I knew Tom from the MTH club and he was a great person. I am also a technical scuba diver on a recovery dive team. I hope that we all take a few minutes and rethink our views on safety in the water. I didn't know Tom very well, but I don't think he was detecting in a new area. Water is NEVER completely safe! The minute you get comfortable is often the minute directly preceding a string of events that can easily become catastrophic. Unfortunately, Tom was not able to be saved, but it would be a crying shame if anyone else has to die because they were too proud or confident or (insert adjective of choice) to wear a life preserver of some sort. You wouldn't go sky diving without a parachute (would you?), so why wander into a body of water without a flotation device?
Even if you can't afford an inflatable, you can still find a regular foam life preserver for $20-40. You spend how much on a piece of plastic to protect the coil of your detector? Lastly, imagine this: You are detecting, and you just find a huge gold ring. as you are admiring it, a wave knocks you over and you struggle to regain your footing. In your struggle, you make squeeze your hand a little tighter just to make sure you still have that gold ring. It's still there! You are smiling, as you continue to get upright and detecting again. You are finally upright in the water, but you're confused because you are up to your shoulders in water and still not touching the bottom! You realize that you have been caught in a rip current. Your attempt to get upright was hampered by the detector, the scoop, and your holding on to the ring and now as you stare at the people on the beach getting smaller and smaller as you are being sucked out into the ocean. At this point, you decide that your life is worth the lost detector, the scoop and even the gold ring you are clutching, so you drop it. You start to swim parallel to the beach and get out of the current. Now you are out of the rip current, but as you start to swim back towards shore, you start to realize how much you struggled getting upright and how out of shape you really are. You struggle to stay calm as you try to swim towards shore praying that the next time you put your feet down they hit some sand to give you a much need break. At this point, ask yourself "How much would I be willing to pay for any life vest?"
If that doesn't quite work, think of it as an insurance policy on your detecting gear. With a life preserver, there is a better chance that you will be able to save your detector. As a bonus, you also live!
Jeff