home > Internet > Underwater search on the beaches and its features. Underwater search in difficult conditions Metal detector search in water

Underwater search on the beaches and its features. Underwater search in difficult conditions Metal detector search in water

Often many glorious and valuable things are found under water, because the surroundings are examined up and down. Sea and fresh waters still keep their secrets and treasures.

Since not many treasure hunters can search underwater, your chances of finding treasures here are much greater. If you haven't tried an underwater search with a metal detector yet, it's worth a try. You can take a metal detector on vacation to the sea. There are many countries in the world where instrumental searches are not prohibited, and besides, it is warm all year round, and thousands of vacationers continually lose something on the beaches.

Here are some underwater search tips that might help you.

1. Choose the right metal detector.

The decision, first of all, should be taken, having decided where you will search - in salty sea water or in fresh water of the surrounding rivers and lakes. If you are going to go to fresh water from time to time, we recommend

VLF-device, for example, a good submariner Tesoro Tiger Shark or Minelab Excalibur II. You can dive up to 3 meters deep with Minelab CTX 3030, and with new Minelab Equinox 800. Such metal detectors detect even small targets, such as rings or bracelets.

To search in sea water you will need pulse metal detector(PI). It behaves better on salty sands and in water, it is easily rebuilt from interference. However, they are not as sensitive as VLFs and there is a loss of depth. Here we can recommend one of the most affordable underwater PI metal detectors - Tesoro Sand Shark, and also performs well on land Minelab SDC2300.

2. Choose the right accessories.

For example, it's worth making sure your headphones are waterproof, and the pinpointer can work in water (or salt water, like the XP MI-6) without any problems. You will also need a bag for transporting the metal detector, and in it - rags or special towels for the detector. Well, most likely, you will need either a scoop or a special scoop like BlackAda SandScoop. Working with such a scoop in the sand, you will save a lot of time.

If you want to search at any time of the year, or in central Russia (where there is almost no summer), then a wetsuit will surely come in handy.

3. Use the correct settings.

Customize the metal detector for each specific place of "spearfishing". Select the category of targets you are going to dig and adjust the settings for it.

To check if the settings are correct, you can run tests for the type of product you are looking for. Before burying the jewelry at the bottom, place it in a plastic bag and tie it with a cord - just in case, so as not to leave them to more successful treasure hunters.

4. Use the right search technique.

How you search with a metal detector is also important. If on land you can wave the coil of the device quite quickly, then under water such movements will only raise turbidity from the bottom. Work slowly, consistently covering the intended area. Do not start frantically digging out a target if it sounds under the coil. Movements should also be calm, but get ready for the fact that sand or silt will still rise from the bottom. Sometimes you have to search for a goal only by touch.

5. Look in the right places.

When deciding where to go scuba diving, first of all consider the places where the most people pass or rest. The more people - the higher the chance to find valuable things. There is an option with an underwater dig in historical places, since reservoirs, even in busy cities, are not considered an archaeological site.

6. Search at the right time.

Firstly, it’s better to go on an underwater search during the day, at night it’s much darker under water, and a flashlight - a light in the water column - attracts too much attention.

And secondly, there is a time when it is more convenient to search on the beaches. On the coast, this is the time of low tide. Sometimes it’s good to search after a storm, when the waves wash away large layers of sand or throw various things ashore. As for freshwater reservoirs, during floods, for example, it is both cold and very pointless to search, because there is a lot of alluvial debris in the water.

With luck and the timing is right, the finds can be stunning.

As in any other form of instrumental search, underwater search becomes more successful with experience. But if you follow the suggested tips, then I think you will have a good start!

Search for coins, jewelry and artifacts underwater - effective method improve your chances of finding more goals. Also, the combination of search on land and in water is especially nice in the summer, when you have the opportunity not only to indulge in your favorite hobby, but also to take a dip or swim.

Underwater search is different from normal detecting and can be more difficult than you think. In addition, you need to buy a waterproof metal detector. When you have the right detector and follow these rules, interesting finds are guaranteed.

