Top Metal Detecting Vacation Destinations

Intro: 

Hi! Welcome to the metal detecting show Episode number 32. My name is Ciaran and I have been metal detecting for nearly 30 years. This week I talk to you about the Top Vacation spots for  metal detecting and my top location might surprise you  So, let's get On with the Show. 

Music

Hey everyone thanks for listening to the podcast and I hope you enjoy the show this week. If you want to give me feedback or interact with the show, please reach out to me on twitter @detectingthe or Instagram @themetaldetectingpodcast or If you want to pop me an email to ciaran@themetaldetectingshow.com  

And now If you would like to leave me a voice mail please do so on speakpipe.com/themetaldetectingshow the link will be in the show notes.

https://www.speakpipe.com/TheMetalDetectingShow

If you would like to buy me a coffee you Actually can now with https://www.buymeacoffee.com/metaldetecting

and lastly and most importantly If you like this content please don't hesitate to tell your friends and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

Music

Ok firstly on to my adventures in metal detecting this week, Not much to report im afraid as Ireland has been put in level 5 Covid lock down which means we can’t travel beyond a 5KM radius from my home. This meant that the only hunting grounds  available to me were beaches that were more popular with dog walkers than swimmers. So I took the opportunity to reconnect with my old field permissions with a view to getting back on the fields in spring as it’s a bit wet now. 

This was not a great experience as  fields that were open to  me a few  years ago were now apologetically closed to me as the farmers have become fearful of people on their lands and looking for  any reason to claim  or sue them for any mishap that  may befall them there.  This is due to the rising prices of Farm insurance in Ireland due to false or over compensated successful claims so just another example of people not playing by the rules or fairly impacting the hobby. 

Now there is light at the end of the tunnel as most Farmers indicated that they would be fine for me to hunt on their land if I get my own insurance which is an arduous journey in Ireland but a journey I’m willing to take. I Imagine most of you are already covered by some sort of club insurance but  in Ireland we have found this difficult  to organise and it is a journey we have undertaken many times But Ill keep you posted with my progress.

In other news our family at home has grown and we have a new addition in the form of a very boisterous CockaPooo called Teddy B Martin the B Stands for Bear! And  my week  has been filled with sleepless nights and puppy poop and pee I am beyond  comprehension on how much of this Teddy can produce I think he should be a politician.

 Also Nokta Makro Were kind  enough to  send me  a  couple of review units of the Mini Hoard and the Simplex so watch this space for a full and in depth review of both.

And finally I want to give a few shoutouts to the people the following people who reached out to me on Social media or via email telling me they love the show. I really appreciate the  feedback this is what keeps me trucking on week to week. So Thank you to 

Wayne Kelly, Kenn Pease and Tobius Duffy I really appreciate you and your support.

So as you can imagine after that busy week of puppies and lockdowns all I could think off was Vacation time and making plans for 2021 so to fuel the fantasy even more this week I want to give you my list of the top global vacation destinations for metal detecting. 

I have completed a lot of research on this during the last few weeks and it seems that the History channel has had a profound effect on highlighting potential vacation locations but more on this later. 

Its right now that I need to put in this warning please  make sure to check the metal detecting law of your potential vacation destination you don’t want to arrive somewhere suited and booted only to find out that it was against the law when the local law enforcement are doing a cavity search for the lost arc of the covenant. So be prepared bring lube!!

I have  broken the list into countries  but this list could have been split  into types of detecting too. Such as gold detecting historical detecting and beach detecting.

So in Alphabetical order so as to not trigger any super nationalists.

Australia: Australia Has to be one of the best places to metal detect and in  my view a top detecting location In the world. Australia has it all with the minefield towns of North Adelaide or North Perth if you want to partake in gold prospecting surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the Bush. To the many glorious golden but most importantly heavily populated beaches. Also if a bit of wreak diving takes your fancy Australia has it all. So if you want that perfect mix of vacation and detecting then Australia is the place for you with it Sun Sand and Gold.

Up Next is England Now not typically a holiday hotspot in fact most brits leave the country to go to warmer climates during the summer months of June to September but if you’re detecting for History then there is nowhere better to go even if the weather and food is crap. One of the best places to go within England is to Norfolk and its surrounding Counties of East Anglia as this west country is a hotspot of Hoards and finds that site in the British meuseum this is due to its rich tapestry of History from the Saxons to the Vikings over millennia.  These Flatlands are constantly under plow which results in artifacts and finds being brought to the surface but be warned you need to report everything you find and in all likely hood you may not be able to bring your find home straight away but will receive it once the Portable antiquities scheme of the British museum deem it of insignificant importance. Right now there are many small groups that offer tours and use of permissions for a small  few and can hand hold you through the whole process a simple google search of metal detecting tours in the UK will point you in the right direction.

Now if you don’t feel up to lugging your gear to the uk but want to  get in some sort of hunting then I would recommend investigating the possibility of mudlarking on the Foreshore of the Thames again this needs a permit and is best to seak out a local guide to help you with the process of what is permitted and not permitted.

There is no doubt if you want to hunt for history on vacation then there is nowhere better to go than the United Kingdom but beware some factions of the local detecting community fell and are quiet vocal that this is an exploitation of their history. You have been warned.

