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I have had a number of folks come down here and hunt the water and come away
with very little for their efforts. The ocean and the gulf are not like lakes
and ponds, it is constantly on the move, and moving things along the bottom.
Usually there is a current running parallel to the beach, and if there is a
sand bar close to shore, there will be troughs created between the beach and
the bar. Here in my section of the gulf there are two sand bars. One in close,
and one further out from the beach. The currents run east and west, and can
have currents going in two different directions at the same time. The inner bar will have a current running in one
direction, and the outer in the other direction. Stormy weather creates rip
tides that are dangerous and swift moving, They are also powerful enough to
pick up sand and objects and move them a long distance rather quickly . As
the currents move along the bottom, a lot of water can back up at the bottle
necks near the end of these troughs. Seeking a way out, the water will start
to head straight out from the beach, and cut a path straight out from the
beach, and cut a path thru the sand bar, and out to sea. This is the place
where most swimmers get in trouble. It is also the area that most objects
will fall out and settle to the bottom. Here heavy objects such as lead
fishing weights, coins and jewelry will settle, and either be covered with a
thin layer of sand, or buried deep. Most often the sand will be swept out to sea
with the current that cuts out through the sand bar, and only a small layer
of sand will cover objects, making detection a little easier. These glory
holes will only be exposed for a short period of time, and as the storm
subsides, the wave action will become smaller, and the smaller waves will
bring the sand back in to the beach, and begin to cover the hole.
Hot spots are a good clue to the location of glory holes. Most hot spots, areas of coins and heavy objects that are found
in one small area of the wet sand on the beach, are the result of large wave
action bringing objects all the way up to, and on to the beach from the
glory holes that are just off shore. Any time you come across targets such as fishing weights, quarters, and pieces of iron, slow down, and make a tight
pattern in that immediate area. You will find that items/targets will be continually turning up as you search. You hunt one little section, think you
have found it all, turn around, and more things will show up in the area you
just went over. If the water is not to rough, you can follow
a trail of targets out to the glory hole that these items are coming from. It
is a good idea to make a mental note of the location of these spots, using
buildings or structures on the beach for reference points. These holes
and hot spots usually don't move very far, and will open again with the next storm
or high sea conditions. Some times they will move to the east or west a
little of the original site, but most of the time they will just be covered
up for a while. If you have made a note of these locations, you will still be
able to go out and find targets in the water after the seas have calmed down.
I keep a log of what I have found, and where I have found them, and the water conditions at the time I found them. this is a great help in finding
places to hunt at different times of the year. Good luck, and good hunting.
Ozzie.----OO
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