1. Plan ahead.

It is very important to plan the search trip correctly so as not to waste time and energy in vain. The first thing to consider is the time of year when you go to dig. It is logical that you need to look for something in the water when it has already warmed up. Of course, if you have a reliable wetsuit, you can also search in the cold season. Also take note of weather reports. Searching underwater in a downpour or hurricane is not safe.

2. Choose where you will search.

To increase your chances of good finds, you need to figure out where the most visited areas on the beach are. This also applies to underwater searches. Usually, most of the finds are where people “walk on water”, that is, the depth where they still do not swim. Moorings for pleasure boats, catamarans and the like are also good for searching. If the beach is touristy, it is worth checking the areas around water attractions or places equipped for sports in the water (jumping towers).

3. Learn underwater search techniques.

When you are just starting out, you need to become familiar with instrumental search methods and techniques. You can, for example, follow a line along the coast, moving at meter intervals. Check all natural depressions and holes in the bottom, as they may contain something of value. Even underwater searchers sometimes use special scoops - narrow ones so as not to raise turbidity, and if they are looking shallow - then scuba (sieve on a stick) and floating rafts with an impromptu sieve that help separate targets from dirt.

4. Search during the daytime.

Instrument search in water is already quite a difficult task. At night, things become much more difficult, as visibility underwater is much worse than in the air, and even strong lights do not always help well. So if you are aiming for an underwater search, then start in the early morning or when the day is already in full swing.

5. You don't have to go scuba diving.

Before embarking on an underwater treasure hunt, many recommend taking a few scuba diving lessons. But for this you must have special equipment, for the purchase of which there is not always money. However, judging by the experience of many searchers, it is not necessary to take diving lessons. Most of the targets are hidden at a depth of 1-1.5 meters, and in order to find them, you do not need to buy scuba gear.

Underwater search, a very exciting and even a little romantic activity. Who did not dream about treasures, did not read the treasure island, did not watch exciting films on this topic. And despite the fact that the years take their toll, in our hearts we remain the same boys full of dreams and romance. And the harder and harder life hits us, the stronger the desire to be distracted by our favorite hobby.

But in difficult conditions- the topic is not so romantic, but rather practical and is designed to reflect on the difficulties that arise before the search, during the search, and also after finding (the item is found, how to pick it up?).

Well, now about everything in order. In the course of reasoning about the problems and solutions for complex search, I will rely on real examples for clarity. I think it will be very useful and clear to everyone.

before searching	while searching	after finding
explore a body of water with limited visibility	marking the search area under water	excavation, erosion, slinging of finds
search in a pond overgrown with vegetation	marking the search area above the water	lifting of found objects and difficulties associated with this problem
swamp search		transportation of finds
search in a reservoir with thick silty bottom sediments	designation of the place where the signal from the target was	conservation, cleaning, restoration
	precise positioning and targeting

As we can see from the table, there are enough difficulties and this is by no means all the difficulties ...

So let's take a concrete example:

... on a hunt, the men "drunk" fly on an expensive boat along a huge reservoir. Who is holding a gun in his hands, who is on his shoulder, and one unfortunate hunter put his gun on the bottom of the boat, leaning on board. And now, in the noise-din, with the roar of the engine and once again, waving the boat to cheer up the passengers, the eccentric notices how his gun flies overboard. The hunt is ruined, because the gun costs a few thousand bucks ...

The route of the boat was known approximately (plus or minus a kilometer in width). But the restless hunter raised all his friends and eventually turned to me with a request to advise what to do and how to look.

I understood that the idea was almost “zero”, but if people really need it, then I had to think about this problem.

Underwater search scuba diving is not an option (you can search all your life, but never find it). So you have to look from the boat.

How? The choice fell on a pulse device with a deep loop cable sensor (the wire in PVC insulation is not afraid of any immersion).

To increase the search area during the passage of the boat, the sensor frame was made rectangular. In order for the sensor to accurately capture the target, it was necessary to pull it as close to the bottom as possible. It is clear that there were questions about its stable horizontal position.

