April, when storms in Atlantic churn up a lot of stuff from the bottom and wash it ashore.

Always, always check local state laws before you head for the beach. Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island do not allow metal detecting, for example. Choose your beach widely, and you might indeed find some hidden treasure! Fellow Uptake Barbara Weibel wrote a nice piece about Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas, which I’ve been to, and one follower commented what a great beach this would be to go metal detecting on. Lots of gold rings tossed on this beach, no doubt! Maybe next time.

Happy hunting! Be sure to share your own beachcombing stories.

Photos: Elsie, Esq. ,  Magnolia5777/Phyllis

I’d heard stories about the gorgeous white sand beaches along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. It was one of those destinations that had been on my list for years, but somehow I just never got around to visiting. Last month, I finally got my chance. Following a disastrous summer tourist season due to negative publicity about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the towns of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama needed to get the message out that the cleanup of their beaches had been successful and they were once again open for business. When the towns invited me to visit as part of their first ever press trip, I jumped at the chance.

View down the main public beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama, from Phoenix All-Suites West Hotel

I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that no matter what, I’d tell the truth about what I found. I checked into my Gulf-front hotel and gazed down at mile after mile of the whitest sand I’d ever seen, lapped by crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Quickly changing into a bathing suit, I hurried down for a closer view. Stepping onto the beach for the first time, I sighed in contentment; not only was this the whitest sand, it was also the softest. I used to live in Sarasota, Florida, where Siesta Key claims to have the whitest sand in the world, but it is also hard pack sand. I much preferred the main public beach in Gulf Shores, where my toes sank into delicious, deep, powder fine sand.

Gorgeous, powder fine white sand and crystal clear waters make this a favorite Gulf coast beach destination

At the shoreline, I looked carefully for any sign of oil contamination but found only crystal clear turquoise water. Day after day I walked the beach. Here and there I saw cleanup equipment standing at the ready for any needed cleanup efforts, and occasionally an active cleanup vehicle would motor down the beach. No gooey messy pile of gunk oil was anywhere to be seen. The only evidence I saw of the oil spill were a few tiny tarballs on the beach one morning that had washed up the night before. They were not what I expected: just small round black balls that dd not mingle with the water or the sand and were easily cleaned up. Gulf Shores’ main public beach is as gorgeous as ever and open for business, and right now the resorts are offering some incredible deals to lure people back into the water.

Photo Credit: Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel of Cultural Travel with Hole In The Donut

Here are three important web sites you need to know about if you visit any Florida beaches: Florida Beaches Water Quality – this web site shows the results of weekly tests done by 34 coastal counties to measure bacteria levels in the water. The counties test for enterococci and fecal coliform bacteria, which can cause [...]

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I was at [...]

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This afternoon Suzie and I took a drive across town to Gandy [...]

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