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How to Use Metal Detectors on Florida Beaches

Florida, a peninsula surrounded by beautiful beaches, is a prime tourist location for most residents of the United States. On a typical summer day, Florida&'s beaches are packed with sun bathers, swimmers, and surfers. Also spot a few treasure-hunting enthusiasts walking up and down the beach with metal detectors. Metal detectors offer treasure hunters an advantage due to their magnetic coils that can pick up small hidden metal objects. Using a metal detector on a Florida beach is a simple process, but check that metal detector usage is allowed before you search.

Instructions

- 1
  Contact the local Department of Natural Resources or a Recreation Department to make sure that metal usage is allowed on the beach you want to search. Typically, all Florida&'s beaches allow metal detectors, unless the beach is a national or state park, archeological site or a leased or privately owned land area.
- 2
  Set your metal detector to the preferred setting for the type of metal you&'re searching for. Typically, on Florida beaches, find many coins, discarded metal jewelry, and, if you&'re lucky, Spanish doubloons, but they may be buried deep in the sand. Set the detector to "high sensitivity" or to "relic" setting for deep objects. Ensure that you read the instructions for your particular detector model for setting options.
- 3
  Walk near the water&'s edge or slightly away from it near the "towel line." This is the stretch of beach where most beach-goers place their towels, and correspondingly may lose or leave behind metallic objects.
- 4
  Sweep the detector side to side as you slowly walk up and down the beach. Use a scoop or sand sifter to help dig and sift objects out of the sand. "Mark&'s Metal Detecting" recommends a long-handled wire scoop so you can search without hurting your back in constant bending and stretching.

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