To do this, it was decided to comply with the following conditions:

The frame of the sensor must be heavy and steadily pull down (the tubes are stuffed with wet sand);

Floats on the surface to keep the suspended transducer stable in a horizontal position…

The stock of the line (rope) should be easily adjusted by immersing the frame of the search sensor. The second piece of line coming from the boat should be slightly shorter than the cable going to the sensor (so as not to break the sensor cable from loads during towing by the boat).

Well, then the question became, how to control the search process and depth?

Depth, of course, with an echo sounder (fortunately, the depth at the approximate place of flooding of the gun was insignificant and without strong drops of about 3 meters), and the route in two ways - with a navigator, or at the rate of the buoys installed along the route.

After finding the target, it was necessary to dive with an underwater device to check the point, or try to find the find with a search magnet.

In the first case, diving every time was troublesome. It was necessary first to mark the places where the towed vehicle was triggered by buoys, and only then to check each point under water.

Having thought well, we decided to stop at the option with a search magnet. But just throwing it and dragging it is sheer stupidity. Therefore, a long pole was prepared (or rather, just in case, even a few) and a line. And so every place where the device squeaked was probed with a pole, with a search magnet at the end, and the stuck one was pulled out, already holding it by the line. In this case, the special role of the one who sits on the oars, since he must keep the boat at a given point. You can, of course, throw a few anchors and hold or move the boat between them with the help of a line-rope ...

Underwater search was long, squeaked a lot. Basically, it was various garbage, objects of the WWII period and things of fishermen from winter and not only fishing (they even pulled out a winter ice drill). But the guns, we never found.

In the next article, I will continue this topic and talk about another no less interesting history and found solutions.

If you want to choose an underwater metal detector, then right now is the time when you need to choose a model and get ready for the summer. In this article, you will see short review to the most popular and lesser known models, which I will briefly describe.

There are two types of underwater metal detectors, this is an amphibious metal detector, with the ability to walk both under water and on land. But, usually the maximum immersion depth of such metal detectors is up to 5 meters. And an underwater metal detector that has the ability to fully dive into the water, 20-30 meters, and is not afraid of salt water. While an amphibious metal detector can flash on salt water.

Amphibians have an LCD screen, which does not allow them to be deeply immersed in water, because there is a high probability that there will be damage from water pressure. Yes, and many devices drowned in such a search. A new amphibian model appeared in 2012, the Minelab CTX 3030, which I described in great detail.

While in a conventional underwater metal detector, you get all the information through the headphones, and the adjustment is made through the rotary controls.

A moment of attention!!! I have an article on our blog already an article - in it I give simple and understandable advice to a beginner when choosing their first device.

Garrett AR Pro

Description: The Garrett AT Pro underwater metal detector is an amphibious metal detector, thanks to which you can submerge it completely in water to a depth of 3 meters. Its high operating frequency of 15 kHz will allow you to find even the smallest objects well, which makes this device an excellent beach goer.

Manufacturer: Garrett (USA);
Model: AT Pro International;
Year: 2012;
Purpose:
Screen (Display): There is;
Electronic circuit: VLF;
Frequency: 15 kHz;
VDI/TargetID: There is;
Manual ground adjustment: There is;
Auto Ground Adjustment: There is;
Noise detuning: There is;
Sound, number of tones: 3;
Volume control: Not;
Pinpoint mode: There is;
Headphone jack: There is;
Coil: Garrett 8.5×11 PROformance DD;
Food: 4xAA;
Assembled weight: 1.4 kg;
Adjustable size: 106-129 cm.

Price: 17000 UAH

GARRETT AR GOLD

Description: Initially, this device was created to search for gold nuggets. Thanks to its high frequency of 18 kHz, it is perfect for finding small objects. It has a huge advantage on the beach, thanks to the "salty sand" function.

Manufacturer: Garrett (USA);
Model: AT Gold;
Year: 2012;
Purpose: Ground and underwater metal detector;
Screen (Display): There is;
Electronic circuit: VLF;
Frequency: 18 kHz;
Search programs, quantity: 3;
VDI/TargetID: There is;
Manual ground adjustment: There is;
Auto Ground Adjustment: There is;
Noise detuning: There is;
Sound, number of tones: 3;
Volume control: Not;
Pinpoint mode: There is;
Headphone jack: There is;
Coil: Garrett 5×8 DD PROformance;
Food: 4xAA;
Assembled weight: 1.4 kg;
Adjustable size: 106-129 cm.

