Underwater metal detectors are designed for immersion in water at great depths. The design features are complete sealing, simplified handling, and shortened dimensions.
Underwater metal detectors can be used in both salt and freshwater. The advantage is increased sensitivity to small-sized targets (chains, rings, small nuggets). It is a great chance for water lovers to combine swimming and treasure hunting.
But what underwater detector to choose? Let’s decide together.
Fisher CZ21-8 Underwater Metal Detector
Dual-frequency waterproof metal detector for professionals. Through the use of special signal processing, it filters salty water well and is suitable for working in seawater. The lower frequency of 5 kHz well detects all types of objects, and the upper 15 kHz increases the sensitivity to non-ferrous metals, especially small size.
Features:
- Dual frequency (5 kHz and 15 kHz)
- VLF circuit with proprietary saltwater Fourier Domain signal processing technology
- Dive up to 75 meters
- High resistance to mineralization
- Manual balancing
- Work Modes: Discrimination and Autotune All Metal
- Target designation
- 3-tone identification of the type of target
- Possibility of mounting the control panel of the metal detector on the belt
- Includes 10.5 ″ mono coil
KKmoon Metal Detector
This metal detector has good sensitivity and great functionality. With it, you can find items that are at a depth of 50 cm.
It has two modes:
- Metals: iron, gold, silver
- Discrimination
The coil is waterproof and thanks to this, with the help of this metal detector, you can search for metal even in water: small streams, river banks, as well as in the surf.
The control unit is not waterproof. Make sure that the water does not fall on the control unit.
This model of metal detector made of ABS plastic. All components of decent quality.
The telescopic straight bar is a tube made of aluminum. It is well attached to the coil, as well as to the control unit with special screws. You can easily adjust the length of the rod. The length is adjustable from 78 cm to 107 cm. And due to the minimum weight of the water metal detector, your hand will not get tired. Also, for convenience, there is a plastic handle, as well as an emphasis for a hand with the help of which you can precisely direct the device.
Features:
- Arrow indicator
- Discrimination adjustment knobs
- Sensitivity adjustment knobs
- Volume control
- 3.5 headphone jack
Minelab Excalibur II 1000 Underwater Metal Detector
The Minelab submersible metal detector is the underwater search engine leader!
One of the best discrimination in the most difficult conditions of the underwater search. The search can be conducted at depths of up to 60 meters in both fresh and saltwater.
Minelab Excalibur II has proven itself to search not only under water but also on land.
Excalibur II works stably in salt water, and highly mineralized soil allows for more accurate discrimination. It has 28 working frequencies (1.5 kHz-200 kHz).
At low frequencies, large objects are well detected at a considerable depth; at high frequencies, small parts are searched. Also, there is a targeting mode.
Features:
- Technology BBS - Broad Band Spectrum (wide frequency spectrum).
- The detector works simultaneously on 17 frequencies 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6,7.5, 9, … 25.5 kHz - DISC
- DISC - discrimination - allows you to separate from unwanted items
- PINPOINT - direction finding - facilitates the extraction of detected objects.
- All metals are detected
- Regulator THRESHOLD
- Setting the background signal level
- VOLUME control
- Setting the target signal volume
- SENSITIVITY regulator
- Two sensitivity tinctures
- Automatic and manual, allowing you to adjust the sensitivity in a wide range
- Disc knob
- Setting the level of discrimination
- Coil 25 cm type dd
- Ability to immerse the metal detector up to 65 m
- Nicad batteries - Weight: 2.36 kg
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Waterproof
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT is an ergonomically shaped metal detector, which has excellent functionality so that it will help in the detection of small, medium and large items from coins to non-ferrous metals.
It is worth noting that this model quite quickly processes the received signal from the find, while for the convenience of the user it is displayed on an LCD display with an excellent interface, where discrimination is displayed not only in the form of a graphic scale but also in the digital value of the VDI number readings 0 to 99, which greatly facilitates the process of identifying the target.
In addition, the sensor perfectly copes with the task, even in difficult conditions. Another pleasure is the presence of a waterproof coil, which allows you to perform search work in shallow water or at a depth of 5 m.
One more advantage of the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT is the ability to adjust the frequency from 5 kHz to 20 kHz so that you will not have difficulty finding items of small sizes and many additional features. To work in noisy places, it is recommended to use headphones.
Features:
- Fully waterproof to 10 feet with orange color for added visibility underwater
- Maximum sensitivity for improved detection of nuggets and other small targets. Choose from three Sensitivity levels
- Fast Retune: Quick button press instantly tunes out environment or narrows detection field for precise pinpointing of larger targets
Garrett Sea Hunter MK-II Metal Detector
Cheap underwater metal detector Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II - a device for underwater searching at a depth of 60 meters. DTE technology allows you to cut off a variety of debris, such as foil from the sweets and cigarettes, bottle caps, cans, etc. Garrett Sea Hunter MK-II Metal Detector has a long rod for use at the top of the water and a short one for underwater searches. The work in the discrimination mode makes it possible to accurately determine the objects, without first unloading them from the ground.