The Caribbean where I keep my offshore bank account is next, straight out of the movies with locations like peters island and dead mans beach. the Caribbean fulfils all the romanticism associated with the lonely treasure hunter trying to find his way and treasure. this area is awash with pirate tales and finds but there is nowhere more synonymous with pirates than the island of Totruga a pirates playground during  the  17th Century and the playground of Captain Morgan of the Rum Fame. discovered by Christopher Columbus is featured in many works of fact based fiction. This 69 square Mile Island off the coast of Haiti home to 26K in habitants is relatively unspoilt but is a haven for snorkelling and scuba divers who dive the three wreaks just off shore and who are willing to survive the significant lack of facilities on the island but again check with local guides for help on detecting there or in nearby Haiti.

Moving to 

Аксум, Еthіоріа

Often Listed in several top 5’s of the best places to treasure hunt but when researching there is no presence online for Аксум Ethopia only a few pictures which adds to the mystery. Тhіѕ аrеа оf Еthіоріа іѕ соnѕіdеrеd оnе оf thе mоѕt соmрlех сіvіlіzаtіоnѕ іn Аfrіса. Тhis аnсіеnt еmріrе wаѕ thе fіrѕt Аfrісаn ѕtаtе tо mіnt thеіr оwn соіnѕ. And is rumоrеd tо hоld thе Аrk оf thе Соvеnаnt, and  its landscape is іnfluеnсеd bу bоth Сhrіѕtіаnіtу ,Іѕlаm, аnd Rоmаn empire.

Аkѕum Ethiopia apparently іѕ а trеаѕurе trоvе and Тhеrе іѕ so much mоrе tо undеrѕtаnd аbоut thіѕ аnсіеnt kіngdоm as lаrgе раrtѕ оf іt rеmаіn unехрlоrеd.

Finally and for me the Best place to metal detect in the world has to be the United States of America. With So many Potential great locations to hunt such as and repeatedly top tipped online and that’s Oak Island in Nova Scotia of History Channel Fame This island is the home of the legendary Money pit home of some legendary pirate treasure. Other rumours include Shakespeare’s manuscripts, Knights Templar relics, jewellery belonging to Marie Antoinette, Freemason artifacts, 16th century Spanish naval treasure but if you ask me all highly unlikely and not worth the  top slot at all as its  popularity  is mainly fuelled by  rumour  and any finds found have been  small and insignificant compared to the size of the tales associated with the island. 

For me the best place in the US and Globally to metal detect has to be Florida With a wide range of history and potential.  Florida is the home of several great beaches for detecting including Vero Beach, Bonsteel Park and Aquarina Beach

What makes Florida so attractive is not just the heavily populated beaches but also the history including the 11 Spanish galleons that were wrecked in the early 1700s that went down in the area from Cape Canaveral making the east-central Florida beaches most likely to yield results. 

Sebastian Inlet is at the center of what's known as the Treasure Coast, and prime sites for searching for gold stretch several miles north and south. Another attraction to Florida is the Law where in the main its finders keepers but again make sure to be fully aware  of the law before your break out the detector.

Other Notable US locations yes there are more include.

Utah the supposed home of the famed Montezuma’s gold, the long lost treasure of the Aztecs? 

Crystal Coast North Carolina the playground of Blackbeard probably the worlds most famous pirate  who ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge, ran aground near Beaufort, North Carolina.

Contraband Bayou in Louisiana and Superstition Mountains in Arizona but ill leave those for you to google later. 

Up Next is this weeks Tech Time out where I give you some tips and tricks in packing for your great adventure.

Music

Time for this weeks tech time out 

Ok so you’ve planned your trip but how do you get your equipment to your destination without the it getting confiscated and/or damaged. 

Firstly you need to decide to Check or not to check. For me the easiest thing to do is to check the bag, consider having to explain to the security agent what this monstrosity your bringing on the plane in only a metal detector never mind putting a spade or hori knife into the mix plus most security agencies have special requirements for lipo batteries requiring their terminals to be tapped up so considering this  it is less hassle to check the bag.

But then we need to select the bag now if going with a separate bag I favour a lockable strong light but tough canvas bag simply because it doesn’t indicate that there is anything of value inside it plus there is no added bonus cost a flight case would bring simply because of the case ruggedisation and weight. yes I know they look cooler but I don’t care I’m a cheap skate. 

Size your bag accordingly I would recommend to breakdown your equipment into its  constituent parts lay it out on a table beside your digging gear assuming your bringing it and measure but make sure to add some space for packaging as I recommend that you wrap up your bad boy in bubble wrap before packing.  

And that’s what I do but some top tips to consider include

1. Check with the airlines policy on batteries especially if your battery is removable.

2. If you  absolutely need to bring it as carry on reach out to the Airline first and get written approval prior.

3. Bring Your Manuals  you may need to explain what they are and what they are used for.

4. Know the metal detecting law at you destination.

5. if you can reach out to a local either via a forum or social media and they can give you the Low Down on any local pitfalls.

And that’s it for this week’s tech time out 

Wrap Up 

That’s it for this week’s  I hope you liked this episode of the metal detecting show podcast.

Check out our website www.themetaldetectingshow.com for this episode show notes. 

Check out our Patreon page if you want to help the podcast stay alive or just want to buy me a coffee. Actually if you want to buy me a coffee you can do so at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/metaldetecting also

If you would like to leave me a voice mail please do so on speakpipe.com/themetaldetectingshow the link will be in the show notes.

https://www.speakpipe.com/TheMetalDetectingShow

if you feel like taking your appreciation to the next level feel free to leave me a positive review on any podcast directory of your choice. 

If you like this content and would like more please don't hesitate to tell your friends and don't forget to hit that subscribe button.

Once again, I hope you have enjoyed this episode and we will chat to you all again next week. 

Get out there eyes down and Happy Hunting.