Price: 20944 UAH

Garrett ATX

Description: This instrument operates at a very low frequency of 0.73 kHz. That is, you can not count on finding coins, only large items. Well, not in vain this device mine detectors were created on the basis. So as a beachgoer, he is also weak. But as a device for war it's super. Not afraid of dust, moisture.

Manufacturer: Garrett (USA);
Purpose: Ground, beach, underwater search;
Screen: No;
Signal processing type: PI;
Frequency: 0.73 kHz;
Search programs: 25;
Discriminator: There is;
VDI/TargetID: No;
Ground adjustment: There is;
Threshold adjustment: There is;
Sound response: multitone;
Volume control: There is;
Pinpointer: There is;
Coil: Garrett AT 10×12 DD;
Headphone jack: Yes, 6.35 mm;
Food: 8 pcs. AA;
The weight: 2.5 kg;
The size: 51-172 cm.

Price: 66367 UAH

Minelab CTX 3030

Description: In short, I will tell you that this device is worthy for any type of search, it does not require any additional sensors (coils), etc. Works both underwater and on land. I reviewed it in more detail in the article.

Manufacturer: Minelab (Australia);
Model: CTX 3030;
Year: 2012;
Purpose: Ground and underwater metal detector;
Screen (Display): There is;
Electronic circuit: FBS2;
Frequency: 1.5...100 kHz;
Search programs, quantity: 20;
VDI/TargetID: There is;
Manual ground adjustment: There is;
Auto Ground Adjustment: There is;
Noise detuning: There is;
Sound, number of tones: Multiton;
Volume control: There is;
Coil: Minelab CTX 11 Smart;
Food: Accumulator, Li-ion;
Assembled weight: 2.36 kg;
Adjustable size: 94-140.5 cm.

Price: 67728 UAH

UNDERWATER METAL DETECTOR

Minelab Excalibur 2

Description: The Excalibur II metal detector was designed to search for treasures under thin water at a depth of up to 60 m. It works well in salt water, it does not emit phonitis and there are no false positives. There is an interference cancellation.

Manufacturer: Minelab (Australia);
Model: Excalibur 2;
Year: not known;
Purpose: Underwater metal detector;
Screen (Display): Not;
Electronic circuit: BBS;
Frequency: from 1.5-25.5 kHz;
Search programs, quantity: 2;
VDI/TargetID: Not;
Manual ground adjustment: Not;
Auto Ground Adjustment: There is;
Noise detuning: There is;
Sound, number of tones: 1;
Volume control: There is;
Pinpoint mode: There is;
Headphone jack: There is;
Coil: Minelab 8DD;
Food: Accumulator, NiMH 1000;
Assembled weight: 2.1 kg;
Adjustable size: 82-122 cm.

Price: 42000 UAH

Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2

Description: The Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2 underwater metal detector is one of those that you can buy and you won't waste your money. Diving depth up to 65 meters. The detection depth, judging by the video, is not bad, as for underwater metal detectors.

Manufacturer: Garrett (USA);
Model: Sea Hunter Mark 2;
Year: not known;
Purpose: Underwater metal detector;
Screen (Display): Not;
Electronic circuit: Pi;
Frequency: 0.75 kHz;
Search programs, quantity: 2;
VDI/TargetID: Not;
Manual ground adjustment: Not;
Auto Ground Adjustment: Not;
Noise detuning: Not;
Sound, number of tones: 1;
Volume control: Not;
Pinpoint mode: Not;
Headphone jack: There is;
Coil: Garrett 8 PROformance Mono;
Food: 8xAA;
Assembled weight: 2.3 kg;
Adjustable size: 71-132 cm.

Price: 22000 UAH

Description: this model of the device is two-frequency, operates at a frequency of 5 kHz and 15 kHz. Submersible up to 75 meters. Supports two coils, one small for 8, the other for 10.