Capt. Dan Berg's Wreck Valley Collection   

METAL DETECTORS
By Capt. Dan Berg

Metal detectors have been very popular with treasure hunters for years. They allow these divers to find gold and silver coins plus many varied artifacts buried up to twelve inches below the ocean floor. Metal detectors are also an excellent tool for recreational wreck divers and are rapidly increasing in popularity, especially for use on older wooden vessels. The very first time I ever took a detector onto a wreck, I located a pile of brass spikes and a few pewter toys. During following dives, after spending some time learning how the machines worked, I added some gold and silver to my collection. With some experience, you can determine the approximate size of an object by the tone the detector makes. Usually a small sharp tone means a coin, ring or other small object, while larger tones may mean junk, spikes or large steel objects. With a pulse detector, having a good ear for the deep faint signals will surely be rewarded. A good friend of mine, treasure hunter, Mike Mc Meekin, continues to tell me that treasure is where you find it, and just like the lottery, you can't expect to win it if you're not in it. If you have never tried an underwater metal detector you're missing out on a lot of fun and possibly some treasure.  Photos: Dan Berg treasure hunting with a metal detector in Bermuda.

There are two types of underwater metal detectors and about a half dozen major manufactures. Motion detectors require the search coil to be in motion in order to locate a target. The unit then beeps as the target is passed. Divers fanning the sand constantly check to see if the target has moved while they dig. The pulse detector does not need motion and will continue to sound a steady tone when held over a target. Both types of machines should be operated by slowly moving the coil, sweeping the sand in front of you. As a side note, if two divers are using metal detectors at the same time, they will have to stay approximately ten to 20 feet apart from one another, or the machines will react to each other causing false readings. Both types of machines work great in the water, but there are other considerations when purchasing a metal detector. Some machines work better in salt water than in fresh. Others are adaptable for beach and land hunting, and others have better volume control for hearing through a neoprene hood. I have used both the Garret Sea Hunter model XL500 and the Fisher Aquanaut model 1280-X and have found them to be excellent machines. With these units, I have consistently retrieved coins, artifacts, gold and silver. A new type of metal detector on the market is called a multi frequency machine. These units are a bit more expensive but basically give you all of the benefits of both the Pulse and motion detectors. I have the Minelab Excalibur and have nothing but good things to report about the machines performance.  Remember that you should never ascend or descend while wearing ear phones. Put the ear phones in place at depth and remove them before beginning your ascent. This will prevent any equalization problems.

Birth of a Treasure Hunter by Capt Daniel Berg

TREASURE HUNTING with a Metal Detector Part One By Fred Kropowitz

 

The Shipwreck Diving E-Book  Instant Downloadable E-Book  Shipwreck Diving, by Capt. Dan Berg is a complete how to book about the sport of wreck diving. This book is packed with information and heavily illustrated with over 80 sensational color photographs.

 

All photographs, sketches, images and text

Copyright Capt. Dan Berg / Aqua Explorers Inc

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Baldwin NY 11510
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