Plan Low-Tide Window and Access Route
30 minutesCalculate hours of exposed wet sand before high tide returns; identify legal beach access and parking for gear haul.
Field context
This workflow is part of 2 niche fields
Complete guide for beach detecting trip — step-by-step workflow, tools, checklist, and expert tips to get started.
Calculate hours of exposed wet sand before high tide returns; identify legal beach access and parking for gear haul.
Search towel lines, volleyball courts, and previous high-tide cuts in overlapping grid; log productive zones in notepad.
Pinpoint, dig plug or scoop, retrieve target, and backfill hole; photograph jewelry before salt exposure tarnishes.
Record find count, zone productivity, and settings used; compress photos for archive and note tide time for return visit.
Calculates days until next comparable low-tide window for return beach trip.
Plans hunt duration within safe tide window before water covers search zone.
Logs productive grid zones, find counts, and detector settings per beach visit.
Archives find photos with location notes without filling phone storage on long trips.
Beach Hunt Zones
| Zone | Best Tide | Typical Finds |
|---|---|---|
| Dry sand towel line | Any | Coins, jewelry |
| Wet sand slope | Low tide | Older coins, rings |
| Cut/scarp | After storm + low | Mixed eras |
Overlap passes in a grid pattern — random wandering leaves large areas unsearched.
Note depth, signal ID, and GPS for every good find — context drives historical value.
Leave ground as you found it — unfilled holes get detectorists banned from sites.