Features:
- Built on the pulse-induction circuit (PI) and microprocessor control
- Reliably eliminates bottle caps and foil without losing sensitivity to coins and rings
- Sea Hunter ignores salt water and most minerals.
- Standard and discrete garbage collection mode
- Immersion depth up to 65m
- 4 bars in a set for various situations
- Regulators: Mode selection (standard deviation, discrete deviation), Threshold, Deviation depth
Advice for Choosing the Right Underwater Metal Detector
If you are going to do an underwater search, it will not be out of place to make sure that your handheld underwater metal detector is suitable for this purpose. Indeed, many devices claim to be waterproof, although, in reality, they are only “semi-waterproof”. What do we want to say with this? Everything is very simple - some manufacturers of metal detectors use materials of not very good quality and only partial sealing, but they are already positioning their products as devices for the underwater search.
Firstly, the thing is that the materials used in some metal detectors are not intended for diving to a considerable depth. They can and should be used in shallow water, for example, in the coastal zone of beaches or lakes, marshes with shallow depths. Such devices cannot be used for scuba diving. Design and materials simply will not withstand the pressure of water, and the metal detector will leak.
Secondly, you should pay attention to the detection technology that the device uses. While almost all professional underwater metal detectors are pulsed (with the exception of Excalibur using BBS technology - operating at 17 frequencies simultaneously), “semi-waterproof” detectors use VLF - very low frequencies.
The fact is that the VLF is well suited for searches on land, but under water, such devices are very inferior to pulsed ones, significantly losing in depth of detection and performance. Seriously doing an underwater search and using a VLF instead of a pulse metal detector, you greatly reduce your chances of finding something really worthwhile.
A pulsed metal detector scans the seabed to a considerable depth, finding targets under large tracts of sand deposited with time. While the device with VLF technology scans only the surface of the bottom soil, these are the main features that are worth paying attention to when choosing the best waterproof metal detector.
Manufacturing firm
Most of the major manufacturers, as a rule, have in their model range one or two metal detectors intended for serious deep-sea searches. All these devices have their strengths, so you have to carefully choose - pay attention to whether it is easy to get spare parts, whether the detector has a big guarantee. Also, make sure that the readings of the screen are easy to read - there are models with improved underwater visibility and LED display. As soon as you take the underwater search seriously, you will realize that working with the device at great depth is not at all the same thing as walking with a dirt detector on the beach or park. To perceive information about the find under water is much more difficult.
Additional features
If you have a waterproof pulse metal detector, it will come in handy not only in water - on land its performance is not less, the depth of detection will pleasantly surprise you. Most manufacturers design the device so that it works like an amphibian - both in water and on land, respectively, the construct also changes depending on the search conditions.
Under water, the control unit is removed and mounted on the arm or the belt, and on land, it is mounted on the rod. This is important because it increases the profitability of the detector and makes it universal and not narrow-profile.
Regarding the discovery alert, ask yourself how the detector will react to the target. Will it be a vibration or an audio signal, if the audio - will it be heard well enough under water? If not, will the headphones work underwater? Do these headphones come with the device?
By asking yourself all these questions, you will make the right choice and select the best underwater metal detector that suits you.
Pulse Inductions vs. Very Low Frequency
There are two known types of metal detectors operating according to a “transmit-receive” (TR) scheme, classified by the type of magnetic field generated by the transmitting coil.
Pulsed induction detectors (PI) typically generate a transmitter current that turns on for a while and then abruptly turns off. The coil field generates pulsed eddy currents in the object, which are detected by analyzing the attenuation of the pulse induced in the receiver coil.
“Inductive balance” detectors with a sinusoidal (harmonic) VLF - very-low-frequency waveform (below 30 kHz) generate a current in the transmitting coil that is constant in frequency and amplitude. Small changes in the phase and amplitude of the voltage at the receiver indicate the presence of metallic objects.
VLF metal detectors (TR / VLF) have been fabricated for more than ten years, improvements in selectivity, productivity occur constantly. They are most suitable for searching for coins and rarities in urban environments since they have no equal among other types of metal detectors in the ability to filter iron and ferro-containing garbage. There are more and more “smart” and easy to use devices. Be sure that as long as there are unrevealed treasures, the development of new and improved instruments will be carried out, how perfect would be the existing ones.
What about detectors with pulse induction, these are specialized tools. They are not very suitable for searching for coins in urban environments since they cannot filter iron and ferro-containing garbage. They can be used for archaeological searches in rural areas, where there is no iron debris in large quantities, to search for gold nuggets and to search at maximum depth in extreme conditions, such as the coast of the seas or a place where the land is heavily mineralized. Such metal detectors show excellent results in similar conditions and are generally comparable to VLF instruments, especially in their ability to build up from such soils and “punch” them to the maximum depth.
