Florida panhandle beaches

[Parkit]

I'm looking for some tips on detecting the beaches in the Florida panhandle, specifically Ft. Walton and Pensacola Beaches. I travel there on business 2-3 times a year (I was at Ft. Walton in September and Pensacola earlier this week, both times without the detector) and while the dry sand searching is obvious "the mine" is not so obvious. I was staying in hotels right on the Gulf and made a few observations which puzzle me.

First was that there didn't seem to be a "low tide". It LOOKS like the sand has been built up so much after the last storms that the surf doesn't come running up the beach, no matter what the tide is supposed to be doing. The waves are there, but picture a wave trying to run up the inside of a bowl made of sand. After the dry sand there's an actual ledge which drops off about a foot, with a steep sloping area of the wet sand that's only maybe 5' wide before you get to the water. The water in the areas between the sandbars and the wet sand never got low. This was the same at Ft. Walton in September and at Pensacola this week. It makes the Gulf of Mexico look like a gigantic lake, with waves gently lapping at a steep shore.

Since the water never really receeded, how would I work "the mine"? The water stays 4-6' deep all the time because of the beach slope. Like I said the dry sand would be easy to work, working the wet sand would be about normal only there would just be a very short area, and working the sandbars would be regular heavy surf.

The reasons I didn't take my White's Beach Hunter ID was that I didn't have it the first time, and this past week I knew it was going to be in the upper 40's. But with summer coming I'll have some good chances to detect.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Sandpiper]

Yep, welcome to our man made beaches. exactly as you described. Very seldom is there anymore than 6' of wet area to work, and stepping into the mine you will be instantly in over your waist to knee deep water. About the only difference the tide makes is the depth of the water while in it. If you check the tides, most will be very early morning before daylight or shortly their-after until later into the year. This is about the calmest time of the year for the Gulf, with the north winds, but later as spring and summer arrives you can pretty much wash laundry out there. HH

 

[Parkit]

I figured as much. How much of the Gulf Coast is like this? I grew up in central Florida and the Gulf beaches were nice and gently sloping like in the movies. We usually went anywhere from Siesta Key to Clearwater. Is it mostly the Panhandle area that's got such a sand build-up? This week I stayed at a hotel on Pensacola that had just opened, and although the desk staff had no clue it was apparent that this place had been rebuilt where something else had come down. Lots of new construction, both private beach houses and hotels, most of it west of the bridge, and that meant a good long stretch of beach where there was very little beachfront property that was open. I don't know how that would affect looting, but it seemed I'd be better off east of where I was, in higher density areas for tourists.

Thanks for the info!

Steve

 

[PaPa-Joe-Fla.]

Parkit, I have hunted St. Andrews state park in Panama City a few times and always did pretty good. There are two state parks on the gulf in that area that have plenty of swimmers coming and going. You may have to pay a small fee to get in , but it should be worth it. Henderson State Park and Perdido Key State park are near there. Good luck and HH.

 

[Parkit]

Thanks for the info, I'll check into it! My usual "routine" is that I have maybe one day with 5-6 hours that I would be able to search after checking into one of the Gulf-front hotels. It's feasible that I could end up anywhere from Pensacola to Key West, but usually it'll be Pensacola, Ft. Walton or Panama City. I ended up at Cocoa Beach once and got to visit a brother that was staying there from Kissimmee. I'm land-locked where I live, so these trips are my only real shot at beaches.

Steve

 

[Sandpiper]

Have not been past Destin, but section from Alabama line to there is pretty much the same. Heading East from where you were staying past the entertainment, bar, and past the beach housing there are new beach access areas I think four before getting into the U. S. Park area. Do not hunt in there It should be marked. You may want to try them, other than that the beach looting has been pretty slim around this area. HH