DetectorStuff Member Carl Cladoff recently responded to my inquiry about reading beach cuts…and how to find the goodies therein. His response (originally seen HERE) give great insight into the awesome dynamics of surf and wind…and how they factor into whether you finish a hunt with treasure…or nothing! Thanks for allowing me to publish this Carl! -Mark
Yo Mark! I usually refer to those ‘sand cliffs’ you see primarily in the fall and winter as a cut…terminology may vary depending on where you are…
The sharper the edges and the steeper the drop…the fresher they are…ideal time is when they are being created by the surf but it can be the most hazardous to your own safety…not recommended…choose the calm after the storm…hunt from the bottom of the cut to the surf line.
Rip in background, some may call it a scallop…notice deep hole by the darker shade of water…excellent area for a water detector if current is weak:
Get on high ground. Look for ‘rips’ and ‘ horseshoes’ by standing on a lifeguard stand, a hotel balcony, pier, or beach cam. Rips can be very subtle and hard to see or they can be an obvious ‘riptide’. Watch the sea foam, especially for the subtle current. Most of the water line will have foam oncoming…look where the foam seems to be outgoing. A riptide may have
seaweed that you can observe going out. Do not get in the riptide for safety’s sake. Ask any of the quaded
mobile lifeguards where the riptides are located. They can tell you the street locations. I discovered this last year.
The horseshoes’ and horseshoe cuts are much more noticeable in the fall. Tracking them
from the center of the arc towards the water usually reveals a line of coins, followed by
pulltabs and lighter rings, progressing to fishing weights and heavier gold jewelery. All
sorts of similarly weighted objects can be in the mix.
The last 2 weeks have been very slow for me due to the mid summer sand build up. I have noticed small pockets of targets, mostly coins where I have found black sand. Water hunted this weekend for 4 plus hours at low tide covering a mile stretch of troughs and holes…2 targets…a quarter and a pair of sunglasses. Many many Blue Crabs in the water and in the shallow surf this weekend…bring a chicken neck, some string, and a poled net…can fill a bushel basket in no time!
Good hunting!
CC