When To Go Metal Detecting Under Water?
Searching for coins, jewelry, and artifacts under water is an effective way to increase your chances of finding more targets. Also combining the search on land and in water is especially nice in the summer when you have the opportunity not only to do your favorite hobby but also to take a dip or swim.
An underwater search is different from regular digging and may be more difficult than you thought. In addition, you need to buy a waterproof pinpointer metal detector. When you have a suitable detector, and you follow the next rules, interesting findings are provided to you.
Plan ahead
It is very important to properly plan the departure to search in order not to waste time and effort. The first thing to consider is the time of year when you go digging. It is logical that you need to look for something in the water when it is already warmed up. Of course, if you have a reliable wetsuit, you can search in the cold season. Also, consider weather reports. Search under water in the rain or a hurricane is unsafe.
Choose where to search
To increase your chances of good finds, you need to figure out where on the beach are the most visited areas of people. This also applies to underwater search. Usually, most of the finds are where people “walk on water,” that is, the depth where they are not yet swimming. Also, the marinas of pleasure boats, catamarans and the like are suitable for findings. If the beach is for tourists, it is worth checking the area around the water rides or places equipped for sports in the water (jumping towers).
Learn the techniques of underwater search
When you are just starting out, you need to familiarize yourself with the methods and techniques of instrumental searching. You can, for example, follow the line along the coast, moving at a meter interval. Check out all the natural grooves and pits at the bottom, as there may be something valuable there. Even underwater search experts sometimes use special scoops - narrow ones, so as not to raise turbidity, and if they are looking shallowly - then scuba diving (a sieve on a stick) and floating rafts with an improvised sieve, which help to separate the targets from the dirt.
Look for daytime
Instrumental search in the water is quite difficult. At night, everything becomes much more complicated, since visibility under water is much worse than in the air, and even strong lights do not always help well. So if you are aiming for an underwater search, then start in the early morning or when the day is already in full swing.
It is not necessarily to engage in underwater swimming
Before you begin a treasure hunt, many recommend taking several scuba diving lessons. But for this, you must have special equipment, for the purchase of which you do not always have money. However, judging by the experience of many search professionals, it is not necessary to take diving lessons. Most of the goals are hidden at a depth of 1-1.5 meters, and in order to find them, you do not need to buy scuba gear.
Choose the right accessories
For example, you should make sure that your headphones are waterproof, and a pinpointer can work without problems in water (or in salt water, like XP MI-6). You will also need a bag for transporting the metal detector, and to have a rag or special towels for the detector in it. Well, most likely, you will need either a scoob or a special scoop like the BlackAda SandScoop. Working in such a scoop in the sand, you will save a lot of time.
If you want to search at any time of the year, then you certainly need a wetsuit.
Use the correct settings
Adjust the metal detector for each specific place of “underwater hunting”. Select the category of goals you are going to dig and adjust the settings for it.
To check if the settings are correct, you can conduct tests on the type of products you are looking for. Put jewels in a plastic bag before installation on the bottom and tie them with a cord - just in case, in order not to leave them to more successful treasure hunters.
Use the correct search technique
It is also important how are you actually doing underwater metal detecting. If on land it is possible to wave the coil of the device rather quickly, then under water such movements will only lift dregs from the bottom. Work slowly, consistently closing the intended area. Do not start feverishly digging up the target if it sounded under the coil. The movements should also be calm but get ready for the fact that anyway sand or silt will rise from the bottom. Sometimes you have to search for a goal solely by touch.
Brands
One of the most famous and popular manufacturers today is Garrett, Minelab, Fisher, Whites, Tesoro, XP. These are world-class manufacturers with a long history.
So the company Garrett, based in the USA from 1964 keeps the quality of the metal detectors produced at a high level. The most popular device from Garrett is the Garrett Ace 250, which won fame as a device for beginners around the world.
The rest also doesn’t fall behind. X-Terra 705 from the Australian manufacturer Minelab is the favorite device of most experienced treasure hunters.
The decision on which brand to choose, first of all, should be made, having defined, where you will conduct a search - in salty sea water or fresh water of the nearby rivers and lakes. If you are going to go to freshwaters from time to time, we recommend VLF-device, for example, a good submariner Tesoro Tiger Shark or Minelab Excalibur II. You can dive up to 3 meters deep with both the Minelab CTX 3030 and the new Minelab EQUINOX 800. Such metal detectors detect even small targets, such as rings or bracelets.
To search in seawater, you will need a pulse metal detector (PI). It behaves better on the salty sands and in the water, easily rebuilt from interference. However, they are not as sensitive as VLF, and there is a loss of depth. Here we can recommend one of the most affordable underwater PI-metal detectors - Tesoro Sand Shark, as well as the Minelab SDC2300, which shows itself well on land.