DFX works pretty good at the beach, but I find it to be slightly unstable if you try to get into the wet sand or water, thats why I got myself a Dual field, plus I wanted to wade out and not worry about the machine, almost got it wet a few times. Its very useful at beaches with lots of trash because it has accurate readings on targets, bobby pins are always the same, nails are always the same, bottle caps are always the same, small foil is always the same. Only problem is the pop tops will sound like gold, but thats going to be with any machine. The coil is waterproof, just be careful of the box, give it a try and see if you like it, if not, you will probably make a decent profit on the sale since 300 is a steal for the machine, then turn around and buy something waterproof.