Ethics of Beach Detecting-Night v Day

[Danny13]

Thought I throw this one up on the forum as it's been on my mind for a while.

When is it appropriate to detect on a beach full of people? Myself I detect at night so as not to disturb In anyway those who bring their families for a day of fun.

However lately I have noticed a number of detectorists moving among the crowds digging holes and leaving them unfilled and even moving up onto the beach volleyball courts. I feel this is unethical as the last thing I would want to experience on the beach is someone moving in between my families beach towels and invading my personal space etc.

In addition I was at a local beach
The other night and a security guard for a surf life saving club came strait up to me, and I quote
" I already have kicked about 4 of you guys of the beach for detecting in between the tents and chairs " . I assured him that I would not . He let me on the beach and clearly those that were kicked of had indeed jumped over the competition ropes and detected where they were politely asked not too do so.

Any ones thoughts on the issue of day beach detecting and night beach detecting ?

 

[Wally69]

You hit the nail on the head with your ethics comment, as everyone is grounded by their own values, it is about being comfortable with your own approach and being empathetic to the environment you are operating in.

Regardless of what you think is a polite distance, others will have their own opinion and there will be those that just like to be confrontational. Night time is more efficient for detecting in any case but it tends to amplify confrontational 100:1 .....maybe the real questions are; what phasing of the moon offer a better time to detect and how far from the nearest bottle shop is a safe distance.

The best daytime tool to minimise impact is a set of headphones. I think more people are entertained by a detectorist's antics than are offended by them.

 

[Danny13]

I would hate to dig up a gold ring next to someone on the beach, only for them to claim it . How fast can you run Wally69 . Night time I have had no issues with confrontation , just the odd curious questions from tourists who think I'm doing a good job cleaning up the beach for them to enjoy lol. On a more serious note I would hate to see beach detecting regulated by local government due to a lack of respect given by a few detectorists.

Dan

 

[Wally69]

From my experience, if someone is silly enough to get that close to a beachgoer they are more likely to discover their burried callipo tops and embarrase them into leaving.

When it becomes financially viable for councils to charge a licence fee and apply a set of regulations, they will do it regardless of warrant. Wouldn't surprise me if building sand castles is banned one day cause a DA was not applied for.

I must say I have been guilty of supporting a proximity ban for people wearing thongs on the beach, not a fan of getting sand flung in my eyes by people too lazy to take a respectful path around me.

 

[SinHof]

This is a topic that has crossed my mind on a number of occasions of late, being relatively new to beach detecting, six months or so now. I try and stay at least ten metres away from people sitting/lying on the beach, particularly females and young children.
Most people are just interested in what you are looking for and to date have not experienced any problems/issues, always back-fill my holes and make a point of removing any trash, particularly sharps. Should a beach inspector/ranger stop you for a chat as to what you're doing it goes over well if you can show them you are doing the correct thing by removing said offending items.
With the warmer months approaching night beach detecting will certainly be the predominant style of detecting, in my case a carry over from gold detecting at night, it's a great time to be out and about and most of the beaches around home are fairly well lit, just got to keep an eye/ear out for possible trouble makers, AKA drunks et al; I also run dual speakers rather than headphones when beach hunting, another carry-over from gold detecting.
As mentioned earlier, it would be a shame if beach detecting was some how regulated or banned due to some individuals doing the wrong thing.
Just my thoughts, SinHof.

 

[rocketaroo]

go early, finish by 9am, or detect after 5pm. Too many guys doing it, which is why some are detecting around beach goers (very rude), getting the drops early.

 

[Danny13]

Hahaha, yeah that would be embarrassing Wally69. Believe it or not some people are silly enough to do .... Well silly things . For example a young lad with an Aldi learning the hobby moved a beach goers bag to detect underneath it , while the person was swimming..... No offence to Aldi users I'm sure it was an isolated case

Anyways , It's always financially viable for councils to slap licence fees and fines on certain activities . I'm more interested in the pro's and cons of both day vs night and the ethics that come into play with the above.

Wally69 I would recommend night time detecting during a full moon phase when schoolies week is on . Always interesting and guaranteed to detect something either with your eyes or your metal detector . All pros can't think of any cons :lol:

 

[Danny13]

Rocketroo, so true . Plenty of guys doing it and trying to pick up the drops early. 8am or 5pm is the best time as you said .

 

[Danny13]

Well said Sinhof, removing rubbish from the beach such as sharps and keeping distance from children and women also is a great way of showing respect for the beach environment and making it safer for those that use it. I think these points and some above would help keep our great hobby free to enjoy.

Dan

 

[silver]

Gone are the good old days when one was the only one with a detector and you could leave the beach to fill up over summer.

 

[Mike70]

I want to detect where people have been, not where they are. Problem solved.

Mike70.

 

[Goldpick]

In my experience, many of those that either hit the beach whilst people are around, or hit the area immediately after people leave, are rushed in detecting the area and usually miss quite a few targets, especially if competing with other detectorists. Also you have to contend with aggro detectorists who think the beach belongs soley to them.

I have never detected around beachgoers, and never will, not the done thing in my book. Probably 90% of my beach detecting occurred at night, usually with no shortage of finds.

In some areas there are council by-laws that prohibit detecting and other activites near beachgoers, or within a certain distance of areas marked by the lifesaver's flags, so keep that in mind.

It really is so much more relaxing at night, never had an issue with wierdos or drunks (mainly happy drunks) over several years beach detecting, and a lot less distractions to take your mind off the job. Aside from that, some of the lowest tides would often fall during the night or early morning, hence a good time to hit the gutters & cuts.

Nothing better than wondering the beach on a balmy summers night under the moonlight.

 

[Danny13]

I agree gold pick , your more likely to run into a grumpy or territorial detectorist . I have had no issues at sundown with drunks or strange types like rocketroo . Like mike , myself and others have said its better to detect where people have been and not where they are. I for one don't won't councils to slap fees or licences to detect, otherwise we will need our own qld chapter of naptha to represent us . Nominating rj as president

 

[rocketaroo]

why picking on me, me strange? a stranger is just a friend, that you havent met yet

 

[Danny13]

My sincere apologies rocketroo, just saw some pics you put up when silver came back from walkabout , no offence , I'm sure your a good bloke. Definately a great detectorist going by your finds

 

[rocketaroo]

lol allgood

 

[rocketaroo]

My sincere apologies rocketroo, just saw some pics you put up when silver came back from walkabout

 

[Heatho]

Oh crikey not again...... 8) lol.

 

[Danny13]

Oh no , that's for special occasions mate , particularly for silver . Take it off mate lol, horrendous

 

[Danny13]

Put it back up if Molly Meldrum joins PA